Pumpkin Prayer Bookmark

Halloween is a great example! This year, I plan to cut out bright-colored fish, a heart, and cross shapes similar to those on CTA’s Pumpkin Prayer bookmark. I also plan to cut pumpkins out of construction paper in proportion to the fish, hearts, and crosses. 

Then, using the symbols, the children can create their own pumpkin faces. If I send home the Pumpkin Prayer Activity kit or bookmark from CTA, it will explain the project and the symbols in a way most parents will notice. 

This can also work a larger scale. If you are responsible for a children’s message or devotion for children’s church in October, think about creating a giant Prayer Pumpkin in front of the group. Then send home a Pumpkin Prayer bookmark or Pumpkin Prayer Activity kit with each child. It is a great way to help equip families with tools they can use to guide them in their child’s faith formation.

Have a fun, friendly, and faith filled fall!

How do we know it’s gathering steam? For one thing, we watch our mail. It’s only the first week in September, but we’ve already begun to receive customer comments focused on the resources we provide and the products we offer to help customers optimize Fall Festival as an outreach event.

Just this morning, for example, we heard from Joyce McMurray–a CTA customer from Virginia. She writes:

We are a small country church with attendance of only approximately 125 each Sunday. However, we are just off a very busy highway and we have a large turnout for our Trunk or Treat. We have averaged 225-250 children each Halloween [for the past three years].

The first year I noticed many of the children really looking at the [CTA] bookmarks and candy with Scripture. Several made comments. They are not used to receiving anything other than just candy. I know you offer imprinting, but I usually add a printed sticker to the bookmarks with our church address, inviting the children to attend our Sunday school.

Your product is top quality–no cheap paper product here! Thanks for offering something special we can use  . . . to spread the Gospel!

Notes like this one encourage us here at CTA more than our customers will ever know! And we hope that by sharing these words of encouragement, we will spark interest in many churches who have never offered a Fall Festival before.

Access our free planning guide, some free resources, tips from planners just like you, and inexpensive products sure to attract children’s attention and provide a Christ-centered witness for kids and the members of their family.

And do let us know how your plans for Fall Festival are going! We’d love to hear your ideas–especially for new products that you’d like to see us offer in the future. We’re listening!

1. Use the addresses in your guest book from the last two or three months to create a mailing list and announce plans for summer Sunday school and VBS. Send a postcard or e-mail that lets people know what age levels are welcome, what the theme will be, and whether or not there is any cost involved.
2. Many churches have started charging a small fee for VBS. Could you spark people’s interest by offering them an amount off the fee when they bring a friend? There might be someone, or even a few someones, in your congregation who would be willing to pay the difference if it would spark attendance. For example, you might create a coupon that gives $1 off if two friends sign up together. Or make a coupon that members can give to friends offering 50% off the regular VBS enrollment fee.

At our church we had more visitors than usual for Easter worship. We especially noticed a lot of families with young children. What happened at your church? Did you have more visitors than usual, as well? Did you hear any thought-provoking comments from your visitors? As you look back on your preparations for Easter, is there anything you’d do differently for next year? Click on “Comments” to let us know.

Most likely, you now have a visitor book with several names and addresses filled in by visitors on Easter Sunday. Here are some ideas for keeping in touch with them:

• Phone, E-mail, or visit them during the next two weeks to thank them for visiting and ask if they have any questions about your church or needs your church can help with. If you can’t get a visiting team together, send them a postcard. Here’s one you can use for free.  (Note that it has two pages to download–front and back; depending on your connection time, this may take a minute or two.)
•  Compile your visitors list into a mailing list and use it for publicizing VBS and special summer Sunday school events. CTA has a free GLOW (God Lights Our Way) postcard invitation you can print up and mail to them.  It’s generic enough to work for any summer Sunday school or VBS program. (Again, download times will vary.)
• Save your contact list for fall and use it again to let people know when fall programs will be starting up or to invite them to your fall festival.

Here at CTA, we’re always interested in what’s going on at your church. Let us know what’s keeping you busy and how you’re staying in touch with visitors!

Note: You’re welcome to adapt the following announcement to your needs:

Life. Death. Victory.

These three words tell a story, a story of hope and peace. It’s your story, the story of the life God gave you when he connected you through faith to his Son. It’s the story of the death Jesus died in your place, bringing you peace with God and pardon for all your sins. It’s the story of Easter victory, resurrection victory‚Äîthe victory Jesus won as he left his own tomb empty and death itself defeated.

Our upcoming 6-week series is designed to help you engage in a process of growth this year‚Äîideally, to engage in it with others in your church family and others. Think of friends or neighbors with whom you’d like to share Christ. Invite them to come with you for the next six weeks and explore what the life, death, and victory of Jesus Christ mean for us today.

May God bless your Easter preparation and bring you closer to himself through it!

One such comment came in this morning from a women who saw our Jesus Is the Reason for the Season Car Magnet on someone else’s car.

“I recently was out driving, and noticed one of these magnets on a ladies car. I had to follow her to find out where she got it. When I finally caught up to her, I asked her where she got it. She couldn’t remember. When I appeared to be dissapointed, she offered me hers. It’s nice to still find good Christian people in the world. I won’t be able to buy any of these this year because of finances, but I will certainly get some next year.”