Ideas for Your Church: A Chain of Thanksgiving

It is not too soon to begin thinking about Thanksgiving (at least for Canadians!). Though the activity described here would suit any Worship Service emphasizing praise and thanks to God.

Before the service, distribute slips of paper approximately 9″ x 2″ to each one in attendance. Construction paper works well, and if you can use a variety of colours, so much the better. If yours is a smaller congregation, you can give two or three of these slips to each person.

Ask each person to write on the slip one thing he or she is thankful to God for. Then, at an appropriate time in the service, ask individuals to come up one at a time and give their slip(s) to a designated person at the front. (If the congregation is large, you can have several of the latter, each with a stapler.) Staple the slips into interlinked rings, attaching one to the next, and to the next, and so on.

This “Thanksgiving Chain” provides a visible expression of all for which we thank the Lord. It can be left in place several Sundays, as a continuing reminder.