3 Programming Ideas for Small Churches (Holy Week-Pentecost)
Worship Resources for Post-Easter
The Easter play we published last year has been downloaded about 3000 times this year. We are grateful for your interests in the content we are providing aimed to enrich the worship experience of even the smallest churches.
As Holy Week approaches, we point you to three other ideas that we tested in our small congregation. Two of them work best in small churches with as few as a dozen in attendance.
Maundy Thursday
This Maundy Thursday service combines the Passover Tradition with the Christian tradition drawn from the Pennsylvania Dutch observance of Green Thursday — a term drawn from the English pronunciation of the German word for grief. It involves the serving of a ceremonial and symbolic meal (like the Seder) but with the symbolism pointing to the Resurrection. It can be used with larger groups, but it is quite easy to do with small groups.
Palm Sunday
Florists supply dried out palm fronds but small churches must purchase far more than they need of these token palms. Actual palm plants are usually available at this time of year for about $10. Have your congregation cut their own fully branched palm to wave during your Palm Sunday celebration. One large palm plant will easily provide for a congregation of 20 or 30. (We often had a nice palm plant left over even after we “pruned” it pretty well.
After Easter (Pentecost or Ascension Sunday)
The Roman Catholic tradition celebrates the Stations of the Cross. The stations chronicle the scenes of Jesus as he heads toward Calvary.
The same idea can apply to the interactions of Jesus post-Resurrection. This service (easily adapted to your liking) celebrates the 14 Stations of the Risen Christ. It follows the sightings of Jesus between the Resurrection and the Ascension with scripture, prayer, commentary (supplied by your worship leader) and hymns.
This service can be used in one setting. It fills an hour easily. It can also be broken up over the long Pentecost season with each scene acted out.