If your church is brainstorming ideas for engaging Spring events, then look no further! This article covers every detail for throwing exciting events people will remember for years to come. Springtime brings dozens of reasons to celebrate, from Easter to Spring flings. So as your church draws near to Resurrection Sunday, here are more than 50 ideas for outreach events and Easter celebrations to throw this Spring.
Why Spring Church Events Are Valuable
In-person events are the lifeblood of the church community. When church members gather together, conversations happen and people develop deeper relationships. Spring socials are great low-commitment events for newcomers and visitors to check out your church. For congregation members, they’re an exciting way to break out of the winter grind as the weather warms up and get-togethers become more common. As your team brainstorms which events to throw this Spring, identifying the needs of your congregation and community will help you choose the types of events to offer. Spring events can create the perfect outlet for people to connect with your church and get plugged in to your welcoming community.
Easter Event Ideas
For churches, Easter is the highlight of the year. It’s the most important Christian holiday and an excellent opportunity to get involved with people in your area. If you need ideas for Easter events, consider some of these options.
Easter Egg Hunts
Easter egg hunts are by far the most popular Easter events. They are great events for visitors because egg hunts are familiar, not confrontational or controversial. Plus it’s fun and easy to hide eggs in a variety of ways, depending on the children’s ages and teams.
Egg Hunt Names
Since Easter egg hunts are the most common activities, here are a few fun naming ideas for your event:
- Easter EGGstravaganza
- Easter Egg Scramble
- EGGstreme Egg Toss Challenge
- EGGciting Egg Hunt
- Easter Egg Mania
- EggFest
- Easter Eggshell-a-bration
- Easter Basket Blast
Easter Event Names
If holding an Easter egg hunt is not feasible at your campus, there are other events you can promote to get to know your neighbors. But along with Spring flowers comes the chance of rain. To avoid worrying about the forecast, you can plan indoor activities instead. Here are some fun themes that might interest people who may not ordinarily attend church:
- He Is Risen…Tell Your Peeps – Have Peeps-themed snacks
- Passover Party – Participate in a traditional Jewish Passover
- The Road to Resurrection – Produce a play portraying the events of Easter
- Resurrection Raffle – Hold a fundraising event to benefit missions
- EGGspresso Bar – Invite people who spend Sundays at the coffee shop
- EGGsercise Party – Interest those who spend Sundays at the gym
- Chicks ‘n Flicks – Put on a girl’s movie night
Easter 5K
As the weather warms up and people come out of their winter hibernation, it’s the perfect time to help your friends and family accomplish their New Year’s resolutions and crush their fitness goals by putting on a fun run. You can format these events as fundraisers or just-for-fun activities to get moving. Here are some fun names to help you brainstorm ideas:
- Hoppin’ with Jesus
- Hosanna Hustle
- Hallelujah Hop
- Walk/Run with Jesus
- Faith-Fueled Fun Run
- Resurrection Race
- Victory on Calvary Lap
Events From the Church Calendar
Easter Reflections: Create a unifying campaign for church members to reflect on specific passages of the Bible in the days leading up to Easter. You can create a booklet with daily devotionals, a Bible reading plan, or family activities for the Easter season.
Palm Sunday Luau: There’s never been a better occasion to pull out all your tropical palm tree-themed party decor to celebrate the triumphal entry. Throw a luau party with coconut drinks, pineapple fruit trays, and tropical-themed activities.
Palm Sunday Pig Roast: Whether you meet at the park for a traditional pig roast or have a pot roast cook-off, this is a great opportunity to get together and celebrate the warmer weather with a feast and fun games.
Faith & Fellowship Seder Dinner: Many protestant Christians have never celebrated Passover or participated in a Seder dinner. Observing this Jewish tradition in small groups or collectively as a congregation can give valuable insight into what the disciples experienced and helps us understand the symbolism of Easter. Also, breaking bread and sharing such a meaningful experience bonds people together.
Holy Week at Home: You don’t need to gather at the church every day of Holy Week to celebrate each day communally. Develop an activity book with significant ways to observe the meaning of each day leading up to Easter. For example, your congregants can have a dinner with family or small groups on Thursday and wash each other’s feet.
Stations of the Cross: Create an interactive “stations of the cross” or “prayer walk” to invite reflection. Moving down a meditative path is a great way to help people focus on the genuine meaning of Easter. Create a route inside or out, and let your team get creative. This can be a drop-in event similar to an open house, allowing people to travel to each station at their own pace.
Events for Seekers
Beyond the Bunny: Easter is about so much more than baskets and bunnies. This is an event you can put on for people who want to learn more about the true meaning of Easter. Holding a seeker-friendly event is a great way to introduce curious people to your church and the message of the cross
Easter EGGsplorers: Put on a fun scavenger hunt around town and encourage your church members to invite all their friends. Give them treasures to find within a small area using Bible- themed clues. At the end, have a few members prepared to share their testimonies and hand out prizes. This is a fun way for visitors to meet people from your church and hear about Jesus.
Questions & Queso: If you want to throw a seeker-friendly event after Easter, take advantage of Cinco de Mayo and hold an informal question-and-answer session. Prepare an abundance of tortilla chips and different dips—especially queso—for people to snack on as they wonder out loud about the questions plaguing them. Encourage people to submit questions beforehand— even anonymously—as well as during the event. Then utilize a panel of pastors to answer the inquiries.
Spring Fling Event Names
Spring is a great opportunity for different ministries to host events. If you’re throwing a party this year as Spring makes an appearance, here are a few names you can use.
General Spring Party
Host a party open to the public to launch your spring activities. Try names like Spring Fling, Spring Thing, Spring It On, Spring Celebration, or Full-Bloom Fiesta. You could also throw an event called Planting Seeds of Faith, with some teaching about evangelism or discipleship. The parable of the sower is an excellent theme for a spring event.
