We can glory in our own celebration this Easter, or we can take a look at our communities to see who’s waiting outside for a glimpse of the miracle.

Do You Believe in Rolling Stones?

The cross, colorful eggs, white lilies and even chocolate bunny rabbits — several images have come to be associated with the Easter holiday. But for many, Christ’s empty tomb comes to mind, with the stone seal lying discarded, off to one side — the same stone, experts tell us, would have been immense, disc shaped, and rolled in front of the opening on a downward slope, so that while the tomb was relatively easy to seal, it would have taken the strength of many men, pushing against gravity, to remove it.

In his Bible commentary, Matthew Henry compared this stone to the weight of our sin, crushing Christ on the cross and holding Him to the penalty of death for three days in the grave. Until, as Scripture says, the earth literally moved, the ground shook, and an angel came from heaven to roll the stone back and expose the miracle of the Resurrection — Jesus’ physical body raised from the dead and absent from the grave.

It was, of course, no coincidence that the two Marys were there to witness the event at the tomb and later give testimony of the vacancy within, but why? Was it not just as miraculous for the women to see Christ alive in the flesh after His death? Why bother with the stone if He was already gone? What was so important about seeing the empty tomb?

In a word, the answer may be proof — tangible evidence for the people of Jerusalem for decades to come. Physical evidence, if you will, demanding a verdict.

Seekers today don’t have the luxury of exploring Christ’s actual tomb and examining its inner walls for traces of the Truth. They are, in a sense, standing outside the vacant sepulcher, no knowledge of the miracle within, and a boulder of intimidation, doubts and discomfort standing between them and Truth.

We can glory in our own celebration of the Resurrection this Easter season, or we can take a look around our neighborhoods, schools and businesses to see who’s waiting outside the crypt for a glimpse of the miracle.

This year, push those boulders of fear and uncertainty aside. This spring, plan an outreach event that will leave your community eternally altered. This Easter Sunday, bring the unchurched face-to-face with the empty tomb, where they might just find the open door of heaven.

40 Easter Outreach Ideas

We’ve put together our biggest list of outreach ideas ever, and our hope is that this Easter Passion Week will be like none your church has ever seen.

While many of these ideas are effective platforms for sharing the Gospel, some are merely intended to familiarize unbelievers with your church and afford your worshippers the opportunity to tender an invitation to Easter Sunday services.

Palm Sunday

1. Palm Party

Hold your children’s Easter outreach event on Palm Sunday and reenact the Triumphal Entry — complete with live donkey and palm branches — for a captive audience. Include egg decorating, games and an Easter video or story for a celebration children are sure to remember.

2. Messianic “Haggadah”

Encourage a churchwide celebration of the Seder or Messianic Haggadah in individual homes on Passover, which officially begins the previous day at sundown. Encourage host families to invite adventurous unchurched friends to share this special feast with them.

3. DaVinci’s “Last Supper” Reenactment

Maundy Thursday (also called Holy Thursday) is traditionally remembered as the night Christ ate the Last Supper with His disciples. Attract art appreciators with an Easter drama of the scene, using Scripture as a script and DaVinci’s painting for costume and backdrop inspiration.

4. Maundy Prayer

What better time to pray over your Easter outreach than the night of Holy Week associated with Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane? Open your sanctuary, encouraging church members to come when they can and pray for your community.

5. Artists at the Foot of the Cross

Create an atmosphere of experiential worship for postmodern seekers using both classical and contemporary art (projected on a screen), poetry (recited or projected on screen) and music to offer a glimpse of the crucifixion through the eyes of famous and not-so-famous artists in a candlelight service.

6. Artists at the Foot of the Cross Gallery

Turn a gym or multipurpose room into a gallery of crucifixion art, poetry and music created by church members of all ages, as well as the unchurched in your community. (Be careful to note that the church reserves the right not to display gallery entries it deems inappropriate.)

7. “The Thorn”

“The Thorn” is a brand new way to experience Easter in your church. It features exclusive, licensed videos from The Thorn Live Stage Production. Learn more at http://www.outreach.com/promo/the-thorn-products.aspx.

8. Jesus for Children

Don’t overlook childcare while planning a Good Friday service — especially if you’ll be planning a trip to see “The Passion of the Christ.” To offer more than just babysitting, consider showing a depiction of the crucifixion story appropriate for children.

9. Spring Tea

A traditional English tea party — especially one in a colorful garden — offers a brief escape for today’s busy women who would never, of their own volition, take the time to sit outside and enjoy a cup of tea and a crumpet. Throw in a speaker (with a topic general enough to appeal to a broad spectrum) or even live music, and you’ll have an event church women will feel confident inviting female friends to enjoy.

