q: What are folks including in Lent “take-home” bags?
IDEAS SHARED:
For Lent bags for our children, we are including felt storytelling materials and the children’s bulletins for each week. We’ll also include the devotional booklet and devotional cards for the adults.
An Ash tattoo, sand and stones, a small olive wood cross, a purple tea light, crackers & earth marble, a nail, bubbles for breath prayer, directions to create a resurrection garden along with soil and seeds—plus the Seeking devo booklet and devo cards.
Daily devo cards, the devotional booklet, the poetry-writing prompts, the children’s bulletins for young families to do together at home.
Q: How are you using the children’s materials (curriculum + bulletins)?
IDEAS SHARED:
Thank you for all the children’s stuff!! Just bought so much felt. We are going to have each child use a kit to retell the story as part of Sunday school each week. We do a multi-age Godly Play, so the curriculum will fit right in. We’ll create a wonder wall.
Really thinking about changing up our bulletin to include more materials for the season—folding children’s bulletin stuff in (bc it seems like it might be great for all ages) and maybe a pullout mini-devotion for the week (for those who won’t take or keep up with the devotional, but might if we put something in their hand weekly?).
I’m really thinking about how to fold creative materials into the bulletin – like maybe using the children’s bulletin stuff as a one page pull-out take home sheet for everyone to utilize.
I’m planning to use a wonder wall for the whole congregation 🙂
For a wonder wall, I’m covering a board that’s 48×72 with bulletin board paper. I’m dividing it into 6 sections with the logo in the middle to add questions each week. We’ll have a separate one for Easter.
Q: Ideas for a small group study?
IDEAS SHARED:
We are using the devotional booklet for small groups. We usually read the poem and discuss the scripture/art/commentary together.
We are going to use Original Blessing by Danielle Shroyer as a small group study as well. Giving people different options to seek—Reading, Praying, Questioning. Danielle Shroyer has some videos in The Work of the People too.
This thread in our Facebook group has ideas for book studies for Lent and this thread includes ideas for adult small groups.
Q: How are you displaying the visual art?
IDEAS SHARED:
We have taken the art and artists statements with the corresponding scripture and have made prayer stations for them.
In the past, we’ve printed the art on large posters and displayed them in our entryway so they can be experienced as you enter worship.
I wonder if there might be a way to use them as a foundation for a creative of Stations of the Cross. (Notes from the SA team: Absolutely! You may also browse the Holy Week visuals in our image licensing library if you want to curate art specifically for Stations. Additionally, we have two Stations of the Cross resources: A Graphic Art Series by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman, and our Again & Again Stations of the Cross Liturgy by Rev. Denise Anderson.)
Q: How are you using the poems and poetry-writing prompts?
IDEAS SHARED:
I’ve made videos with the beautiful poetry prayers. We add them as a meditative aspect of worship. The poetry writing prompts could be a good thing to add to Lenten bags! My weekly Zoom prayer group LOVES using the poems each week!!
The poems are always central to each week’s service through Advent and Lent. They so deeply connect with so many of our everyday experiences and are a highlight.
I usually put the poems on the back page of our bulletins, so even if the person doesn’t open the bulletin, they will see/read it while the bulletin sits on their lap.
I made Easter poster cards for the congregation and used part of a poem on the back!
This thread in our Facebook group has ideas for using the poetry-writing prompts.
Q: How are you using the devotional booklet and daily devotional cards?
IDEAS SHARED:
We use the devotional in small groups on ZOOM and some in person.
We use the devotional book and daily devotional cards for a program called “Lenten Listeners,” an intentional ministry of accompaniment for those participating in our ministries.
As interim, I’ll be with a congregation that has been without pastor since August—we’re excited to meet in small group bible study again. We’re using the devotional booklet and daily devotional cards as a foundation for a small group based around exploring questions together.
We will probably make the devotional books available for individuals/families to pick up and use on their own.
May use the devo booklet for Wednesday evening 30 minute worship time each week of Lent.
I’m certified in teaching meditation and so excited to lead Visio Divina in Sunday School time each week!
I will teach Visio Divina as adult Sunday school on the 19th of Feb. The people who attend the class will have the Visio Divina prompts, the devo cards, and devotional booklet on their chairs.
I have used the daily devo cards in sermons as interactive piece.
In the past we’ve used daily devotional cards in our prayer garden for people to come at any time and sit and use them.
We’re putting the devotional booklet and cards in the LENT in BAG, along with props and guidelines for conversation, prayer, and reflection.
Last year, we used selected encouragements/affirmations from the daily devotional cards to create posters we put up in frames around our campus. They were so popular with our neighborhood that we have left them up all year long—I’m looking forward to seeing the cards this year and adapting them in a similar way! We have done Stations in the past, but this has been so meaningful for my congregation and a great way to open us up to conversation with our neighbors.
Q: What are some creative ideas for Maundy Thursday?
IDEAS SHARED:
We have a tradition of having our youth lead on Maundy Thursday, so we will be looking for ways to include them.
We purchased the $10 separate service for Maundy Thursday by Sarah Speed from the website—the poems and liturgy is stunning. (Notes from the SA team: Here is the Maundy Thursday liturgy by Sarah Speed. We also have a Maundy Thursday liturgy by Adrian White. And here is a worship template to build from for shaping a Maundy Thursday service around an abundant meal.)
Q: How are others adorning your sanctuary or chancel? What art elements are you including?
IDEAS SHARED:
Our Jr and Sr High youth are painting a 10’ X 6’ banner of the Seeking logo as a backdrop for worship. We are layering in the different elements of the logo each week.
We are going to create a altar table cloth from muslin with some crosses on it in ash and purple, along with the questions from the series on it, and invite people to write their questions, relating to their faith, on it as well. From there, we are layering other cloths beneath it and stripping away a cloth each week until Maundy Thursday we are left with only our questions.
I think I’m going to try a mosaic of the logo. My oldest granddaughter is going to draw it on a piece of wood and then I’ve got stained glass.
The Logo Imagery Key will be helpful, not only in creating altar designs but creating tangible lessons to carry home.
This thread in our Facebook group discusses ideas for altar displays and worship art.
