Ideas to engage your community with a ‘village fête’ style event
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Share the Word Luke 17:11-19
Share this story of gratitude.
Watch a video of the story.
Or
Use these storytelling ideas.
Or
Give a short all-age talk - see below.
All-age talk
Ask two young people to read out these verses:
Philipians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
These two passages, written by Paul, link three ideas: thankfulness, prayer (talking to God) and peace; ideas that also came up in the story of Jesus and the healing of the 10 lepers. Only one man came back to say ‘thank you’ to Jesus.
When we are thankful, we remember the good that’s happened and who did it for us.
When we are thankful to God, it helps us to feel close to God: we remember his goodness, care, love, promise and provision – how he’s helped us in the past. This helps us to feel peaceful about the present and the future, knowing that God cares and he’s with us.
Thankfulness also makes us joyful. Scientists found that a simple one-time act of thoughtful gratitude produced an immediate 10% increase in happiness and 35% reduction in depression symptoms. The happy effects disappeared within three to six months, which shows that gratitude is a practice that should repeated again and again.
Can you think of something you’re thankful for right now? You can whisper a prayer of thanks or say it in your mind. Let’s all take a moment to do it together.
We can sometimes get worried and anxious, wondering if we will have enough money, time or help. Jesus reminds us that thankfulness is important. It’s a reminder that not everything depends on us. God and other people help us every day. When we stop and say thank you, we remember that God loves us and cares for our needs. In the quiet now, I invite you to reflect on all that you have to be thankful for and to offer a prayer of thanks to God.
Explore & respond
Thankfulness discussion
Discuss in twos or threes
- Do you usually remember to say thank you?
- Why or why not?
- Why do you think Jesus said it was important to say thank you?
Sing your thanks
Psalm 100 encourages us to express our thankfulness to God by singing. Choose a song to sing together – here are some suggestions:
Or these contemporary songs:
Thank you card
Write a thank you card to God or to someone in your community to express your gratitude.
Share your harvest
Ask people to bring forward the contributions for the food bank as well as some of the produce from the vegetable contest.
Offering prayer
Father God, thank you for all you have given us.
We give this food as an offering of care for others in our community.
We pray that our society would be governed with justice and mercy,
so that everyone can have what they need.
Amen.
Go with God
- If you made a thank you card for God, designate a specific place where people can put the cards if they want to leave them. If you made a card for someone else, make a plan of when you will deliver it.
- Announce the winners of the competitions and give out prizes (e.g. certificates or chocolate bars).
- Think about upcoming services or events you might want to invite guests to, such as a light party, Christmas events or an Alpha course.
- Say a prayer of grace over the food you will share together at the end, and give directions on how food will be served.
Finish with a community meal
Serve up the soup that was made from everyone’s vegetable contributions. This can be served in cups to save on washing up and allow people to eat standing up, if required.
If you are having a baking competition, you can serve portions of the cakes for dessert.
If you had an apple press, or made orange juice, you can serve juice to drink.
Please follow your church’s food hygiene policies and be aware of allergens.