Category Archives: Seasonal – Holidays

Holidays and different seasonal events provide opportunities for the church to minister to unique needs and can be a platform for outreach and special teaching.

Winter Scenes Display the Wonders of Our God

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We serve a God who created the world to be divided into seasons, winter being one of them.

It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. (Ps. 74:17)

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease (Gen. 8:22)

Our creative God has provided us with a backdrop that displays His wonders which we can visualize in our classrooms, homes, and other locations as a means of pointing people to the Creator.

Ministry Ideas for Seasonal Displays Using Winter Scenes

Not every place in the world experiences snow during the winter. For some it may be just a more barren time of the year with the promise of spring on its heels. Whatever our environment, we can see the hand of God.

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Bulletin Boards for Winter:
Bulletin Board for Winter Season Ministry

Wintery Decorations & Classroom Decor:

Interested in Ministry Resources for Other Seasons?

Go to: Seasonal Ministry Resources

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Will the Summer Ministry Slump Lead to a Frazzled Fall?

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The church calendar for many begins anew in the Fall. Due to vacationing members and resultant attendance fluctuation, a number of churches disband Sunday School, small groups, and other normally ongoing ministry activities for the summer months. While ministry leaders certainly can use a break during these times, if not careful the summer ministry slump could lead to a frazzled Fall.

Wisely Use the Summer Ministry Slump to Avoid a Frazzled Fall

Be Wise So the Summer Ministry Slump Doesn't Lead to a Frazzled Fall
Why go into the fall frazzled because of last minute preparations? Enjoy the summer but also use it to prayerfully work ahead in a relaxed frame of mind.

Be wise in making the most of every opportunity (Eph. 5:15-16). Don’t let the Fall creep up on you, causing undo stress and cut corners.

Here are some suggestions for what you should already be working on:

  • Spend time in prayer for God’s wisdom in planning and preparing for His desires to be accomplished.
  • Make sure all curriculum and training materials are ordered and ready to be distributed in a timely fashion.
  • Finalize any staffing needs so you don’t have to put out last minute recruitment pleas.
  • Ask all ministry workers to take time to pray and prepare their hearts for the upstart of fall ministries.
  • Schedule people early enough for them to put it in their calendars rather than leaving them wandering or frustrated but then make sure to provide last minute reminders.

Be wise in how you use the remainder of the summer, remembering the words in Proverbs 6:10-11. — “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.” — Let’s not take away from potential ministry because we failed to use the summer slump to prepare.

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Saint Patrick’s Day Is …

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Shamrocks, rainbows, leprechauns and pots of gold, the color green, and more, mark celebrations on Saint Patrick’s Day. But, there’s more to this holiday when we look at the life of the man called Saint Patrick.

St. Patrick’s Day is a time for us to be reminded to trust in the sovereignty of God.

We see this in the life of Patrick (birth name was Maewyn) who was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold into slavery. It’s reported that he came into a true relationship with the Lord while a slave in Ireland. Though he escaped and went back home to Britain, he eventually returned to Ireland as a missionary, already having learned their language and culture. God used his time there to prepare him for ministry.

Holiday Reflections for Saint Patrick's Day
The Holiday Reflections Discipleship Guides resource includes Saint Patrick’s Day, one of 14 different holidays. It pulls out three important truths about we can learn about the sovereignty of God through the account of Saint Patrick’s life. It provides Scripture and questions for reflection.

Also go to: St. Patrick’s Day Ministry Resources

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Holiday Reminders Needed

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Holiday Reminders Needed So We Don't Forget

Highlighting, underlining, to-do and to-buy lists, calendars, sticky notes, catch phrases, digital notifications, and so many more tools help us not forget what’s important to know or do. The same should also be true spiritually. God has taught us wonderful truths that provide answers, help, and hope in Him. Yet, without constant reminders, we’re bound to forget.

This can be especially so during busy seasons of life, like the holidays. We can get so caught up in what we must do during this time that we skip spending time alone with the Lord. We plan to resume after getting through the busy patch. We always need help remembering Him but we especially need holiday reminders about what’s most important.

Some Holiday Reminders for Christmas

We can get so consumed with buying and wrapping presents, going to parties, and decorating. When we do, we tend to forget what’s most important. Click on links below to help you reflect on what you need to remember.

(These posts form the basis for the Christmas Reminders Curriculum.)

Reminders for New Years

We can get so consumed with ringing in the new year that we forget the new life we have in Christ Jesus. Click on the links below to take time to remember the newness of life in Him. His mercies are “new every morning” (Lam. 3:21-22).

Reminders for Other Holidays

For Discipleship Guides, go to:

For articles, books, and resources about other holidays, go to:

What have you done, or what will you do, to remind yourself to keep focused on the Lord during the holidays? Will you turn to Him as the source of help and hope to remain steadfast in your walk with Him?

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Showing Thanks, Not Just Saying Thank You

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Showing Thanks in All Circumstances
For us as believers, giving thanks isn’t limited to a special Thanksgiving holiday. We “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). And, it also isn’t limited to simply saying thank you but also showing thanks. We “offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” AND we “do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Heb. 13:15-16).

Showing Thanks Reveals What’s Truly in Our Hearts

How easily we can casually say “thank you” and not really mean it. We might “enter His gates with thanksgiving” (Ps. 100:4-5) but then live the rest of the week griping and complaining about all that’s wrong with our lives.

Verbal expressions of gratitude and praise to God for what He has done for us are important but He is most pleased when we take it to the next step of showing our thanksgiving. When we live like grateful people, we tend to rise above the fray of life and think about others and their needs rather than focus on ourselves.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

A very important part of Hebrews 13:15-16 quoted above was not included. These verses begin, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise …”. On our own we tend to be self-centered, but as recipients of His mercy and grace, we have motivation to look beyond ourselves.

This prayer by Samuel F. Pugh says it well:

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.”

Let’s ask God to help us get beyond simply saying thanks to showing thanks. Reflect on living a life of thanksgiving with the disciple guide in the Holiday Reflections resource. This discipleship too includes guides for 14 different holidays.

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What Are You Thankful For?

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On the Thanksgiving holiday, we express gratitude. So, what are you thankful for? — A Home? Job? Family? Friends?

This thanksgiving, be mindful of the fact that not everybody has a place to call their own. Not everybody has a reliable source of income. Some have lost people they love. And, having a home, job, family and friends now, doesn’t mean you will tomorrow. What will you be thankful for then?

What the Psalmist Was Thankful For

Be Thankful, Give ThanksRead through the psalms and you’ll soon notice how the psalmist’s thanksgiving went beyond material blessings. Notice in the following verses for how his praise, or thanksgiving, was wrapped up in the person of God — who He is and what He has done.

We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds. (Ps. 75:1)

It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High … For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. (Ps. 92:1-4)

Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name. (Ps. 97:12)

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Ps. 107:1)

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind … (Ps. 107:8)

At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws. (Ps. 119:62)

A Thanksgiving Challenge

This Thanksgiving, and beyond the holiday, let’s keep our focus on our great God, on the fullness of who He is, rather than looking at what we do or don’t have. When our gratitude centers around Him, like the Apostle Paul, we’ll learn to be content “in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Phil. 4:11-13).

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