I am always bummed for people that miss out on events like the Preaching Rally. Our church puts in SO much effort, and it is such an enjoyable day that we want everyone to be a part of it!
One way we try to generate that sense of “missing out” is to celebrate the Preaching Rally the next day in church. When we celebrate something, we are expressing its importance and communicating to everyone that it was an event that was worth being involved in. Our church celebrates the Preaching Rally a few ways:
- Photos. As mentioned previously, the photographers have an important job. By promptly uploading their photos, we get a chance to use them in our services the very next day. We use them three ways:
- Framed photos. Our youth room walls are covered with dozens of 8”x10” and 11”x17” frames. Our printer can print up to 12”18” photos, so we print about 50 different images of the Preaching Rally, and volunteers replace the images in the frames with the new ones. Our teens love the new photos, and our choir gets to see the photos when they practice in the same room later that afternoon.
- Slideshow. I access the latest Preaching Rally album on our Flickr.com page and start a slideshow on our announcement screen in the foyer. Church members love to stand and watch the images from the previous day’s event.
- Preaching Rally “Review”. As mentioned earlier, the “Review” is printed and laid on our “leftovers” table for anyone to take.
- Leftovers. Part of the “celebration” of the Preaching Rally is simply taking something home to remember the event by. The leftover booklets, bookmarks and pens are mementos that keep the event in front of people.
- Church announcement. Pastor always publicly praises God for the Preaching Rally, and I sometimes give a quick update to the church about how many guests we hosted, how many decisions were made, and how the day went. Talking about it publicly encourages those who were working hard to make the day a blessing to others.
In my teen Sunday school class, I take the celebration a little bit further by doing a little extra in our services:
- Have teens recap the sermons
- Take testimonies
- Reminisce together
- Funniest moments of the day?
- Bro. Wilson’s speeding tickets?
- Mayo?
- Bro Lande calling me a ladies trio?
- Ice cream contest?
- Remember the game…
- Preach on the theme
Other miscellaneous tasks still come up like every other Sunday, and it helps me to list them out and think of them ahead of time so I do not have to remember them all on such a busy Sunday morning. These things might include:
- Preparing my Sunday School sermon
- Opening the church
- Preparing for services (choir song, orders of service printed, hymnals ready, etc.)
- Writing thank-you letters and emails
- Planning the wrap-up meeting notes
- Thinking of improvements
The next day’s services at church should be used to celebrate what God did. It is not to fabricate results, but to revel in what God did through a handful of God’s people trying to be a blessing to others.
That Sunday is always a great day in church.
