Looking for ideas of ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day at your church? We asked employees at Guide Book Publishing for their favorite memories of things their churches have done to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Get a head start for next year with some of these ideas:
Parent’s Night Out
A great program for your youth group to run for both members of your church and as a community outreach, host low cost childcare on Valentine’s Day or the closest Saturday so that parent’s can have a date night. Great way to make money for upcoming youth group events as well.
Marriage Memories & Renewal of Vows
During February services ask couples that have been married for varying amounts of time to share their favorite memories of each other. You could choose a couple celebrating 50 years of marriage, 25 years of marriage, and a newly-wed couple. After services, offer couples a chance to renew their marriage vows.
Valentine’s Cards
Two ideas for the concept of Valentine’s Day Cards. Either write valentines for people in the neighborhood around your church blessing them and inviting them to a special event or service, or spread some cheer around the world and send cards to other churches blessing their ministry projects and families.
Brand Your Service
There are many ways to do this around Valentine’s Day. Include a poem or Bible verses in the bulletin above love, give carnations to all the ladies during service, have valentine crafts for the children after service, focus the sermon around love, share marriage memories, and so much more.
Sweetheart Dinner
Invite members of your church and community to a dinner at your church. This could be done as a fundraiser for a mission or organization in the church, or as a mission project itself to low income families in the community who can’t afford to celebrate Valentine’s Day on their own.
Adopt a Family
Many churches will adopt a family at Christmas time, but families need help throughout the year as well. Adopt a family and either do a service project at their home such as building a handicap ramp, or collect items to create Valentine’s Bags filled with ingredients for dinner and a special treat for dessert and pass them out to families in need.
Cooking Class
Do you have someone in your church that can teach others how to cook? Set up a cooking class shortly before Valentine’s Day and teach people in the community how to cook a special meal. Then they can surprise their significant other with a home cooked Valentine’s Day dinner.
Plan ahead: If you know what programs you are going to do in your church for different holidays, include information about them in the Guide Section of your Guide Book & Directory.