21+fresh+ideas+for+Easter

							                                                                  Hallmark and Hershey's
                                                             have done the work to keep
                                                                     Easter ‘top of mind.'
                                                            Research shows that it's also
                                                                the holiday most likely to
                                                                   draw an unbeliever to
                                                                 church. So, how can you
                                                            take advantage of this once-
                                                               a-year chance to share
                                                                      the transforming
                                                                message of the cross?

                                                                Tamara Rice, Outreach magazine



21 fresh ideas for Easter
by Tamara Rice

Like digging out a dusty box of holiday decorations, many churches pull their standard
Easter pageant fare out of the ministry attic without much consideration as to why.
Perhaps this year it's time to take a prayerful look at your local community and ask, "Who
do we really need to reach with the message of Christ?" and "What will be the most
effective way to reach them?"

Hallmark and Hershey's have done the work to keep Easter "top of mind." Research
shows that it's also the holiday most likely to draw an unbeliever to church. So, how can
you take advantage of this once-a-year chance to share the transforming message of the
cross?

Outreach magazine recently asked readers to share some of their best Easter connection
ideas. The result: 21 seasoned ideas that have been proven effective. As you read them
and begin to brainstorm, be creative and consider how God wants your congregation to
reach out to those who don't know him this Easter.

1. Community humility. We participate in a community-wide Easter service held at a
local college stadium. Pastors from various denominations come together to plan, pray,
share ideas, and divide the workload and costs. Because of the pastors' humility, the
services have had great success in our community. – Trinity Assembly of God, Algood,
Tenn.

2. Easter road show. Develop a team that can conduct Easter services – even a children's
service and egg hunt – at locations around your community. Housing projects, senior
citizens' developments, even trailer parks are good. You'll hit individuals and families
who might never have the chance to visit your church and hear the Gospel. – Adapted
from SonRise Christian Church, Goose Creek, S.C.

3. Lily gratitude. Instead of spending money on Easter lilies to decorate the church,
purchase lilies as a donation to local businesses, hospitals, law enforcement, schools, etc.
Attach a small tag from your church: "With appreciation during this Easter season." –
Adapted from First Southern Baptist Church, Lawrence, Kan.

4. Resurrection run. We hold a resurrection run motorcycle rally and invite motorcycle
enthusiasts from the community to join us. – FAITH Riders Motorcycle Ministries,
Cookeville, Tenn.

5. Easter labyrinth. On Easter, we promote a labyrinth experience featuring stations of
the cross. Even unbelievers are interested in a spiritual experience that helps them learn
about the true significance of Easter. – Adapted from Harbor Trinity Church, Costa
Mesa, Calif., and New Generations Church, Albany, Ga.

6. Easter signs. In cities where increasing restrictions are affecting public signage,
creative churches are using silk-screened, corrugated plastic yard signs. Planted on the
front lawns of church members, the signs invite neighbors to Easter services and events.

7. Love jars. Our ladies outreach group fills canning jars with brownie mix – layered and
sealed with a lid covered with seasonal fabric. We make a personal visit to the home of
each of our Easter visitors. It's a non-threatening, non-preachy visit that simply says,
"We're glad you came ... hope to see you again." – Memorial Baptist Church, Verona,
Wis.

8. Spring family festival. We follow up Easter Sunday with a spring family festival. We
give the kids carnival tickets stapled to their Easter Sunday egg bags to use on the day of
the festival for rides and games. It's a strong motivator that turns an Easter-only visit into
at least two visits. A barbecue and outreach-oriented message series give the parents a
reason to return as well.

9. The empty egg. We offer a community-wide Easter egg hunt that involves several
avenues to share the Gospel. From puppet ministry to music, to sharing the parable of the
empty egg (representing the tomb), we use this event to introduce them to Christ and
invite them to our Easter services.

10. One card. One guest. We hand out printed invitations to our Easter worship service
to all of our regular attendees. We ask them to pray for one person that God is leading
them to invite. Members either mail or hand-deliver the invitations to the people they've
been praying for. We've seen a great response to this. – Adapted from Cannon United
Methodist Church, Snellville, Ga.

11. Appreciation gift. We give an inexpensive Max Lucado book ($1.50 each) to the
first 50 families who come to our service. – Horizon Church, Surprise, Ariz.
12. Cross connection. Our congregation uses the tradition of a flower cross. We
purchase hundreds of carnations and during the response time, we invite people to place a
flower in a large wooden cross-framed with chicken wire. During a recent Easter, one
woman who had been praying for her gravely ill, unchurched husband saw him go
forward and place his flower in the cross. Talk about resurrection power! – Adapted from
Allendale United Methodist Church, St. Petersburg, Fla., and Tyler Street Church of
Christ, Sacramento, Calif.

13. The world's biggest Easter egg hunt. The week before Easter we advertise a huge
event we call "The world's biggest Easter egg hunt," including games, food, prizes, free
Bibles, and music. We then invite the community back the next week for our Easter
services. – Adapted from Eastside Baptist, Marietta,Ga.; Freedom Worship Center,
Soddy Daisy,Tenn.; Providence United Methodist, Fayetteville, Ga.; and Daybreak
Community, Shawnee, Kan.

14. Easter kindness. Easter is often more inwardly focused than Christmas and
Thanksgiving. This year, mark Easter weekend with a significant act of service to your
community (restore hiking trails, host a dinner for the homeless, hold a blood drive, run a
10k for a local women's shelter, etc.) and invite your community to join you.

15. You can do it. Encourage everyone who attends your Easter service to bring canned
food for a local food bank. Seeing the church serve others helps even unbelievers focus
on the selfless sacrifice of Christ.

16. Palm Sunday reflection. Invite your community to join you for a meaningful time of
spiritual reflection on the Sunday before Easter. Last year, we created sacred spaces that
guided people through the events leading up to the cross. It helped all of us prepare
mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the Holy Week. We borrowed from the liturgy
of other churches to help create the sacred environment. – Oroville Nazarene Church,
Oroville, Calif.

17. Location: neutral. Instead of holding services at your church, schedule them at a
neutral location. One church uses a flower ranch located on the property of one of their
members and draws many unbelievers each year. – Adapted from Good Shepherd
Lutheran, Turlock, Calif.

18. Next generation invitations. In addition to direct mail, signage, and other materials,
promote your Easter service with an e-card that can be easily forwarded along with a
personal note. Outreach, Inc. (publisher of Outreach magazine) offers e-cards as part of
its free (with purchase) Easter Impact sites.

19. Spring clean-up. The week before Easter, host a huge, community-wide garage sale
to benefit a local charity or cause. Offer a tax receipt to any donors and even offer to pick
up larger items. Make it a fun community event by providing food, music, and fliers
promoting your Easter-week activities.
20. Egg-vitations. The Sunday before Easter we give children 10 plastic eggs with candy
and an invitation for their friends and families to attend our Easter service. It is great to
see our children involved in inviting people to our church. – Creekside Church,
Centennial, Colo., borrowed from Fellowship Church, Grand Junction, Colo.

21. Celebrity connection. Invite a local Christian "celebrity" to participate in your Easter
service. Ideas: Ask the mayor to provide narration; ask the local pageant queen to sing; or
have a local DJ or news anchor participate in a reader's theater.

This content originally appeared in the January/February 2005 issue of Outreach
magazine, the gathering place for ideas, insights, and stories of today's outreach-oriented
church leaders. For more ideas and information, visit outreachmagazine.com. For your
free three-issue mini subscription to Outreach magazine, click here.