10. Easter “Bonnet” Benefit

Organize a hat fashion show during a women’s brunch at the church, selling tickets in advance, with proceeds going to a local charity. Contact boutiques, stores and antique malls in your area for the hat (older women in your congregation may have wonderful vintage hats to show off), and use women — young and old — in the church and community to model them.

11. Basket Decorating 101

Everybody — churched or unchurched — loves an Easter basket. Enlist an experienced basket decorator from your congregation or local craft store and host a basket decorating class, charging only for supplies.

12. Basket Benefit

Collect Easter gift baskets from local businesses and church members for a silent auction at the church, benefiting a local charity. (Hint: Be sure to set a starting price for each basket.)

13. “Easter Parade” Movie Night

This Irving Berlin classic is a fun musical for Baby Boomers, seniors and anyone who appreciates old black and white romance. Serve lemonade and popcorn and project it onto a big screen — outside if weather permits — and charge a nickel admission for some added nostalgia.

14. “Easter Parade” to Go

Contact your local senior center, assisted living community or convalescent hospital to see if your church can bring the “Easter Parade” movie, popcorn and lemonade to them, creating a special night of nostalgia.

15. “Messiah” Live

Though Handel’s beautiful oratorio is typically reserved for the Christmas season, it does include the death and resurrection of Christ. Host an evening of live orchestra — from the community or church — and serve refreshments for participants and spectators alike.

16. Free Car Wash

In the vein of servant evangelism, organize a car wash your community won’t soon forget, free of charge with no strings attached. Just leave a small Easter card with your church’s information in each clean vehicle.

17. Spring Makeover

Organize a crack team of handymen (and women) to tackle a run-down building in your community. Be sure it’s a selfless task that benefits those “outside” the Kingdom. Get the proper permission, permits and supplies and have fun.

18. Spring Paint Showers

Find a public school in need of an external makeover and gather a team of volunteers from your congregation to paint it or plant a new garden. Contact the school or school board in advance for permission and allow the principal to pick the colors.

19. Spring Festival

Think Harvest Festival, only with an Easter flare. Instead of bobbing for apples, hunt blindfolded for eggs. Instead of carving pumpkins, make floral wreaths. Open it up to the community and make it an annual Easter week event.

20. Child Egg Decorating

Host an Easter party for children complete with eggs (and dyes to paint them), chocolate bunnies, and a fun, age-appropriate video to share the Gospel. Encourage kids to bring their unchurched friends. (Hint: This is the perfect event to pair with the Spring Tea or other women’s event since it eliminates the need for baby sitters.)

21. Blooming Art

Enlist a gifted congregation member or local florist to teach flower arranging at church. Charge to cover supplies, but encourage participants to bring their own vase, apron and garden clippers. Don’t forget to advertise at local nurseries, farmer’s markets and craft stores.

22. Pictures Say a Thousand Words

Enlist a photographer in your church — or from the community — then advertise a free or discounted photo shoot to families in your area. Set up a spring backdrop with props like flowered hats and baskets.

23. Spring Sports Competition

Organize a friendly softball or flag football game at a local park, encouraging church members to bring friends and coworkers to play and watch. Hang a large banner to mark the spot — be sure it contains your church name and Easter service times.

24. Community Easter Egg Hunt

Sponsor a community-wide Easter egg hunt in a local park. Be sure to advertise an age limit and ask parents to bring a dozen eggs (real or candy-filled) for each participating child. Play music and serve lemonade to the adults and rent a bunny costume for your resident church “clown.”

25. Walk, Don’t Run

Organize a walk-a-thon benefiting a local charity with a course that begins and ends at the church and can be completed by people of all ages. Invite the community to participate and set up refreshment stations along the way.

26. Spring Clean Sale

Use door hangers in local neighborhoods suggesting community-wide “spring closet cleaning” and offering to collect items for a sale benefiting a local charity. Send church members with trucks to gather the goods, then hold the sale in the church parking lot. Place a card with Easter service times in each bag of goods you sell.

Easter Sunday

27. Sunrise Service

Plan an outdoor sunrise worship service if weather permits. Recreate the scene outside the tomb as a backdrop, using papier-mâché and paint to make the stone. Ask several teens from the church to dress as the guards, the women and the angel to reenact the scene.

28. Pancake Breakfast

Cook up a pancake breakfast immediately following your sunrise service or preceding your morning service, feeding your visitors free of charge and creating a welcoming, family atmosphere where new friendships can bloom over pancakes and coffee.

