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Kids love Easter egg hunting, but does that mean we should have one at church? This is an issue our pastoral staff has been working through over the past several years. My first year at the church, I carried forward their existing program called Easter EGGstravaganza.
It was a Saturday morning Easter egg hunt that doubled as a massive outreach effort. We did the works – door prizes, crafts, resurrection eggs, and more tubs of stuffed plastic eggs than I care to remember. The event took weeks of planning and a full roster of volunteers to make it happen. We mailed postcards to 500 households with children. The publicity budget for the event was close to the VBS level.
Turnout was great and everyone had a wonderful time. There was only one problem – the event did not meet its goals. No prospects from that group visited our church for Easter. None of the children were enrolled in our Wednesday nightclub program. None of the follow up efforts showed any promise. Six months later all I could show was a mailing list for future ministry events.
That was the end for EGGstravaganza. In fact, we haven’t had any Easter egg hunt since then. For me, it wasn’t a theological decision as much as a programming choice. Our resources are better directed toward events that advance the church’s disciple making mission.
What do you think about Easter egg hunts at church?
Do you see it as a helpful outreach tool? Are you concerned about detracting from the real meaning of Easter? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.
My Other Articles About Easter
- What Should I Teach On Easter?
- Children’s Easter Crafts Resource Page
- Bible Verses About Easter
- When Is Easter Sunday 2008?
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17 comments ↓
I just wanted you to know that I enjoy your email newsletter. I frequently pass it around to our children’s leaders.
Thanks for all the good stuff.
Liz - Thanks for your encouragement. I’m glad that it has been a blessing for you. Thanks for reading : )
We are doing one - I am new on staff here. My prior church quit Fall Fest and moved to do Easter Praise Day as fewer churches do one. All games, crafts, activities and even the egg hunt point the children to the real meaning of Easter. We close with a time of commitment and the gospel is clearly shared. We’ve had visitors as a result, but I’m not sure anyone stuck. It is far more evangelistic than our Fall Festival, though fewer come.
We don’t spend over $350 on it, though. I put some eggs out empty (Mary when she went to the tomb), some with resin lambs (Jesus is the spotless lamb and the only one who could take the punishment for our sin), some with 3 pieces of silver (Judas’, one of Jesus closest followers and friends betrayed Him), and describe the egg as representing new life - the new life we can have in Christ. I go into detail about the fact that Easter is not about Easter bunnies, chicks and candy. But we do celebrate Easter, as Christ was raised from the dead and is Alive. He is our Savior and we have much to celebrate. That’s why we call it Easter Praise Day! WE do it a week before Easter on Saturday morning.
I think having an egg hunt at the church will do two things for my church family:
I think that egg hunts provide a fun activity, a safe activity and an opportunity to educate my children about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We do not use it so much as outreach as we do for inreach.
Cheri - I can see how a lower cost event, particularly to re-activate some of the fringe church attenders would be good. The sad truth is Easter Egg hunts are one of the few “Easter” traditions that un-churched will still turn out for. I like the way the meaning of Easter is woven into the event.
Reby - The year we did it, I had a volunteer dramatically teach through the resurrection egg set. This was while they were waiting their turn to hunt the massive egg field. It seemed to make an impression on some of the kids. You are right to point out that it can be a safe and fun event.
[...] Check out the open forum about whether easter egg hunting belongs in the church [...]
i think it is fine. of course, the children need to know the real meaning of easter. children get presents on christmas, it is no different. of course they have to share the candy with me!!!
[...] the use of pagan fertility symbols [easter eggs] in church, and manages to get some CM ladies to oppose [...]
The poll on this post has been interesting. Right now, it looks like 70% are doing some kind of Easter Egg hunt.
We do an Easter Egg Hunt. In fact it is today. The whole church gets involved and it really is that much work for the children’s ministry department. For me, it is an outreach. But whether or not we get any additional kids to come on a regular basis, I don’t really care. It is the time to share with kids (members and visitors) the salvation story and that Jesus loves them and he died for them on the cross. That’s the important message of Easter. As far as the Easter Egg Hunt, it’s fun and as long as we share the message of Easter I will be in favor of continuing our tradition.
I think this article misses the point of what “OUTREACH” is all about. The goal is to bring non-members or unchurched people to Jesus Christ. We never know when they may have a need they will turn to us for and by making that visit they have a familiar face and know where your Church Campus is.
