When recently asked to “come up with” an unusual outreach idea for Mother’s Day, I have to admit I was stumped. I love the usual tea party and flower distributions but that’s not anything unusual. I finally settled on this unique idea for Mother’s Day. In a corner of my children’s church, I’ve set up a photo booth for moms and kids. My team and I have made three different picture frames for our families and we had a great time doing it. Maybe having a giant photo frame or two will be just as exciting for your group.
You’ll need some supplies:
- 4′ x 6′ foam insulation board
- Pencil
- Sharpie marker
- Jigsaw or long serrated knife
- Safety goggles
- Craft paints
- Paintbrush
- White sheets
Lay the insulation board on a flat surface like a clean floor or large table. Use the pencil to draw the frame. Make the inner edge of the frame scrolled, like a real picture frame. Now draw over the pencil with a Sharpie marker.
Here’s where it gets messy–the cutting. Use a jigsaw or a long serrated knife to carve out the inside of the frame. Go easy, because the foam can break quite easily if you’re too rough handling it. I brushed away the excess foam pieces with a clean, soft paintbrush.
Paint the front and the inside and outer edges of the foam frame. I recommend using a bold color for the frame and a second accent color to highlight the scrollwork.
Lastly, my volunteers and I laid a white sheet on the floor and hung a white sheet on the wall. I have my digital camera and a bright lamp set up in the photo booth area. I have invited Moms in my church to come and play in our photo booth before or after service all month long. Moms have a choice, bring me a memory disk to use so I could send the pictures home or provide me with an email address so I can forward the pictures to them.
I plan on playing some peppy music and making a big fuss over Moms. I hope they are ask excited about this idea as I am!
Read more from Mimi by visiting her blog at Tools for Kids Church.