Ideas for Celebrating Special Anniversaries of Congregations
Part 1

Ideas that can be adapted for use in local congregations as they celebrate milestones in their history.

Planning

• Dreaming session
• Small groups
• Ask how would you enjoy celebrating our anniversary
• What can we do to improve community/world?
• What can we improve at our own church?
• Beginning prayer vigil
• Write/update church history
• Outdoor sign of your anniversary
• Anniversary plate
• List of charter members
• Commission a paten/chalice for communion table; also copies to be available for each family
• Auto decals
• Anniversary cookbook
• Booklet of Historic Moments
• Dedication of church buildings/annexes
• Contributions of this church to larger church (mission projects, etc)
• Calling of ministers
• Celebration of ordinations
• Greetings from former staff
• List of ministers, Timothies
• Facsimiles of original deed
• Page for autographs
• Letters from former members
• Growing pains
• Plan a capital campaign: include local needs and the work of the larger church

 

Worship

• Celebration of members for over half a century
• Hymn commissioned
• Design banners which reflect a theme committee has chosen
• Open cornerstone
• Series of profiles (three minutes on Sunday) once a month for a year
• Organ recital, music/choir program of early American music and/or hymn sing
• Oldest member recognition
• Plant a commitment tree-each person writes a commitment on Celebration Sunday with cards planted under tree to be nourishment to new tree
• Bring back oldest minister to do children's sermon
• Do a play, drama
  Write your own - you can contact DCHS for examples
• Baby dedication--pointing to the future of the church--oldest minister, elder to do this
• History dedication
• Ecumenical service

 

Special Sundays

• Service honoring all Timothies
• Former member and staff Sunday
• Service honoring all baptized at this church
• Service honoring all in Christian ministry
• Service honoring all past board chairs
• Service honoring all married here
• Service honoring charter members, or naming them in prayer

 

Fellowship

• Homecoming Day
• Family Tree Scrapbook
  Each family makes a page (actual tree with branches) of church members from this family
• Remember When Night--story-telling, reminiscences
• Start a time capsule
• Heritage trip to Bethany, Cane Ridge, Nashville
• Anniversary membership directory
• Birthday Party
• Scrapbook
• Start a heritage room--collect archives--old photos, old communion ware, furniture
• Home movie night
• Dress as 100-150 years ago
• Take picture of congregation for time capsule

 

Relating to the Larger Church

• Write persons from larger church who are significant to your church--college professors, denominational leaders, etc.
• Volunteer in Mission trip - contact Homeland Ministries
• Contact DCHS for certificate if you are celebrating 50, 75, 1 or 125 or 150 years
• Send news of your major celebration to your regional newsletter

Send us your ideas and we'll add them to the list for others to use.
After your celebration send us your program, bulletins, newspaper clippings, etc. for your Congregational File.

 

Resource for Planning an Anniversary Celebration:
Backgrounds for Congregational Portraits: Ideas and Resources for Local Church Historians in the Stone-Campbell Tradition, by Anthony L. Dunnavant.
Available for $8.00, plus $3.00 for postage and handling, and may be ordered from Disciples of Christ Historical Society, 1101 19th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212-2196.