February 13, 2024 in News
Ideas for Sharing Jesus in Lent and Easter
IDEAS FOR SHARING JESUS IN LENT AND EASTER
Evangelism Working Group and Network www.elca.org/evangelism
- Download: Ideas for sharing Jesus Lent_Easter 2024
As many have already discovered, Lent starts very early this year. Ash Wednesday is February 14. Here are some ideas and resources to help share Jesus during Lent and Easter:
- Have an Easter-Give-Away. At the local food pantry or your church. Have Easter Baskets to give with Easter coloring books, Easter candy, devotional books, and other Easter items to give away along with the regular food distribution
- For the Good Friday service, or a community Good Friday service, have a cross processional through parts of town. Have one or more people carry a cross along with music. End at the Good Friday service location
- A Palm Sunday 5K Run with proceeds going to a food bank or homeless shelter. Palm branches at the finish line
- A Palm Sunday procession around the church or community. Pass out palm crosses and invitations to Holy Week and Easter services
- A focus during Lent on self-care and mental health with events featuring yoga, reiki, meditation, healing prayers and devotions dealing with stress and grief
- Use the free Easter Communications Tools available from the ELCA: https://www.elca.org/Resources/Congregational-Communications-Tools#Easter
- Create Social Media posts that members and friend can share on their social media sites that promote Lenten, Holy Week, and Easter Services
- Focus on Jesus through Lent and Easter. Find ways to tell the story. Display pictures or figures around the church that depict Jesus’ journey to the cross
- Easter Egg Hunt with easter eggs filled with candy and bible verses about Jesus’ love
- How can Lenten Services be places where people can make their testimonies about Jesus? – Use You Are Witnesses of These Things as a guide to preparing testimonies.
- Design Social Media posts that can be shared that talk about the special days in Lent and Easter like the meaning of Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and The Easter Vigil.
- Have a public Easter Sunrise Service. Have it in a park or a cemetery. Invite everyone.
- Take Easter Services to nursing home, assisted living, and senior living apartments.
- Give each church member an Easter Egg with a prize inside (candy) and an invitation to all the Holy Week and Easter services that they can give away to friends, neighbors, and people they meet
- Have a Holy Week/Easter walk. Around the building or outside, have stops, like Stations of the Cross where people can walk and hear/see Jesus’ journey to the cross. End with a sign of the resurrection. See artwork and resources by Mary Button: www.marybutton.com/
- Children’s Easter Drama – Like the Christmas Pageant, only tell the Easter story
- A Holy Saturday Event like one day VBS where kids learn about the Triduum with crafts, bible stories and acting out scenes
- Preaching during Lent and Holy week can focus on Jesus. Telling the story of Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem and the events there. Connect the Gospel texts each week as one continuous story
- A Sacred Spaces Open House where churches and worship centers in the community have a day when people can visit and get a tour and talk with religious leaders and hosts about the worshiping community and community outreach
- A Lenten Free Store where people can come and get free personal care items along with devotional books and free prayer books
- Use ELCA World Hunger Resources: https://elca.org/hunger/resources?fbclid=IwAR3YuIIFfVhDXFIQaeGJheCDKlFo-DgcJiouZgGzGpbpKbxW-3coKW_Qaqc#Seasonal
Lent and Easter Resources:
https://godventure.co.uk/36-of-the-best-faith-at-home-ideas-for-lent-and-easter/
https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/5-out-of-the-box-easter-outreach-ideas
https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/15-outreach-ideas-for-easter
https://blog.childrensbulletins.com/lent-and-easter-activity-ideas-for-families/Compiled by the ELCA
