Organising your event
Getting ready - in the run-up to your celebration service there are lots of activities you can get underway, here's an overview to get you started:
- Deciding when and where - register your service's location and date so we can let others know about it too.
- Inviting local people and schools - Leaves of Life offers a great opportunity to reach out to the wider community, children's groups and local schools in your parish.
- Publicising your event - as well as word of mouth and your parish website, why not use the sample parish magazine article, posters and invitations in our essential pack.
- Planning your service - in our essential pack you'll find a useful service outline and there are also sermon themes and hymn and song suggestions to download. All these materials will be available shortly.
- Holding a collection - if you want to hold a collection to support The Children's Society's work with vulnerable children, remember to order your payment form and gift aid record and donation envelopes.
- Involving children - there are lots of children's groups activities to enjoy between Easter and Pentecost. Details are given in the children's groups leader's guide in your essential pack. If you are a school then there will shortly be a schools' guide and some children's group visuals and stories to complement your activities.
- Completing the prayer leaves - encourage everyone to complete a leaf in time for the service and bring it along to attach to your 'Tree of Life'.
- My Church postcards – complete the postcards with the children as part of their children’s activities, feeding into the development of children’s and young people’s ministry in the Church of England
- Making your 'Tree of Life' - there are lots of options, ranging from the easy, such as using an old Christmas tree or a simple wooden cross, to a more elaborate papier mache tree which the children could help make.
After the event
- Thank everyone - send out the sample thank you letter to schools and groups who took part letting them know how valuable their contribution was.
- Take time to reflect - you can piece the prayer leaves together to tell a story of the children and young people's lives in your community and take the common themes as a centre for prayer and reflection.
- Take action locally - there are a range of ideas and suggestions in our Going Out in the Spirit guide (available shortly) of how to use the thoughts and reflections captured on the prayer leaves to take action to make your community a better place.
Order your free Leaves of Life materials online now or call 0845 600 8585 to order by telephone.
