Revising A Sunday School Picnic For Your Church

Does your church have a Sunday school picnic? There was a time when the Sunday school picnic was one of the big events of every church’s year. Unfortunately, many churches no longer see the value in such an event. But, a Sunday school picnic, combined with an outdoor Sunday school and worship service, can be of great value. It can be a great time of good fun, good food and fellowship. In addition, it can be a useful outreach tool where members can invite their friends and neighbors to Sunday school and a meaningful and inspirational experience for all.

Plan a Sunday when you will hold all of your Sunday morning services outdoors at a community park or similar location. Hold your worship service first. Remind people to bring their lawn chairs. Use song sheets or familiar choruses for your singing (with guitar, keyboard or recorded music as the accompaniment). Renting an outdoor public address system is also a good idea.

Then hold your Sunday school hour. (Holding the worship service first encourages persons who usually attend only your worship service to attend Sunday school and then stay for the picnic lunch and other activities of the day.) Allow the classes to take their lawn chairs to different areas of the park and meet as a class. Or, you could have a combined lesson for the adults with one teacher for the entire group.

Follow Sunday school with a family-style picnic. Everyone should be encouraged to bring a hot and a cold covered dish to share as a part of the picnic lunch. (You might want to have your church provide place settings and beverages for everyone.

Following the meal, have planned games for the children and organized volleyball, softball, etc. for the older persons. The afternoon could also include special music or other entertainment.

Worshiping and learning in a beautiful outdoor setting combined with the food, fun and fellowship of the day are sure to make the Sunday school picnic one of your church’s big events once again.

(This article appeared in the "Summer, 1995" issue of "The Herald.")