I can take very little credit for this one. When I arrived at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, there was already a tradition of holding a picnic and kite fly to celebrate Jesus’ ascension 40 days after Easter. It’s a wonderful excuse to get together in the spring and turn our attention upward – first to kites and beyond into the sky. If you’re looking for a theme for your spring church picnic, this is a great way to help families orient their spring celebrations around a celebration in the church year.
This year we were blessed with an awesome addition. One of our members is a balsa wood airplane maker and he volunteered to pre-construct about a dozen planes for the kids that would attend – plus another handful of simple gliders for the youngest picnic-ers. Since the wind levels are always a little iffy this time of year, it was amazing to have rubber band powered gliders that “ascended” up into the air.
We applied for a Thrivent Action Team Grant to cover the cost of the burgers, hot dogs, buns, and bottled water. We asked anyone who was able to bring a side dish to share, potluck-style (though we emphasize that you can still come even if you can’t bring a dish). We also used a portion of the grant to rent a cotton candy machine (my best attempt at Ascension/Cloud-themed dessert)! It was a messy, sticky, sugary hit!
To start the picnic off, our pastor leads us through a brief order of service, which ends with everyone singing A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing (LSB 493). Download the .pdf we use here.
After that, we dig into the food and then head outside to send whatever we can – kites, planes, bubbles – into the sky.
If you’re looking for a fun church celebration for the spring, I hope you’ll consider adopting an Ascension Day theme!
