Scripture: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13)

Topics: Sanctity of life, abortion, God’s guidance, pre-marital sex, fear, anxiety, guilt, choices.

Cast: Chloe–age 16,  Jim–age 17

Setting: A park in winter

Costumes: Jeans and jackets

Running Time: Approximately 6-8 minutes

Synopsis: Jim and Chloe have arranged to meet at a park. The two have been dating for three months. Recently their relationship changed, and sex entered the picture. Now Chloe fears that she is pregnant, and Jim has purchased a pregnancy kit for her.

Director notes: The skit takes place on a cold winter evening. The actions of the actors need to reflect the chilly temperature. Chloe and Jim should be portrayed as average teenagers in a difficult situation. The skit ends in an open-ended manner. The only certainty is that Chloe will be performing the pregnancy test the next morning.

Download a PDF of The Park Date by Helen Jameson.

Use this discussion guide by Heather Melcher when you perform the skit:

What do you think might happen next?

What do you think these characters would do if it turned out that Chloe was pregnant?

What might happen if Chloe was not pregnant?

How has sex affected their relationship?

Are you surprised by Chloe’s and Jim’s behavior? Why or why not?

How could Chloe and Jim, or any of us, avoid finding ourselves in a situation like this? Keep in mind that they thought they were having “safe sex”.

One way they could have avoided Chloe getting pregnant would have been to not have sex outside of marriage. In addition to the risk of becoming pregnant before you are ready to be a parent, sex outside marriage also comes with life-threatening health risks like sexually transmitted diseases as well as painful spiritual and emotional consequences. It is easy to say “just don’t have sex,” but when people really like each other, and are alone, it can be difficult to make our bodies do what our minds and consciences know we should be doing.

What are some strategies we can use to avoid having sex outside of marriage?

Some ideas might be to avoid being alone together, to always keep all clothes on, to never touch parts of the other person that would be covered by a swimsuit, to end the date if one or both are feeling like they have almost run out of self-control, etc.

Hand out blank business cards and have participants print out 1 Peter 5:8 or 1 Corinthians 6:19 on one side of the card and sex avoidance rules they choose for themselves on the other side. If they have decided the rules for themselves and set their minds on them before temptation occurs, they will be better able to make wise choices when tempted.