Download the craft patterns and templates here
- Activities for celebrating secular and sacred seasons of the year
- For use in churches, schools, camps, at home
Many of our experiences in life happen when several generations are together— at church, at home, in our communities. Holidays and family events are times for celebration, learning, rituals, food, and fun. This edition of Faithful Celebrations focuses on the months of January and February, when secular holidays can become times to think about how we live out the gospel message in celebrating national holidays with more than a day off from school or sending a greeting card.
Each event to be celebrated includes key ideas; a cluster of activities to experience the key ideas; a list of materials needed; full instructions for implementation; background history and information; music; art; recipes; and prayer resources to use in a small, intimate, or large multi-generational group. For children, youth, adults, or any combination of ages, any of these activities can take place in any setting.
Faithful Celebrations: Making Time for God in Winter includes New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine's Day, and Snow days.
Audience: Christian educators, youth ministers, camps, schools, parents
Introduction
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King Day
Super Bowl Sunday
Valentine's Day
Snow Days
"Faithful Celebrations is a rich offering of holistic approaches to learning, celebrating, and living into the spiritual meaning of milestone winter holidays and special days. It integrates well researched background resources, prayer, activities, and ritual to provide rich opportunities that invite us to bring our faith into action. Pearson helps her readers make full meaning of holidays such as Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday by bringing alive the cloud of social justice witnesses for intergenerational engagement."
–– The Rev. Charles A. Wynder Jr., Office of Social Justice & Advocacy Engagement for The Episcopal Church
"Making Time for God in Winter, the newest book in Sharon Ely Pearson's Faithful Celebrations series, has more recipes for joy! Once again, Sharon offers important information as well as imaginative ideas and resources for bringing together everyone in your faith community in ways that will deepen and strengthen connections across generations. Her creativity extends to outreach activities, games, crafts and prayers that will be effective and fun in churches, homes, schools, and community gatherings."
––Wendy Claire Barrie, Program Manager for Children & Youth at Trinity Wall Street, New York City
"These thoughtful, manageable activities will inspire creative celebrations during a season when it's easy to feel a little down. This book reminds us that "How does this occasion relate to my Christian faith?" is a foundational question of discipleship—and that Spirit-filled joy helps us find our answer."
––Kyle Matthew Oliver, assistant priest at St. Michael's Church in New York City and e-Formation instructor for Virginia Theological Seminary
