Mother’s day is just three weeks away and while some areas of the country may be opening back up, large get-togethers are probably not going to be possible yet. So how can your church celebrate Mother’s Day and let women know that they are appreciated – especially now? Here are a few creative ideas.
1. Plan a special tribute to women during your online service.
What is the one thing every mom cherishes? Quality time with her family of course. But in many cases, it won’t be possible or even smart to have a family gathering with multiple generations in person. But you can all go to church together – no matter where everyone lives, everyone can watch church together. So plan a special service and then encourage your members to invite everyone to gather online to watch.
Any special Mother’s Day content you include in your service doesn’t have to be elaborate, long or have high production quality. In fact, in our stay at home culture, a simple, organic tribute could be the right approach. Here are a couple ideas:
- Ask people to submit photos from last Mother’s Day or other special event that show Moms, Grandmothers, Aunts or any important women like a teacher or coach, with their kids. Turn the photos into a video tribute that you can use at the start or end of your service.
- Ask Father’s or other caregivers to videotape children answering questions about their mom or other key women in their lives and then send it to you. Edit the answers together to create a fun video moment for your service. Here are some sample questions:
- What is your favorite thing about your mom?
- What is the funniest thing your mom does?
- Why do you love your mom?
- What do you like to do with your mom?
Special Note: While most people in your church will be happy to celebrate their mothers or being a mom, Mother’s Day can also bring up a lot of pain. Be sensitive to women who want children but can’t have them, women who have lost children or are estranged from them, women who choose not to have children and people who have difficult relationships with their mothers. A kind word that recognizes that Mother’s Day isn’t necessarily joyful for everyone will go a long way toward making your congregation feel seen and loved, no matter their stories.
2. Find creative ways to honor women in your church and community
Mother’s Day is an important holiday in the United States, so going beyond your Sunday service and finding creative ways to honor women can be a community outreach or just a good way to show people that your church has a heart to honor important influencers. Here are a few creative ways to honor Mom:
- Provide a picture or craft that children can make and give to mom. If you have weekly online group time, leaders can take time to virtually help kids finish their projects.
- Partner with a local restaurant or coffee shop to provide a special offer for moms – this helps support a local business and gives mom a special carry out treat.
- Work with a local florist to provide a bucket of flowers that you can place outside your church and let families stop by and grab a carnation for mom on Saturday or Sunday.
- Similarly, put together a small bag of ‘goodies’ that Moms can pick up from your church- it could include a card, a small book, some chocolate, something inspirational and even a craft or activity the family can do together.
Mail every woman in your church database a card thanking them for everything they do to build up their families, and include a small packet of flower or vegetable seeds. - Email everyone in your database a short list of prayers they can say to build up mothers spiritually.
3. Promote Your Services & Invite The Community
Mother’s Day is normally the third most attended Sunday of the year, so how do you make sure that families in your community know that your church is still the place to be – even if it’s from their living room? Spread the word in a non-contact way!
Promote your services online with Facebook Ads! For just $350, you can invite people in your area to join your online Mother’s Day services! Ads reach people your church’s regular posts don’t and give you a new audience who may be looking for hope and help during this difficult time. 
Share your event information to passing traffic with an outdoor banner – perfect for Mother’s Day and beyond. These durable banners let passing traffic know that although your church building is empty, you still have a vibrant online presence.
To get your church members involved in sharing, order a set of Mother’s Day Yard Signs and then let your members pick them up and display them in their yards or from the balconies or patios letting their neighbors know about your services online.
