12 Budget-Friendly Lent Church Activities For Small Church

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As Christians, we observe Lent, a forty-day focus on repentance and discipleship to Jesus. For the forty days before Easter, we contemplate the sacrifice of Jesus as He took up His cross to offer us the gifts of redemption from sin and salvation into eternal life with God. We are also called to meditate on Jesus’ call to each of us to take up our cross daily and follow Him.

During Lent, many Christians practice the spiritual disciplines of fasting, almsgiving, meditation, and prayer. As leaders of small churches, we may struggle to create meaningful activities that guide congregants in celebrating Lent. It is easy to feel we must follow the practices of larger churches (with larger budgets) and create extensive and expensive programs.

However, the reality is that as long as our focus is on Jesus, on spiritually growing in our discipleship to Him, and on making Him known throughout the earth, we are honoring the purpose of Lent.

This article provides 12 concepts that are easy and inexpensive for you to customize for your small church during Lent. I freely admit that some of the twelve activities are familiar, and others I had never encountered until I began researching this article. I am incorporating some into our women’s ministry calendar as we prepare for Easter. I hope you also find encouragement and inspiration as you read!

12 Budget-Friendly Lent Church Activities For Small Church

1. Digital Call To Prayer

This activity is free and can help unify congregants throughout Lent. Invite members and regular attendees to sign up for a forty-day devotional. Using the scripture for each Sunday service, create a short one-minute devotional for each day of the week.

Then send the devotional via email, via social media, or via text at the same time every day. Each day, participants will pause and share the same scripture and prayer focus. Praying together builds unity and shared spiritual focus for a church family.

2. Praying In Color

 The popularity of coloring books for adults grew exponentially during the COVID-19-mandated quarantine, and they are now a staple on Amazon and in bookstores. But the concept of praying as I colored is new and intriguing for me.

My interest was especially piqued when I found this website with free resources dedicated to helping people learn to visually, creatively, and purposefully combine the calming effect of coloring with prayer. As you explore the site, you will find a “how- to” lesson for different age groups (children and adults) as well as templates that you can download and share.

I found a calendar and different coloring sheets you can print and distribute as a shared activity for families, or perhaps to have available for children during the Easter Service this year. For the cost of printing the black-and-white sheets and crayons or markers you probably already have in the children’s area, you can create an activity for all age groups to share.

3. Interactive Prayer Stations In the Sanctuary

Although each Denomination or Christian Faith Tradition may approach the season of Lent differently, we can all agree that it is an appropriate time for prayer!

I have used prayer stations with both women’s ministry groups and in youth ministry, and they provide a way to involve all our senses as we meditate on scripture and pray. Creating a prayer station with items you have on hand means this is either a very low-cost or even free activity! Select an area in your sanctuary and provide scriptural prompts to help create a shared prayer focus for your congregation.

You can create a new station each week or keep one available throughout Lent. This activity is truly customizable for everyone. Remember to include age-appropriate prompts for everyone so families can share the activity.

For example, include a children’s Bible translation for each verse. Or, if the adults are meditating on ways to build their lives and homes on Biblical principles, include building blocks for the children to build a house as they listen to the adults read the scripture about the wise man who built his home on the rock, versus the foolish man who built upon the sand.

I found this website with examples of Lenten prayer stations with step-by-step instructions on creating interactive prayer stations for your sanctuary. Invite your youth and children’s leaders to help you create a truly family-friendly experience that will spark conversations throughout the week.

4. Church-Wide Scripture Reading Plans

Reach out to your denomination, association, parish, or district to request the recommended Lenten Scripture reading plan. If you are not a part of a larger Body of churches, you can find free scripture reading plans online.

One free resource you might consider is Billy Graham Library. I found a scripture reading plan for each week of Lent. You can print these off and share them with members and regular attendees on Sunday, and everyone can participate. 

5. Prayer Partner Pairing

Encourage members to sign up for a time-specific pairing with a new prayer partner for Lent.

Assigning prayer partners allows members to pray together with others who might be outside their usual circle. Keep the groups small, 2 individuals or 2 couples. Of course, you want to use wisdom when pairing groups, just as you would for any other church activity.

But consider the possibility of intergenerational prayer partners, or new families, and more established church members. This prepares the way for Titus 2 relationships, with older women mentoring younger women, and for new families to be welcomed and included in your congregation.

