The Christmas holidays have ended and wintry winds blow in full force, but retailers don’t want consumers to enjoy a leisurely winter in front of a roaring fire. They eagerly remind shoppers that another important holiday will soon approach─Easter. By the end of February, Easter bunnies and candy fill store shelves, but for Christians, the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of eternal life make this our most important and precious holiday. Why not make Easter a time to share the good news by planning your own neighborhood outreach?
Many times our churches offer Christmas and Easter programs that are attended largely by believers. An event in your neighborhood will bring Jesus to those who may never enter the door of a church. What an opportunity! Romans 10:15 tells us “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” You can bring the good news to your neighborhood by using these winter months to plan a spring outreach event. If many children live on the streets near you, begin planning an annual Easter egg hunt.
The purpose of the Easter egg hunt is to share the true meaning of Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, in a fun, non-threatening environment with your unbelieving neighbors. The hunt will get whole families there. The kids will enthusiastically hunt for eggs while moms and dads take pictures. The food and coffee will entice the adults to linger while kids play games. Each year you can build on your event because the kids will want to come back.
Before you host the egg hunt, pray that God will grow the seeds of faith that you are planting. Identify neighbors who are Christians or friends from church who could help you plan the event. Check the school calendar to ensure that the day you choose for your event doesn’t conflict with another event or a school break when families will be away. We found that the Saturday before Palm Sunday or the Saturday before Easter worked well for the hunt.
Incorporate food, games, an egg hunt, a story and a gospel giveaway into your party. Three weeks before the event, distribute the invitations to your neighbors clearly stating your intentions. Explain that you will have an Easter egg hunt and some breakfast food for the adults. Invite families who don’t have young kids to participate in the adult focused events. If you are going to read the kids the Easter story, let the parents know, so they aren’t surprised at the spiritual component to your party.
The day before the hunt, have parents drop off one dozen plastic eggs, per child, filled with candy at your home. Saturday morning hide the eggs, set out the coffee and donuts, lay out name tags and mingle. Read the Easter story from a children’s Bible, hunt for eggs, play games, and enjoy your neighbors. Before the kids leave, give them each a jellybean poem (see below), and an Easter tract or short book from your local Christian bookstore. Then pray that God will open up doors of opportunity for you to have spiritual discussions with your neighbors.
There were times when Jesus gathered alone with His disciples and other times when He sent them out to proclaim the good news of His Kingdom. A neighborhood Easter egg hunt is an egg-cellent way to fulfill the great commission of Christ to “go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mk. 16:15).
Helpful Hints
Do you have teenagers who can help plan your egg hunt? Put them to work. Let them hide the eggs or read the Easter story from a children’s Bible.
- Ask teens to facilitate relay games such as carrying an egg on a spoon or hopping on one foot while carrying an Easter basket.
- Give away several grand prizes like the Resurrection Eggs, an Easter video or a children’s book about Easter. Include a Moses video for Jewish friends. You can pick up all these items the Monday after Easter at 50 percent off sales.
Poems for Outreach
Give away little packs of jellybeans with colors to match each poem. We have several Jewish families in our neighborhood, so we included a Passover poem. We also gave away an Easter coloring page and a Passover coloring page (see www.torahtots.com), which we printed off the Internet.
Jellybean Poem
Yellow is for heaven so bright,
The home for all who love Jesus ─ that’s right!
Black is for the wrong we have done,
It separates God from everyone.
Red is for the blood Jesus gave
On the cross to forgive our sins and save.
White shows us how clean we can be
When we trust in Jesus eternally.
Green reminds me that I can grow ─
As I read the Bible, Jesus I’ll know.
Blue is for the sky God made,
I can worship Him every day.
Purple is the color of Royalty,
Thank you King Jesus for saving me!
~Elizabeth Greene
Passover Poem
Orange is for the bush burning bright
And the call of Moses to lead the Israelites.
Yellow is for the words Moses told to
The Pharaoh—“Listen up, let my people go!”
Red is for the blood of the Nile.
Green is for the frogs so vile.
Black is for the darkened land.
White is for the Passover lamb.
Blue is for the parted sea—
I AM led the Israelites to liberty.
~ By Elizabeth Greene
