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We love the holidays here at the Small Church Ministry and we especially love the fact that it’s the perfect time to connect with both new and established women in your ministry. Planning fun events that draw people in while providing attendees with opportunities to connect and fellowship with other women in your group is our main focus here.
You can even use these Christmas fellowship ideas to expand the outreach of your small church by inviting in first-time guests. It’s a proven fact that first-timers are more apt to join in a small group event that’s relaxed and informal as opposed to attending a church service. Once they get to know people in your church, they feel more comfortable joining in at a worship service.
The Vitality Of Fellowship In Women’s Ministry
So, what does the word fellowship actually mean and why is it important in the life of our small churches? From the very beginning of the established church in the Book of Acts, the Lord shows us the importance of living in community. God did not create us to be alone.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers…
Acts 2:42
Fellowship is a vital part of God’s gift to us, the church. The early churchgoers shared life together, and worked side by side sharing the Gospel. They shared meals, prayer, and worship. Today we can encourage all of these things by hosting events like the ones we are suggesting. These Christmas events provide a unique and fun opportunity for your women to connect with one another on a deeper level, build meaningful relationships, and develop that sense of God’s community. Let’s face it, in today’s hectic pace, it can be easy for women to feel isolated and somewhat disconnected from others, certainly not what God intended when He created the church.
Fellowship events that are designed for women offer a chance to share an experience, laughter, and get to know others they have not connected with. Your small church women’s ministry can provide an avenue for support, encouragement, and to feel welcomed into the family of faith. These Christmas fellowship ideas can help to strengthen the bonds of sisterhood for women of all ages and backgrounds.
Ready to find the event that your women will love?
7 Christmas Season Fellowship Ideas
1. Snail Mail Christmas Bingo
This event will take place over the course of 3 weeks prior to the holiday. The Christmas Bingo card will have 9 spaces, with a free spot in the middle. Christmas symbols on each square will represent an activity (listed on a master sheet) that each lady must complete to cross that box off on their card.
Possible Activities:
- Send a holiday card of love and thanks to the pastor.
- Call an older person in our church today just to say Merry Christmas.
- Make or buy a plate of cookies and deliver them to a neighbor.
- Bring a christmas card with a candy cane and bring it to a child at church.
- Read the Christmas story in Luke 2:1-20 in a different translation than you usually use.
Once you achieve a black-out Bingo (where all squares are crossed off) contact the group leader, who will record when you achieved it. At the end of the 3 weeks, you’ll schedule a Christmas Bingo celebration. This will be an informal party at church or someone’s home where everyone gets to share their experiences in playing and enjoy some Christmas fellowship too. A special prize goes to the lady who first got Bingo.
Snail Mail Schedule:
- First week: Each woman will receive a Bingo card (you can print your own for free online), the master sheet of what each symbol on the card requires you to do, and 3 random symbol/call cards.
- Second week: Send out 3 more symbol/call cards, including the invitation to the Bingo celebration so everyone can make plans. Have each one bring a snack or treat to share.
- Third week: This is the wrap-up week. Send out the final 2 cards and encourage them to finish strong and bring their stories to share at the celebration!
This event will encourage your women to reach out to others during the course of the Bingo game and give them an opportunity to fellowship at the celebration party. Joy and laughter will be shared throughout the holiday season!
2. Christmas Coffee Connections
Have your women put their names in a basket, then have a leader draw out names in pairs or groups of 3 to make ‘Christmas coffee connections’. The women can decide if they want to meet at a coffee shop or restaurant, or if they would rather host in someone’s home. Christmas coffee and beverage recipes are always fun.
You can encourage conversation by giving them a conversation starter tip sheet.
This is a casual and informal way for the women in your ministry to get to know each other, build relationships, and find their commonalities.
3. Christmas Prayer Station Night
Praying together is a special kind of fellowship as the family of God. As we seek the Lord together, spending time in worship and praise, our hearts grow closer in Christ.
Set up a series of simple prayer stations focussing on different aspects of the Christmas story. Use lots of candlelight for a great setting, soft Christmas lights, journaling sheets for recording thoughts, and soft Christmas songs playing in the background.
This will be a special night of taking time to quiet our hearts before God and to really focus on the main reason for the celebration of the season. Doing prayer stations together as a group makes it special!
