Suggestions for Thanksgiving Sunday
Sunday May 27 2007
Perhaps you could invite to your regular Church services those from the community whom you wish to specifically thank for their contribution to the community, treating them as special guests with ideas such as:
- Present such people in the service with a formal certificate of appreciation and thanks on behalf of the Church, or give them a small keepsake to remind hem of the occasion.
- Invite representatives from different fields of service to give a 5 minute summary of what their work entails and how the Church can serve them better and then pray for them and those whom they represent.
Have a shortened worship service followed by a morning tea where
invited guests can be hosted and thanked in a more informal setting and
mingle with the congregation. - Make plans for a special love offering to be taken with proceeds going to special projects your guests are involved with in the community. If possible make the presentation of the funds to the recipients on the morning.
- Invite a Policeman, an Ambulance Officer and Fireman to visit Youth Church or Sunday School classes to talk about road and personal safety and to be thanked by the young people for what they do in the community (This will require prior organization)
Arrange for a Police Car, and/or Ambulance, and/or Fire Truck to be
brought to Church for the children to have a closer look at. Prepare the
children to present a gift or speak words of thanks to those attending. - Put on a concert at an aged persons home or a hostel for the disabled on Sunday afternoon following Church, whilst providing a thank you afternoon tea for the staff.
- Have the children prepare National Day of Thanksgiving cards for their Mum & Dad with their own expressions of thanks inside for the love and care they receive from their parents. National Day of Thanksgiving cards are available from Koorong.
- Provide every member of the Congregation with 2 or more National Day of Thanksgiving cards and the names and addresses of people the Church wishes to thank and have them post the cards to those people.
- Provide every member of the Congregation (including Children’s Church or Sunday school students) with thank you ribbons which they can pin on people they wish to say thank you to in their everyday life. Ribbons can be ordered off the thanksgiving.org.au website.
- Churches could turn the Day into a birthday celebration (Pentecost
being the birthday of the Church) and have it as a Friendship Sunday with
congregational members inviting unchurched friends and neighbours plus
community figures to a special service followed by morning tea.
Or...
Decorate the Church with “We Care”, “Thank You” and “Happy Birthday” balloons to give it a celebratory feel for visitors. - Present all female visitors with a red rose and male visitors with an appropriate small gift as a “birthday present” from the Church.
