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Christmas

Start Planning Your Christmas Service Now

CTA - Christ to All /Jul. 29, 2021
Start Planning Your Christmas Service Now

By CTA—Christ to All

Christmas is one of the most important opportunities to reach families with the Gospel message and to bring hope to their lives. A service just for kids will engage families with the good news at Christmastime. While Christmas is not until December, it is on everyone’s minds year-round.  It is important to think about your Christmas events now to avoid the stress of last-minute planning. You want your kids’ Christmas service to be high caliber—something that will make a memorable impression on all involved. People will have high expectations for a Christmas service, but this should be seen as an opportunity, not an obstacle. You may be able to engage families with the Gospel more than at any other event on your church’s calendar.

We’ve taken care of all the details for you with both preschool and elementary service guides. Here’s a few highlights of what you need to begin considering for your children’s Christmas service:

 

Volunteer Recruitment

Recruit volunteers early and don’t fear delegation. You need many servants to pull off a kids’ Christmas service with excellence. Under a staff or leader’s guiding hand, you need volunteers for everything from serving refreshments, to leading rehearsals, to creating decorations or assembling gift bags.

Tailor roles to the gifts and interests of your volunteers. Assign them specific and personalized responsibilities. Call upon those who already volunteer in your children’s ministry. You may need to reach out beyond your normal circle of children’s volunteers, so consider asking youth, young adults, parents, and senior adults to step up and serve. As a bonus, this may get them interested in regularly serving in the children’s ministry or other ministries in the church.

Involve the children in the service. Having a short play or child-led worship will not only delight families but will help the children to take ownership in your church. Get as many children as possible to be involved (know that you’ll need more volunteers to oversee them).

Promotion

Develop a plan to generate buzz for the Christmas service. You need to promote within your congregation and the community. Call attention to your children’s service well before Christmas, communicating what the event may entail and your need for volunteers (including children to participate). Consider placing ads in the local newspaper, on television or radio stations, and with other information hubs in your community. Furnish people with handouts and outreach supplies so they can invite their neighbors to your Christmas service.

Props & Decorations

Sets and decorations will add extra flair and enhance the Christmas service. This does not need to be anything elaborate—even a little effort to spruce up your sanctuary or auditorium goes a long way and will thrill the kids.

Having an idea about how you will tackle each of these problems in advance will set up your children’s Christmas service for success. Planning does not have to be complicated, but it does take time to do it well—time that reflects the importance of Jesus’ love for your children at Christmas.

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