Once you have assigned the prayer groups, provide a prayer calendar with specific topics for daily prayer and for the groups each time they meet. Some examples of topics could include praying for community leaders, schools, state and county government, local businesses, missions at home and around the world, and the spiritual growth and discipleship of the congregation.

After Easter, I think you will be excited to see the new relationships and prayer partnerships that continue to flourish.

6. Community Lectio Divina Group

Not all congregations regularly participate in Lectio Divina, so this may be an opportunity to invite and include members of your community. If the practice/discipline of Lectio Divina is new to you and your congregation, this can be a wonderful addition to your observance of Lent.

Lectio Divina, or sacred or divine reading, is a four- part process. 

• First, Lectio, the scripture is read aloud. 
• Next, Meditation: participants meditate on the scripture (Fun fact: the Jewish word used in the Old Testament for meditate means “to murmur”). When Moses instructed the Israelites to “meditate on the Word of God,” he was literally instructing them to repeat it over to themselves softly: to murmur or mutter the words aloud.
• Third, Oratio: participants talk to God or pray about the scripture they have read and meditated on. You can ask the group to pray silently, or you can assign an individual to pray aloud.
• Fourth, Contemplatio: participants sit quietly (possibly with their eyes closed) and listen for what the Holy Spirit might bring to mind as they reflect on what the scripture means and how it applies to their lives.

Lectio Divina can be a powerful part of corporate worship or as part of individual prayer time. If this is a new practice for your congregation, start with a short one- or two-verse scripture and follow each of the four parts.

Many congregations print the scripture verse and then list the four parts with brief explanations, thus allowing all to participate and feel comfortable with the new shared worship experience.

7. Simple Stations Of The Cross Walk

The purpose of walking the Stations of the Cross is to remind us of the immeasurable cost our Savior paid to redeem us from sin. Each station evokes a different aspect of Christ’s suffering and calls us to repentance.

If your small church has room, you can create different stations outside around your property, or set up stations for participants to move through in a more confined indoor space, such as a sanctuary or fellowship hall.

For an outdoor setting, use garden stakes with attached numbered cardstock (1-14), spaced evenly along a trail with a designated starting and ending point. Provide each participant with a printed description of each station along with an appropriate scripture verse and prayer prompts. Another option is to laminate 14 pieces of cardstock with the scripture, description, and prayer prompts, and attach the laminated sheet to the corresponding stake. Then invite community members to walk through the self-guided stations.

If an indoor version is better suited to your small church, you can lay out the path in a way that works best for your space. Use tables, benches, a small grouping of chairs, or stools to designate the station. Be sure to include the scripture, explanation, and prayer prompts to help worshipers move through the stations with knowledge and comprehension. If you would like, you could include a cross at each station.

Different faith traditions use slightly different versions, but here is one possible list of the stations of the cross:

• The Last Supper
• The Agony in Gethsemane
• Jesus Before the Sanhedrin
• Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
• Jesus Receives His Cross
• Jesus Falls under the weight of the Cross
• Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus carry the Cross
• Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
• Jesus is nailed to the Cross
• The Repentant Thief
• Mary and John at the Foot of the Cross
• Jesus dies on the Cross
• Jesus is laid in His Tomb
• Jesus rises from the Dead

8. Blessings Bags For Those Facing Housing Insecurity

Part of observing Lent is the encouragement to be generous with those who are less fortunate. Creating Blessing Bags is an activity that all age groups can participate in. Children can create cards with messages of love and encouragement. With supervision, children can also help sort the items selected for the bags. Youth can assist with creating the bags alongside the adults.

Older adults with limited mobility can sit at a table and help pack the bags as well. Identify a parachurch organization in your community that has an established ministry, and allow that organization to distribute the Blessing Bags.

This activity will require the items to be either purchased or donated. Stores that sell the majority of their items for around a dollar are a wonderful place to order items in bulk. If you have the order delivered to the store, most won’t charge you shipping fees!

Here is a list of items to consider including in the Blessing Bags:

• socks
• washcloths
• comb/brush
• deodorant
• baby wipes
• lotion
• chapstick
• toothbrush and toothpaste
• floss
• A cloth hat that folds easily
• Asmall umbrella
• A one-size –fits-all poncho
• sunscreen, bottled water
• individual flavor packets for wate
• protein bars
• canned food with a pull-top (if you are homeless, you probably don’t have a can opener)
• A New Testament or tract
• pen/pencil and a small notebook
• gloves
• A plastic mat or small tarp

This list is not all-inclusive, but hopefully, it serves as an inspiration as you consider the needs of this population.