Women’s Event
Spring is a great opportunity to hold an event for your women’s ministry. You could put on a Spring Tea with various hot beverages, a Garden Party with fresh flowers, or a Pastel Party where all the decor is pastel. Perhaps you could even consider the elegance of a Spring Soirée! A party for burnt-out moms or the seniors’ ministry could be titled Bloom Again, emphasizing the renewed life and fresh start that Spring offers. Another idea is to make or browse jewelry with a Spring Bling party.
Children’s Event
No matter what the occasion is, kids love to party. Throw a Kidz Spring Spectacular with all kinds of games and events. Spring Carnivals are also a popular theme, and carnival games are usually easy to set up. If that’s not the right fit, you could also throw a Prettiest Patio Party or a Prettiest Parking Lot Party, where kids compete for prizes in a chalk drawing competition.
Spring Service Event
Spring is a popular time to break out of hibernation and lend a helping hand to your neighbors. Throw a Spring Service Day for members of your congregation to do service projects for elderly members of your congregation or people who need a little help. You could also throw a Spring Cleaning Bash to get seasonal maintenance jobs done on the church building and grounds. To reach out to your community, throw a Spring Into Action event with a missions or ministry focus.
Family Friendly Events
When you throw an event for the whole family, make sure you have a variety of food and age-appropriate activities for people, both younger and older, to enjoy. It might still be a little too cold for a pool party, but here are some other events everyone will love:
- Spring Shindig
- Spring Family Festival
- Pet Parade & Picnic
- Sundae’s My Fun Day
- March Madness Game Night
- Easter Cantata
Spring Events By Month
In addition to Easter, the Spring calendar is filled with holidays worth celebrating. If you need a theme for your next party, check out some ideas for what each month could hold:
March Events
Even if the snow has melted, it doesn’t mean Spring has sprung. Think of indoor activities to rule out a washout. Here are a few event ideas to kick off the Spring season:
Thaw-Out Party: Let’s face it—if you live in a place with icy temperatures, you’ve been frozen for three months! It’s time to warm up after a cold winter with a party celebrating the first signs of Spring.
Hibernation Celebration: As you come out of winter, organize an event for your congregants to reconnect and socialize after winter’s isolation and season of introspection fade away.
Hello, Spring! Fest: Throw a family-friendly festival to welcome newcomers, while you say ‘goodbye’ to winter and ‘hello’ to Spring!
St. Patrick’s Day Penny War: If you need to do some fundraising, start a penny war to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and collect your pot o’ gold for a special cause.
Pi(e) Day: March 14th is Pi day because it’s 3/14 or 3.14… like Pi.. Celebrate the occasion by holding a pie-baking competition, a pie-throwing fundraiser, or a pizza pie party!
Cereal for Dinner Party: March 7th is National Cereal Day, and every American loves a good bowl of cereal. Host a cereal party where everyone brings a box of their favorite cereal to share. Guests can show up in pajamas and listen to some classic bedtime Bible stories.
St. Patricks Day Picnic: Have you ever heard of a better time to throw a picnic than St. Patrick’s Day? Have everyone bring traditional Irish dishes or foods that are naturally green, and enjoy a spring day at the park together. Set out a pot of gold coin chocolates for decoration.
April Events
April Fool’s Day Gala: Whether you love a good prank like dressing up in a funny costume, invite a comedian to speak, or have another idea to get your church family laughing together, an April Fool’s Day Party is a great way to really get to know one another better.
Earth Day: Do you need to do landscaping around the church grounds or help maintain the flower beds at the parsonage? Throw an Earth Day Party for church members to volunteer together.
Give It Up For Lent: Not every church observes lent. Even so, the practice of fasting in the days or weeks leading up to Easter is a meaningful way to prepare your heart for Easter.
May Events
May Day: May 1st is May Day. It’s not typically a holiday people celebrate, but a simple Google search suggests a myriad of ways to use the holiday to serve others in your community. Traditionally, people left paper baskets of flowers on neighbors’ doors. Consider making your neighbors a paper-mache flower arrangement or decorating a card with dried, pressed flowers, inviting them to connect with the church.
May the 4th Be With You: Star Wars Day is on May 4th, providing a festive party theme. Find your biggest Star Wars fan and brainstorm a fun event for all ages!
Cinco de Mayo Fiesta: Throw a fun party by hosting a taco night on the May 5th celebration. Make it an annual tradition people get excited about and invite their friends to! Salsa dancing?
Mother’s Day Event: Mother’s Day falls on May 14th in 2023. Each year, this special holiday is an excellent time to host a women’s event or do something to honor the mothers in your congregation.
School’s Out Picnic: If your school district ends the year in May, you can throw a fun party or picnic to celebrate your students’ newfound freedom! Tell them to invite their classmates. This gives them one last chance to connect before Summer officially begins.
Memorial Day: Though many people have plans or take vacations over Memorial Day weekend, you can still host an event the week before or the week after the holiday. Depending on your community’s needs, you could plan a Memorial Day weekend getaway instead for those who can’t afford a week-long vacation. But if all else fails and you just can’t get away, hold a Memorial Day picnic and include all the perks of a weekend getaway right there at home.
Next Steps
There are only three months to celebrate Spring, so don’t get carried away. These ideas can help your team brainstorm and decide on a few events that will best cater to your community. Once you’ve identified the most in-demand activities, start party planning and send out invites! And don’t forget—the most important aspect of a church event is following up with guests afterwards to cultivate a genuine connection. With these ideas and your creative team pulling together, you have all the tools you need to put on the kind of party people will still be talking about next year.