Heart A La Carte

Valentines can be an opportunity for your church to applaud marriage. Need fresh ideas? 

Valentine Outreach.
Place an ad in your local newspaper using heart graphics: 
Looking for the perfect Valentine gift?
Bring your sweetheart to church this Sunday!
Pastor Johnson's sermon, "Love For a Lifetime" 
(add correct sermon title, church time and address)

PowerPoint Valentines. 
Does your church use PowerPoint for Sunday announcements? Intersperse them with photos of couples in your church. Use subtitles like "Doug & Nancy Schultze, married 25 years," then add a word balloon quotation, such as "She's the best gift God ever gave me!" 

Heart Candies. 
Teens could pass out Christian valentine candies (sold at most Christian bookstores) at the exits after worship.

Couples Night Out.
Provide childcare on Valentines evening for married couples in your church. Make it a valentine party for the children, creating a "daddy loves mommy" craft and serving heart snacks.

Sunday School Class Opener.
In a married couples class, ask husbands to tell, in ten words or less, why they fell in love with their wife. Ask wives to face their husband and quietly tell him two things she most admires about him.

Romantic Banquet. 
Plan an unforgettable dinner for married couples in your Bible class or church. 
• Create a Venice or tunnel of love theme using Christmas lights and candlelight. Take couple photos as they arrive, develop during dinner, and present as a memento when they depart.
• Volunteer waiters wear black and white, and drape a towel over their arm. We used an eyebrow pencil to paint mustaches on the male servers, and the maitre d' wore a tuxedo. Quite impressive!
• Serve a 4-course meal with a fabulous dessert. Use a pastry brush to paint melted chocolate inside paper cupcake holders, forming small bowls. Refrigerate, peel off paper, and fill with chocolate mousse. 
• An acoustical guitarist or strolling violinist could provide live dinner music and an inspirational speaker or Christian comedian could share about love and marriage. Culminate the evening with a solemn renewal of wedding vows led by the Pastor.
• As an outreach to married couples in your community, advertise the banquet in your local paper, allowing guests to purchase tickets in advance. 

Wedding Vow Renewal Ceremony. Plan a special afternoon service for all members--young and old--who would like to renew their wedding vows. Use wedding decorations, and invite relatives and friends. Couples all stand at the altar as the Pastor leads the vow renewal. Conclude the ceremony with a lovely reception, complete with a giant wedding cake.

Hooray for love. For friends. For spouses. And hooray for the greatest love of all...our Lord Jesus Christ. Happy Valentines Day! 

Fresh Ideas© are shared by Diana Matheus Davis. Diane has enjoyed being a pastor's wife for over three decades, including a church plant, small and large churches. Her husband, Dr. Stephen P. Davis, is the State Executive Director for the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana. Diana writes a regular article in the Indiana Baptist newspaper and has written articles for several Baptist magazines. She also enjoys leading women's conferences and freelance writing. Email her at jesuslivesindiana@hotmail.com.