9. Lenten Devotional Booklet Exchange

If your small church has an established congregation, this is a fun idea. Adults who have attended church for many years often have multiple booklets or small devotionals they have read and put on a shelf somewhere in their home.

Host a women’s ministry gathering or a Sunday School/Life Group/Small Group event, and ask everyone to bring their gently used Lenten Devotional Booklets. As an Ice Breaker, have people share a brief synopsis of the book(s) they brought. Then place the books on the tables and invite everyone to take a new-to-them devotional book home with them.

As the leader, be sure to have a few extra copies on hand so everyone gets a devotional. The only cost of this activity will be any “extra” books you may need to purchase. 

10. Meatless Potluck And Discussion

Many Faith traditions include fasting as part of their observance of Lent. A meatless potluck and discussion of  Lent, your traditions, and the meaning of the season is a beautiful way to fellowship and disciple believers.

Do you have new believers in your small church who were not raised in homes that celebrated Lent and Easter? An informal setting may be a perfect time to answer questions about how and why your church observes Lent, and what it means in the Christian faith.

Do you have families with small children? This is a good way to teach children about why we celebrate Lent and why fasting is part of our observance. Potluck or covered-dish meals mean no one carries the full cost of feeding a large group and can be hosted in homes or a church fellowship hall.

11. Prayer Shawl Or Tied Blankets

As we pray, repent, fast, and look to grow as disciples of Jesus, caring for those in need (or almsgiving) is an expression of gratitude for the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus. Take a moment and consider who in your community your congregation can bless with a prayer shawl or tied blanket. This activity works well for a women’s ministry outreach tool, but I have seen youth groups tie hundreds of fleece blankets and distribute them to individuals in need. 

Prayer shawls can be knitted, crocheted, or sewn. Of course, if you have a lace maker in your congregation, that would be beautiful, but not many of us have such skilled artisans! The size is just large enough to drape over a person’s shoulders, usually square-shaped and folded into a triangle.

Tied blankets are most often made of fleece and cut into a rectangle. 2–inch strips of material, approximately 2 inches apart, are cut along all four sides of the material. The next step is to tie two of the strips together and knot them. Continue until you have tied all the strips. The biggest secret I can share for your success is to cut a large cardboard box open and use one side as a template, marking each cutout for strips. A template makes the process much easier! 

Once completed, have the group pray for each person who will receive a prayer shawl or blanket. These are handmade gifts that are perfect for: people receiving chemotherapy, people in the hospital or homebound, residents of long-term care facilities, children in the foster system, families who have suffered the loss of a home due to fire or a natural disaster, Moms of babies in the neonatal ICU, and women fleeing domestic abuse. These are some of the groups we have blessed in the past, but almost anyone would be grateful to receive a handmade gift with prayers for them!

Check out Pinterest for many different patterns to make either a prayer shawl or a tied blanket.

12. Ash Wednesday Services With DIY Ashes

Palms fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are typically used to create the ashes for Ash Wednesday services. But, if you didn’t save last year’s palm fronds, don’t despair! I found this You Tube video to help you create your own DIY ashes.

If you are like me and the experience of Imposition of Ashes is new to you, here is a link to a web page that not only provides a brief history and explanation but also offers a brief liturgy and prayer for your Ash Wednesday service.

This may be a new tradition for the small church you serve. But, walking through repentance, grief, and mourning over sin together is a meaningful addition to the Lent and Easter traditions you observe.

As we have discussed each activity, I have included tips and free resources. I hope you have caught a vision for ways to add meaningful activities to Lent and Easter services this year. You don’t need a large budget to create beautiful, poignant experiences that guide the small church congregation through this season. Google, Pinterest, and YouTube searches yield a virtual cornucopia of ideas that will bless your small church during Lent.

Set aside some time this week to implement one or more of these 12 activities as you lead the congregants. Seek input from children and youth leaders for ways to tailor these activities to the needs of all age groups. Be intentional in encouraging intergenerational involvement and build on the superpower of small churches (relationships) to create unity and move the focus to Jesus!

Serving alongside you,

Carla

Read More:

Lent To Easter Timeline Planning Guide For Small Churches

5 Fun Easter Event Ideas For The Whole Family

6 Best Easter Event Ideas For Women’s Ministry