Hi ladies. Just wanting to post in and let you know we are a name and legal entity now. Christ Community Church of Searcy AR. We are so excited about our church and we are having fun working toward this. What I need from you ladies is another question answer session on easter ideas. We are still in our homes and we need some ideas on easter. Several families have friends and family they want to invite for easter and we want to do a potluck. So what ideas can you come up with to accomodate everyone, food and kids easter egg hunt? Has anyone ever tried to do easter with such a small congregation? Especially being in a home? We can rent a banquet room at a hotel or something but we wont have a place for kids and I really want them to have a blast this year. Puppetmaster, throw me some good childrens pastor ideas please!!! Cassandra
An idea that actually works better in smaller churches than in larger ones is "Resurrection Eggs." You can usually find them at Target or Walmart this time of year. Basically, each plastic egg contains something that reminds us of the first Easter...the kids pick an egg, see what's in it, and say what they think it means (there's a piece of cloth to represent that they gambled for Jesus' robe; a crown of thorns; a little cross, etc.). One of the eggs is empty, of course, to represent the empty tomb!
It works well for small groups because there are only 12 of them...each kid gets an egg or two, and when they've told their part of the story (or you've helped them with it - I don't know if your group is mostly "churched" or "unchurched"), they can pick out a piece of candy. I've also hidden them around the room to make it an Easter Egg Hunt, too! So the kids get to look for eggs, get candy, and they get to hear the story of Jesus' death and resurrection...
If you can't find them, it would be easy enough (and cheap!) to make your own!
Hope that helps...if any of you from "medium-sized" churches have any ideas on how to make Easter special for kids' church, throw those ideas at me, too - I've never done Easter in a church that wasn't a small church, lol!!
Our church back home, which runs 800 or so, did a resurrection boxing match with the ring and all. Jesus beat up the devil (guy in black hooded robe) and it was always cool. It draws a large group of kids every year. NOt sure if they got the idea from Willie George or not (that is the curriculum they use) but it is an idea. THey built the ring out of PVC and rope and did it in our church gym but you could do it in any size room with a red light bulb (for dramatic affect) and music of Rocky. It was a hoot.
Also, I am needing ideas geared on how to place and seat all these adults? We want to have room and appeal to everyone AS WELL as do a good job with the kids (meaning to me they have childrens church not tough out a service with us just so we can use noce banquet facility) unless we could pull off doing their thing AFTER church? Just dont know how to offer best service we can to everyone in such limited space. This is a good opportunity to invite people (easter) and we want to do our best.
Why not incorporate the two? You could do the Easter egg hunt about 1/2 hour before you start your "adult" program; then have the kids hang onto their eggs and tell the story using the kids as part of the service. Make it more of a "family" service, rather than trying to do two separate ones.
It might draw more family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles) if they know the kids are going to be involved in the service! Your husband could wrap it up with his sermon, and everyone feels like the service was "for them."
excellent idea. and since i have found out that one or more families may be out (big loss when you are such a small group already) that will work perfectly. We are going to gear our day around the meal as well and make it very intimate and personal. May also try to incorporate something on good friday (maybe coffee and dessert and games) to tie together those who wont be here sunday but still feel like it was a good weekend for our church if that makes sense. But yeah definately going for that warm and fuzzy feeling. And having a blast. Now I gotta figure out how to decorate on a budget. Come Deanna...hostess with the mostest. I need table and decorateing on a budget ideas!!
Just don't do what another church did and made national news a few years ago... "The Passion of the Easter Bunny..." (they whipped and beat up a a person in an Easter Bunny costume...) How horrible. It's funny in a way, yes, but man they got such BAD PRESS over that and made Christians look like idiots.
Okay, decorating...I think Easter is a rather easy holiday to decorate for because so much centers around flowers and the whole pastel theme. Just some fresh cut flowers in small bowls or a real large vase with some colorful long stemmed flowers. Maybe a big tall vase with some colorful flowers and a colorful pastel ribbon around the vase somehow? When you say decor are you thinking table centerpieces? Favors? Not sure...I'm thinking you maybe just want something on the table where you will gather, eat, etc.
It's funny in a way, yes, but man they got such BAD PRESS over that and made Christians look like idiots.
