How to connect with families around Lent

A PANCAKE PARTY IS A great occasion to welcome families into a church setting for fun, food and fellowship. Invite families who have had a child baptised in the last 1-3 years and who haven’t been to church for a while. If you have the room and resources for something bigger, extend your invitation to the wider community too.

Repeated invitation helps families become more involved with their local church and Lent is another occasion in the calendar when there is an opportunity to welcome them. Many, if not most, families will engage with Pancake Day, so consider hosting a Messy style pancake event at which children and parents can enjoy church hospitality and learn about the origins of Shrove Tuesday.

If your church hall has a kitchen, then home-made pancakes will be very much appreciated by both adults and children, or you can buy ready-made pancakes.

A few tables and chairs, toys to play with, tea/coffee, lots of squash/water and some simple toppings like syrup, lemon juice, jam and perhaps even chocolate spread will be loved by most and will bring local families together.

You might like to include a prayer or a very short talk about what pancake day is all about. You could also leave a prayer slip on each table with some simple words on: “Thank you God for food, and family, and friends. Amen”.

You may find this article on the Church of England website helpful for preparation, publicity, or perhaps even creating a handout which can be taken home. You are welcome to copy and paste the text (but not the images) to do this if you wish.

It would be a perfect moment to tell those who come to your pancake event about the Easter Day service, and what activities will be happening through the church then.

Involving others

It’s also a great opportunity for people in the church to volunteer to help, enabling them to get to know these families better, build relationships and invite them back to another event or service.