Rather than doing a direct mail to for 500 why don’t you consider running an ad in your local paper (large ad) announcing the Egg Hunt and also include the worship services for Holy Week and Easter Sunday. This would be more cost effective as well. We just had our Easter Egg Hunt and had more than 300 people walk through our doors both Church Families and community families. It took about a month to plan and incorporate, we used a lot of our youth as volunteers. Rather than looking at it from the standpoint of the budget look at it from the standpoint of scripture and remember if we only reach one we are doing the work of the Lord. Yes we want growth in our Churches but that one person or family is just as important to God and our jobs as disciples as is getting 300 people to attend Easter services. Look at the Godly goal and not just from a budget standpoint. There are many things you could do to simplify the Egg Hunt events. Also, did you track who came to your event and decifer who was a non-member or unchurched and give those names, addresses, and phone numbers to your pastors for follow up calls to those people sharing the great things you have going on at your Church and give them a personl invite to attend your worship services. Maybe your Church did this but what you did as follow up needs to be revised. I aplogize if my response seems negative but my observation form the article was nothing but negative and whiny. Outreach is not just numbers and how it benefits the Church, Outreach is reaching out to those who do not know Jesus Christ and making them aware of who Christ is and that Christ Loves them and welcomes you to have a realationship with him.
Signing off
Jane,
I appreciate your point. I agree with your point that there is a lot more to seeking the lost than numbers.
Let me restate my point. If outreach is about actually reaching people, and our program didn’t really do that, then it’s time to try something else.
I’ve heard great reports from others who have made some great connections with families through the egg hunts. But our experience was much different.
Thanks for your comment and stating your view with charity. I do appreciate the input.
If your church is having an egg hunt be sure to include tiny ads about upcoming events and services inside each plastic egg with that candy! (Also include scriptures!) This way every child that attends will take information home with their treasures that “unchurched” parents will have access to. Follow up is key for success! Make sure this information is about something happening two or three weeks after Easter. Demonstrate to your community that you want to see them again and again.
Also, to cut costs of egg hunts, ask church volunteers to contribute one or two bags of wrapped candy to those “egg events.” Shop grocery stores the day after Valentine’s Day for discounted wrapped candy that is not obviously “Valentine” candy. This will help cut costs “big time.”
Shop for plastic eggs after Easter is over, for next year’s hunt. Think and plan ahead for outreach ministry in order to cut costs.
People leave churches because of loneliness and because of the lack of good friendships. Because we know this, we can assume the opposite behavior will draw people back into church community where they can grow in Christ. Give them many events to attend and lots of reasons to make new friends!
chin up.
I think it’s important not to go along with the secular culture’s attempt to make holidays secular. I know that Easter was not originally a Christian holiday but it has been accepted as a day to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and I don’t see why we should surrender it to commercialism and secular things like Easter egg hunts.
I found that when you explain what easter is about and why we should focus on Jesus instead of bunnies and eggs they get it. In fact, this year the kids in one of my kids ministries (many of them not very churched) asked me to make my explanation into a skit for them to perform for the community. I’ve posted the skit at http://frogspot.com/blog/2008/03/13/easter-dog-show-skit/
Steve Severances last blog post..Hugging a Lion
“What do you think about Easter egg hunts at church?
Do you see it as a helpful outreach tool? Are you concerned about detracting from the real meaning of Easter?”
Oddly enough, I stopped participating in Easter activities after I became a Christian. As a non-Christian family we celebrated with eggs, rabbits, candy, and baskets.
Becoming a Christian I was like, “Hey, Jesus rose from the dead. So that’s what this is all about.”
Then I wondered, “Why all this other distracting stuff?”
Research revealed paganism fertility goddess worship behind the imagery. I don’t even call it “Easter,” but “Resurrection Sunday.”
The short answer for me is that I’m opposed on theological grounds, but even if I wasn’t I’d have a problem similar to what I have with Christmas.
I’m not anti-Santa, but I hate that Christ is eclipsed at Christmas because of Santa and Rudolph, etc.
Plus, I also don’t think those outreach efforts yield much fruit and resources could be better spent.
So, seemingly in the minority I’m opposed to the Eggstravaganza on those 3 levels.
GUNNY HARTMANs last blog post..War is young men dying and old men talking.
Our family distributes filled plastic Easter eggs. Filled by sheltered workshop people. We found that this past year more and more churches ordered eggs than ever before. For those who don’t like to call it Easter egg hunt there is nothing wrong with calling it a spring egg hunt. We’ve heard back from many of the churches that they’ve had good results reaching the community, for instance a church in Nashville area was able to distribute eggs to schools. The sunday following the egg hunt they had an increase in over 300 kids in Sunday school. A church in California used many, many thousands and allied their efforts with organizations in that town to let individuals know that church people can have a good time too. They also saw an increase in church attendance where they could tell the true meaning of Easter. The bottom line is many non-churched people pass by church buildings every day but will take their children to an egg hunt.
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Phil, Ruth and Bill Ayers
Ayers Distributing
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