29. The Testimonial Cross

Build or purchase a large wooden cross and place it at the front of the sanctuary — either lying across the platform steps or leaning against the wall. Early in your Easter service, explain its significance as a reminder that the God we serve is no longer on His cross; He is alive.

30. Sunday School Eggs

Plan and prepare with baskets and eggs to have an egg hunt for the children during Sunday school. Among the candy-filled eggs, prepare 12 plastic eggs that will aid teachers in telling the story of Jesus. Place each of the following items in an egg: leaf (palm branches at Triumphal Entry), bread crumb (bread at Last Supper), communion cup (wine at Last Supper), dimes (Judas’ silver), stem with thorns (crown of thorns), wood (cross), three nails (nails in the cross), piece of a sponge (vinegar given to Jesus), piece of red cloth (Jesus’ garment), piece of white cloth (burial garment), rock (the stone) and cotton ball (clouds at the Ascension).

31. Easter Lily Delivery

Weeks before Easter, give church members the opportunity to “sponsor” an Easter lily by paying for the cost of one and signing a pre-printed Easter card for each. Purchase the lilies from a local garden center or florist the day before your Easter service then use them to decorate your facility. Sunday afternoon, have volunteers transport the flowers to residents at a convalescent hospital or assisted-living facility.

32. Baskets of Love

In the weeks leading up to Easter, invite your congregation to donate canned goods and necessary toiletries for the less fortunate in your community, then organize a team of volunteers to place the donated items in Easter baskets and promptly deliver them to the families in need.

33. Easter Feasts

Create a list of the necessary ingredients for several delicious Easter lunches, like ham and potatoes or roast chicken. Ask families in the congregation to sign up to buy particular items or cook the food, then bring the meal to the church kitchen Easter morning. Volunteers can organize the food, place completed meals in baskets, and deliver them to a few needy families in your community.

34. The Worth of a Child

Never dismiss the power of a children’s musical or drama. Not only are children remarkably capable of presenting the Gospel in a compelling way, but parents, grandparents and friends who might otherwise never set foot in a church will come with cameras and flowers for a beloved child on stage.

35. Forget-Me-Nots

Since your church is likely to have more visitors on this special Sunday than a usual weekend, be sure they don’t leave empty-handed. Purchase plenty of books or small gifts to pass out at the door as they leave.

36. Forget-Me-Nots for Kids

Don’t overlook special gifts for visiting children on Easter Sunday, and don’t settle for candy that will be eaten before they reach the parking lot. Give each something small, age-appropriate and relevant to the Easter celebration.

37. Easter Service to Go

Organize a team from church to bring an Easter service to a convalescent hospital or local mission, complete with worship and a speaker. Consult management in advance to establish details like sound equipment and service length.

38. Concert at the Park

If weather permits, hold a family-oriented concert in a local park during the afternoon or evening on Easter. If you don’t have the resources or talent for entertainment, advertise thoroughly, charge a small fee and hire a band. Be sure to obtain the proper permits and attempt to get the blessing of the surrounding neighbors.

Miscellaneous Easter Ideas

39. Easter Evangelism Cards

Have special cards — maybe even egg or cross shaped — professionally made to hand out at your outreach event. The card should include your church contact information and service times, but you might also consider adding a verse, a prayer or the (brief) plan of salvation. (Hint: Make them general enough to be used again next Easter.)

40. Celebrity Advantage

No matter what kind of event you organize this Easter, having a high-profile Christian participate in some headlining way — as narrator, emcee, entertainment, etc. — will increase your response. Local figures like the mayor, the football star or even the local news anchor are great options if your church doesn’t have the resources to bring in a well-known celebrity.

Getting People There

Drawing the unchurched to your event is obviously the key that makes or breaks its capacity for outreach. For a successful word-of-mouth campaign, you can provide your members with business card sized event invitations to give to friends, but we also recommend taking steps to attract a broader scope of your community by placing a banner in front of the church, sending a bulk mailing or canvassing neighborhoods with door hangers.

And if your resources don’t allow for a bulk mailing, post fliers on bulletin boards in schools, grocery stores, libraries, laundromats or other appropriate public places in your community.

Remember, however, no matter how you choose to advertise your event, the best and the most successful invitation is a personal one.