4. Mini Spa & Spoil Night
You can do this as simply or extravagantly as you like. Set up your own ‘spa’ experience where you have a nail & toe polish station, a make-your-own hand scrub area, and a fun photo booth area.
You could also schedule a night out at a massage or manicure salon where you all go together. A time of pampering and relaxing during a very busy and sometimes stressful time of year. If your church has the ability to provide childcare for those who have kids, what an incredible Christmas gift this could be!
Part of fellowshipping together is sharing memories and moments together, this could be a special one!
5. Reverse Progressive Holiday Dinner
Who doesn’t love an old-fashioned progressive dinner? You know what I mean, you move as a group from one home to the next, each home hosts a different aspect of the meal and you finally gather at the end for dessert and a time of devotion. This is a Reverse Progressive dinner. Just for fun, do your dinner in the reverse order. So instead of having appetizers first, you have dessert first (and who’s going to argue with that?), then you move to the entree, on to salad or soup, and the final gathering at the appetizer host home!
This event is usually hosted at volunteer homes, but you can put your own twist on it and do each stage at a restaurant (with prior reservations, of course). Just be sure that it is not cost-prohibitive for your guests.
This is a fun night for women to spend time with each other, chatting and connecting, and sharing a meal together. It’s also a time when you can offer some of your women the opportunity to be hostesses, perhaps working with someone else, acting as a team. This is a fantastic event for Christmas connections and joy!
6. Do You Hear What I Hear?
Caroling is a traditional activity of Christmas, but it’s also a great opportunity to serve others, spread the love of Christ, and provide a time of fellowship for the carolers in your group! Gather ideas from your women and see where they may like to go caroling in your community
- Examples: A nursing home, certain neighborhoods, local parks or shopping plazas (with permission), or specific homes of the church family.
Decide on a time, meet-up area, and how you will transport people. You can be creative and decorate the church bus, or if you are rural, what about a wagon ride? Make it fun and special.
This Christmas event is a favorite, but it also gives you a chance to serve as well as connect and fellowship with each other. Memories will be made for years to come!
7. B.Y.O. House Party: Gingerbread House, That Is!
A very sweet gathering indeed. Invite your women to bring their own gingerbread house decorating kit (readily available at most craft and box stores). If you prefer, you can pre-order a group of kits in bulk and have each guest pay when they arrive.
Have additional candies and goodies available for guests to get uber creative with their gingerbread houses.
Crafting, creating, and connecting around the tables provide ample opportunity for getting to know each other, sharing Christmas memories and traditions.
Perhaps you may decide to donate your creations to local charities, a children’s hospital, first responders, a foster care home, or whatever you have in your community. Just another way to share God’s love at Christmas!
A Few Tips For The Perfect Starting Point
Fellowship opportunities don’t have to all be planned out as an event. One-to-one engagements over lunch or even a Christmas shopping trip can be an impromptu time to connect with someone you don’t know as well. Intentionally seeking out those in your women’s group that you haven’t connected with yet is a great way to share God’s love this Christmas. Some tips when starting out:
- Decide what events your group would like to do. Remember, the holidays are already a busy time so don’t over-schedule.
- Find 1 or 2 women to help you with all the details. Spread out the preparations and execution and you’ll not only lighten your load but be giving these women the chance to serve.
- Spread the word and make sure everyone gets invited. Make announcements in several ways and don’t forget to encourage the women to invite friends!
- Above all else, pray. Give all the details, plans, and purpose over to God and ask Him to guide your team. Remember, to have a time of thanksgiving after your event is done!
- Take pictures, and have photo booth opportunities to make fun memories. Use your pics on your small church’s social media pages (with permission, of course) and help the community see what great fellowship and fun you have!
Don’t Let This Christmas Season Pass You By
Challenge the women in your small church to use this Christmas season to experience the beauty of fellowship, or as the Bible says, Koinonia, a Greek word that means to participate in the sharing of love and community. It’s a verb or an action word, so let’s challenge our women to get active and participate in these Christmas events of fellowship!
We’d love to hear about the events that you host at your church, and share them with us in our Facebook group. Have a blessed holiday!
Read More:
Christmas And Tea Time For Women’s Ministry