Need a fun idea for a family ministry outreach?
Idea: Host a “family” gingerbread house building party!
In early December I attended a fantastic event at Harbour Shores Church in Indiana. I was so impressed with how it was organized, and saw great potential for other churches to duplicate the morning with the families in their churches.
Step One– Invite families
Families registered online and decided if they ordered one, two, or more gingerbread house kits. They prepaid for the event.
Step Two– Buy supplies, light refreshments, and prepare the work space
Event organizers made sure to have work space set up in the church gym, and enough gingerbread kits for everyone. In addition to the gingerbread house kits, extra frosting and toppings were provided and laid out at each work station.
Light breakfast food was served as the participants arrived. The menu included fruit, muffins, doughnuts, juice, and coffee.
There was also a station to do a sticker/coloring craft if the participants wanted to do so.
Families mingled, found their work stations, and ate their refreshments.
Step Three– Read a Christmas story and present the gospel
I attended the event and read Mouse’s Christmas Gift. This was a great way to introduce spiritual truth into the event. After the story, I took approximately 10 minutes to present the gospel, using an object lesson.
Step Four — DECORATE the gingerbread houses
After the devotional time, families worked together to decorate their gingerbread houses. So much fun and so many smiles!
The entire event lasted just under 2 hours.