Churches shared out-of-the-box thinking for communicating the transformational message of the cross. Here are their ideas:

PRE-EASTER: INVITING YOUR COMMUNITY

1. Easter kindness. Easter is often more inwardly focused than Christmas and Thanksgiving. This year, mark Easter weekend with a significant act of service to your community (restore hiking trails, host a dinner for the homeless and underprivileged, hold a blood drive, run a 10K for a local women’s shelter, etc.) and invite your community to join with your church.

2. Easter signs. In cities where increasing restrictions are affecting public signage, creative churches are using silk-screened, corrugated plastic yard signs. Planted on church members’ front lawns, the signs invite neighbors to Easter services and outreach events.

3. One card. One guest. Hand out printed invitations to Easter worship services to all of your regular attendees. Ask them to pray for one person God is leading them to invite. Members either mail or hand-deliver the invitations to those people they’ve been praying for.

4. Palm Sunday reflection. The Sunday before Easter, invite your community to join you for a meaningful time of spiritual reflection. Consider creating sacred spaces that guide people through the events leading up to the cross. It helps prepare people mentally, emotionally and spiritually for the Holy Week. You may want to borrow from the liturgy of other churches to help create the sacred environment.

5. Email invitations. In addition to direct mail, signage, fliers and other materials, promote your Easter service with an e-card that can easily be forwarded along with a personal note from your members.

6. Spring cleanup. The week before Easter, host a huge, communitywide garage sale to benefit a local charity or cause. Offer a tax receipt to any donors and even offer to pick up larger items. Make it a fun community event by providing food, music and fliers promoting your church’s Easter week activities.

7. Egg-vitations. The Sunday before Easter, give children 10 plastic eggs with candy and an invitation for their friends and families to attend the Easter service. It is great to see children involved as inviters.

8. Last Supper re-enactment. Attract art appreciators to a Maundy Thursday drama of the scene, using Scripture as a script and DaVinci’s painting for costume and backdrop inspiration.

9. Artists at the Foot of the Cross gallery. Turn a multipurpose room into a gallery of crucifixion art, poetry and music created by people of all ages. Invite the community to participate.

10. Easter Parade to go. Contact a local senior center or assisted living community and asked if your church may bring residents a nostalgic evening of the Irving Berlin classic film, popcorn and lemonade.

11. Messiah Live! Host an evening of live orchestra presenting Handel’s oratorio. Engage your city’s orchestra.

12. Free car wash. Organize a car wash free of charge with no strings attached. Just leave a small Easter card with your church’s Easter worship activities in each vehicle.

EASTER WEEKEND

15. Appreciation Easter lilies. Instead of spending money for Easter lilies to decorate the church, purchase lilies as a donation to local businesses, hospitals, law enforcement, schools, etc. Attach a small sign or tag from your church, “With appreciation during this Easter season.”

16. Resurrection Run. Hold a Resurrection Run motorcycle rally each year and invite motorcycle enthusiasts from the community to participate.

17. Easter labyrinth. On Easter, promote a labyrinth experience featuring stations of the cross. Even unbelievers are interested in a spiritual experience that helps them learn about the true significance of Easter.

18. The empty egg. Offer a community wide Easter egg hunt that involves several avenues to share the Gospel. From puppet ministry to a worship band, to sharing the parable of the empty egg (representing the empty tomb), you can use this event to introduce the community to Christ and invite them to Easter services.

19. Appreciation gift. Offer a free gift like an inexpensive Max Lucado book to the first 50 families who come to your service.

20. Canned food donations. Encourage everyone who attends your Easter service to bring canned food for a local food bank. Seeing the church serve others can offer unbelievers a different view of the church and ultimately cause them to be more open to hearing the Gospel

21. Cross connection. Use the tradition of a flower cross at Easter. Buy hundreds of carnations and during the response time, invite people to place a flower in a large wooden cross framed with chicken wire.

22. The World’s Biggest Easter Egg Hunt. The week before Easter, advertise a huge event called something like “The World’s Biggest Easter Egg Hunt.” Include inflatables, games, food, door prizes, free Bibles and music at the event. It makes it easy to invite the community back the next week for Easter services.

23. Neutral location. Instead of holding services at your church, schedule them at a neutral location. One church uses a flower ranch located on the property of one of their members and draws many unbelievers each year.

24. Celebrity connection. Engage your community by inviting a local Christian “celebrity” to participate in your Easter service. Ask the mayor to narrate your Easter musical; invite a sports figure to share his or her testimony; ask the local pageant queen to sing; or invite a local disc jockey or news anchor to participate in a reader’s theater.

25. Baskets benefit. Collect Easter gift baskets from local businesses and church members for a silent auction, benefiting a local charity.

