Lent provides a special opportunity for families to draw closer to the human experiences of Jesus. Lent reminds us that Jesus knows our struggles intimately from his time on earth. The Church suggests three practices to guide us during this special time: prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. The goal of this gathering is to help families understand the purpose of these practices and to connect them to their daily lives. Everything needed to host a meaningful, beautiful, and faith-based Lenten family gathering! +All of the content is provided.+Beautifully written with today's family in mind. +14 interactive prayer tables tying the life of Jesus to families' own lives.+A make and take Prayer Jar project.+An intentional service opportunity to bless local families.+A deeper understanding of 3 beautiful Lenten practices: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.+ Includes all scripts, supply lists, art, flyers, and more!*Please note, this digital PDF is for individual parish or school use only. More Details: This gathering is organized into stations. This offers directors and principals the chance to use the activities from start to finish, or to pick and choose the ones that best fit their needs. We have tried to include everything (and more!) to make this resource as easy to use as possible. Stations: Prayer - 14 Prayer Tables & Prayer Jar Activity, Almsgiving - Service Opportunity, Fasting - Closing Prayer Experience. Includes: All scripts, opening and closing comments, activities, prayers, editable flyer, newsletter announcement, service project, printables (prayer table instructions, prayer jar tag and prompts, decor, card, schedule), and more! PDF is 39 pages. Suggested time for event: 1-1.5 hours Customer Review of Gather PDFS: "We held the 'A Night in Bethlehem' Gathering at our church and our families loved it! There was a wonderful energy and also a sacred spirit throughout the evening. It was beautiful to watch parents engage with their children and families interact with other families. Felt like what you want church to be!" "Our families absolutely loved A Night in Bethlehem! We had close to 250 people join us! Our high school gym was truly transformed for the evening and we received lots of positive feedback." "They loved the craft activities with their children and the questions that brought about discussion. One comment from a parent was how much they liked that the event brought their faith into their everyday lives. Thank you for such a fun and effective event for our families."
