Tag Archive - Easter

Free Easter resources for churches

March 30, 2010 in Easter

The Bible Society was planning a stall at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney this Easter. Just days before the Show, they’ve just received notification that they can no longer have the stall.

This has left them with a large number of resources (30,000 in fact!) that need to be distributed before Easter and they are willing to give them away to churches for free.

Resources need to be collected this Thursday from the Bible Society (in Macquarie Park, Sydney) between 10am and 2pm.

Check out the list of available resources here – 25 more packs are available in options 2 and 3.

Let’s also take the opportunity to pray that this won’t be a long-term lock-out of Jesus at the Show.

Mars Hill Church produces short film for Good Friday

March 26, 2010 in Easter

There’s short films. Take for example, the ‘6 videos for Easter church services‘.

Then there’s mini-movies.

And this is just what Mars Hill church in Seattle has put together, using footage from the church’s recent trip to the Middle East.

They explain:

“The Mars Hill video team has been hard at work on a 30-minute short movie built to tell the painful narrative of Good Friday. Most churches focus so much on the joy of Easter that they forget about the trial of Good Friday. We made this movie so that next year churches all over the globe will be able to hold that tension of Jesus’ sacrifice and his resurrection.”

Here’s the trailer for the Good Friday video:

Mark Driscoll gives some background to the video:

Mars Hill has produced a number of thought-provoking videos, another is the ‘Day of Atonement’ video from 2008.

I find it interesting to see what other churches are doing at Easter, and how they are promoting their Easter services. Steve Fogg, Communications Manager at Crossway Baptist Church in Melbourne has put together a list of what churches are doing around the world for Easter.

Two more Easter videos

March 19, 2010 in Easter

Yesterday I shared 6 videos you could play at your Easter church services. Here’s another two to throw into the mix.

Alive

Rethink the cross

How is your church promoting its Easter services?

March 18, 2010 in Easter

This Easter my church has created an A6 postcard – this is the front of the postcard:

We’re running with the theme of ‘Conquered’, and listing the things in this world that are wrong and that we struggle with – all things that Jesus has conquered.

The back of the postcard looks like this:

Jesus has conquered death! What a message to share with the world. That’s what Easter is about, and that’s the big message communicated on the second side of the postcard.

The postcards are being distributed to letterboxes within the parish. We will also be displaying the artwork in posters in an a-frame outside the church, and in the church noticeboard and community noticeboards.

As for online, there are banners on the website (featuring individual issues Jesus has conquered), which link to a simple page with the service details.

We’re praying that this concept and the promotional material its applied to connects with the people in our community, and bring many to church this Easter to hear how Jesus has conquered sin and death.

How is your church promoting its Easter services? Steve Fogg has just posted a list of links to what other churches around the world are doing this Easter.

6 videos for Easter church services

March 18, 2010 in Easter

Last year I shared with you some Easter media resources (as well as part 2 on Communicate Jesus). This year I’d like to share six new videos with you that I’ve enjoyed watching, and think could serve your congregations well over Easter. You can find more Easter videos on the WorshipHouse Media website.

Easter Reward

Perhaps the reward is worth the risk? A video for the lead-up to Easter services.

The Veil

I wouldn’t have thought about creating an Easter video focusing on the veil being torn, but Dan Stevers explains why there was a veil, and what Jesus did about it.

It Is Finished

One line I wasn’t sure about – ‘they trade him blow for blow’ – I’m not sure that Jesus was handing out any blows on that fateful day. But otherwise, a beautiful poem.

The Cross

This video explains what people were attempting to achieve with the cross, but what the cross actually resulted in.

Empty Tomb

This video uses text to tell the story of the discovery of the empty tomb (i.e. it’s good for Easter Sunday!)

A Simple Message of Hope

This video uses a child’s voice and a simple animation to tell the Easter story.