26. Easter photos. On Easter Sunday, give guests free family photos. Enlist a photographer, set up a spring backdrop and give each person a card with a link to download their pictures.

27. Visual aid. Build or purchase a large wooden cross and place it at the front. Early in  Easter worship service, explain the cross’ significance.

28. Children’s musical. Never underestimate the power of a children’s musical or drama. Not only are children remarkably capable of presenting the Gospel in a compelling way, but parents, grandparents and friends who might otherwise never set foot in a church will come with cameras in hand.

29. Sermon on CD. Make the Easter sermon available free of charge to guests. On the CD cover, list the upcoming message series and topics that will be covered.

EASTER FOLLOW-UP

29. Love Jars. Fill canning jars called “Love Jars” with brownie mix, attractively layered, sealed with a lid and covered with seasonal fabric. Then make a personal visit to the home of each of Easter visitor. Make it a nonthreatening, nonpreachy visit that simply says, “We’re glad you came…. hope to see you again.”

30. Spring family festival. Follow up Easter Sunday with a spring family festival. Give the kids carnival tickets stapled to their Easter egg bags to use for rides and games. It’s a strong motivator that turns an Easter-only visit into at least two visits. A barbecue and outreach-oriented message series give parents a reason to return as well.

Nearly 15 million people tuned in to the The Bible miniseries premiere episode on The History Channel this past weekend. The series’ Facebook page said the premiere was “the biggest cable event of 2013 … #1 on all of TV, #1 on the Web and #1 on Twitter.” Entertainment Weekly reported that the debut resulted in “more viewers and a higher demo rating than any show on the major broadcast networks last night and ranks as cable’s most-watched entertainment telecast this year.”

The Washington Post wrote today that “it’s not every day that the Bible is trending on Twitter and Google, but it’s also not every day that a Hollywood power couple produces a 10-hour miniseries taking viewers from the Garden of Eden to the Book of Revelation, all in HD.” Christian NFL quarterback Tim Tebow tweeted about the miniseries just hours before the premiere began. Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, reviewing for The Christian Post, called the miniseries “a remarkable spiritual and emotional experience.” And most Baptist Press readers gave the debut a thumbs-up.

Nancy Dubuc, president of A&E Networks which owns The History Channel, commented to Entertainment Weekly, “Clearly there is a nationwide groundswell that was waiting for this moment … An enormous debt of gratitude goes out to everyone and the amazing effort put forth to drive us to this amazing win. Clearly the passion for this project has resonated with our viewers and across the nation. We are thrilled, and the story is only just beginning.”

“We’ve been working on this project for the past four years now and are deeply honored to be given this once-in-a-generation opportunity to breathe new visual life into the Bible’s profound stories,” husband-and-wife producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey said in a statement. “The Bible gives meaning and purpose to billions of people around the world. We believe the success of the series will spark the curiosity of billions more.”

“We could not be more thrilled with this out of the gate success,” Downey and Burnett continued. “The world is watching right now and we are incredibly humbled by the reaction to the series. This No. 1 series is a tribute to all those who have helped us to spread the Word. Ultimately The Bible will be seen and felt by billions around the globe …Today, more people are discussing God’s chosen people — Moses and Abraham — in one day than ever before.”

The series will continue each Sunday through Easter. Learn more about the series at http://www.thebibleminiseries.com/.

Its not to late to watch this webinar!

Don’t miss your chance to learn more about The Bible miniseries from the creators, Mark Burnett (The Voice, Survivor, Shark Tank, Celebrity Apprentice) and Roma Downey (Touched By An Angel).

During this 1-hour webinar you and your church team can:

• Hear from Mark and Roma about their hearts behind  the Bible Miniseries and why they made the series.
• Learn how your church can optimize this opportunity for outreach and continue to use these powerful stories in the future.

Click here to WATCH NOW.

More people become Christians on Easter than any other day of the year–take full advantage of the opportunity with these Easter tips.

Learn How to Make the Most of

The Bible Miniseries in Your Church!

Don’t miss this chance to learn more about The Bible miniseries from husband and wife creators, Mark Burnett (producer Survivor, and The Voice) and Roma Downey (actress, Touched by an Angel). Hosted by Outreach President, Scott Evans, during this 1-hour webinar you and your church team can:

• Hear Mark and Roma share their heart for The Bible Miniseries
• Learn how your church can optimize the miniseries for outreach
• Discover the future opportunities for your church to use these powerful videos

Click here to learn more about The Bible Miniseries

Easter is the one day out of the year when people who never go to church actually think about going. What are you doing to make sure people pick your church?

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