by Cuyahoga Valley Church / Lead Pastor, Chad Allen
Can you believe it’s already Easter? While we want to posture our hearts towards the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we often get caught up in the mix of family dinners, egg hunts, and odd work schedules. Here are a few of our practical recommendations to help invite people to new life in Christ as well as some resources to prepare our hearts and lead our families well this week.
Invite others
According to the Pew Research Center, more Americans are likely to attend church at Easter and Christmas. So don’t be afraid to extend the invitation. Get creative! Here are a few ideas:
- Give a potted plant and include an Easter invite card.
- Utilize social media—repost Easter Weekend service times with a personal invitation to come.
- Ask someone to join you for Easter brunch and a worship service.
- Post Easter invite cards on community message boards in your neighborhood.
Serve
Our volunteers are one of the BIG reasons Cuyahoga Valley Church is such a caring community. Would you serve this weekend? Help extend our caring community to the many new friends attending this weekend. Sign up here!
Opt for Easter Saturday Service
Many will choose to attend the Easter Sunday morning services. By choosing a Saturday evening service, you can help first time guests find seats during the 9AM and 11AM services on Sunday.
Easter Egg Grab
Join us rain or shine at 6:30PM on Saturday for a Family Easter Egg Grab. We’ll have 2,000+ eggs up for grabs. Invite some friends to the 5:30PM or 7PM service and plan to bring the kids to grab a few Easter eggs on the front lawn. Plus, we have an adaptive option for any children with special needs.
Choose the Family Venue
Instead of trying to get to the church super early to scout out seats—head straight to our family venue in 104/106. By opening up seats for others you may create room for a life changing opportunity. You may also reduce some family stress in the process.
Park a Little Further Away
You may not realize—we know how you act in the parking lot at times. Please be courteous.
- Follow those directing traffic.
- Choose a farther parking spot so new guests can park closer.
- Be patient.
Preparing Your Heart
While some have prayerfully journeyed through the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter, some may just now be thinking about Easter. Several have crafted their Holy Week quiet times and others are open to suggestions. For those looking for ideas, here’s a few of our recommendations for embracing Easter.
Read Scripture
Follow along with the story of Christ’s death and resurrection in Luke 19:28 through chapter 24.
Holy Week Prayer
As we approach Easter, our desire is to experience God. Holy Week prayer allows us to begin heartfelt preparation to enter into Christ’s historic passion week. The prayer room is open for group prayer as well as personal quiet reflection.
Lenten Guide to Holy Week
Start with Week 7 of our recommended Lent Guide. These readings will prayerfully guide you through Holy Week.
Video Resources
Here are a few video streaming resources from Right Now media. This is a resource we’re happy to offer from Cuyahoga Valley Church. Need a FREE login?
Go to: www.cvconline.org/rightnow
- 5-Minute Family Devotionals – Easter Week
Wondering how to make the most of Easter with your family? Check out the 5-Minute Family Devotional from JellyTelly! Eight days of short video devotionals will help your family celebrate the importance of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection this Easter. - I Believe in Easter
How did Easter, a word with origins in pagan tradition, come to embody the oldest and most important festival in Christianity? Discover the origins of Easter in this thoroughly researched and emotionally charged documentary. - The Easter Experience
The Easter Experience brings the passion, and resurrection of Jesus to life through dramatic storytelling and challenging teaching done in a highly cinematic style. Through these in-depth teachings, your small group will grow spiritually, bonding with each other as well as with the eternal message of Easter. - Is Faith Delusional?
According to Richard Dawkins, there’s no difference between God and the Easter Bunny. Is God really just a trick or a deception like the Tooth Fairy? Is accepting God’s existence a fantasy fit only for the consumption of a child? In a world with so many tears is belief in God simply a lie we use to persuade a smile?
