Do you all give anything out at your Christmas service? I have been to some churches who give a "favor" or treat to everyone as they exit on Christmas Sunday such as...
Fruit
Candy
Mini loaves of bread (pumpkin, zucchini, etc.)
Coffee mugs with church logo (we've done this)
some sort of "craft" that goes along with the Christmas message
Poinsettias
Do you do anything like this? If so, what?
And, what if anything are you planning for your Christmas morning (the 23rd?) Sunday this year?
Our church's Christmas service is the most unusual service I have ever been a part of!!
Instead of a solemn, candle-lit affair, we do a "family get-together." We sing a couple of carols, and then my SP organizes a few games that the congregation participates in (Last year, each section picked one person to be decorated like a Christmas tree for one of the games!).
Our dance team performs - we have a short devotional - and cash and prizes are given out to game winners, and for various other things (the person who traveled the furthest to be there, etc).
We normally do two services (9:00 and 11:00), but for that Sunday, we do just one service at 10:00 - and the kids are downstairs with their families...
It was funny, because last year, I dressed up - I always dress up for Christmas (I even wore heels..EEEK!!!), and I got there and SP and PW were there in khakis and sweaters. It's very casual, very fun...very much a celebration!!
Christmas time in the past we would have communion, then break out into small groups and have contests...
-Make your own carols -Skits etc.
This year at our new church we are having a Christmas fest. Bishop and Kathy Miller have gotten 20 18 foot Christmas Trees and we get to hand decorate all of them. Then we have a go-cart train pull people around the hallway for the "grand-tour"! Seven times around makes a mile! There will also be a Christmas concert, food, and games.
One of my favorite memories was while I was youth pastoring in NC, I gathered my youth around and we made a circle of chairs. My interns and I washed everyone's feet and told them how they were a gift to us! Talk about tears flowing! I will never forget it!
First off I must say...wow! Sounds like some of you have a blast on that Sunday before Christmas! We took over here a year ago and last year we tried to have a candle light service on Christmas eve.... no one showed...(small church only 20 people at the time. Although one of the deacons blessed each family with a bag full of fruit. This year the kids and I are making snowman ornaments out of light bulbs. They will get to keep one and then we will make one for each family to hand out on Dec 23rd after the service. We will be showing "The Nativity" movie the week before. We are hoping to go Christmas caroling and hand out invites to each house we go to to come to the movie night. We plan to use it as an outreach. We are hoping to get some of the families that we have blessed with food this year to come so we can bless them with a Christmas Food Basket...if they do not come we will take it to them. What kinds of outreaches do you all do around this time?
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"How can I keep from Praising Your Name, How can I ever say enough, How amazing is Your Love!"
