Outdoor Worship Stations
Interested in outdoor worship? Check out our Worship in the Woods book of 10 outdoor gatherings.
These are nine outdoor worship stations we designed for an afternoon with 80 schoolchildren in the Cartmel Peninsula, Cumbria (thank you to Penny, Rachel and Gill for hosting us and all the children and teachers who came and took part).
There is some overlap with previous stations we have posted such as "We're Going On A Prayer Hunt" and "Face to Face with Jesus", but the posters are all new. We feel these stations are particularly good for children, or situations where you don't want to assume too much about the user's Christian background.
We began the session with the God is Here praise shout.
As with all our material, you might want to just pick one or a few of these ideas, and/or adapt these to work in your context. We designed these for outdoors, but most of them can be adapted to use indoors too.
PRAYER LEAVES
Themes:
Prayer, asking, intercession
You will need:
A tree
Large flat leaves which have already fallen form a tree (either punch holes in these to hang them up, or provide some degradable twine).
Permanent pens
Poster text:
The leaves of trees are like solar power panels for the tree - the flat surface catches the sunlight, and with this energy the leaf is able to break down the carbon dioxide in the air and together with water from the ground and the rain, make a kind of sugar - food for the tree to live.
Just like leaves need the sunlight, so we need God. Let the leaf remind you to turn to God for all your needs.
ACTIVITY
Pick up a leaf and write a need on it - either for yourself, the world or someone you know. Hang it on a branch and ask God to hear your prayer.
Perhaps next time you see a leaf you can remember to ask God for the things you need.
WILD COLLAGE
Themes:
Diversity, unity, acceptance, love.
You will need:
A white sheet.
An outdoor area with lots of fallen twigs, seeds, leaves etc.
OR an indoor are and go and collect lots of twigs, seeds etc beforehand.
Poster text:
Find something in nature - a seed, a stick, a leaf or something else.
Compare your object with other people's objects. Think about how different they are to one another; some are rough, some are smooth, some are long, some are round and so on. Just like your object, you are also unique.
Add your object into the heart shape and make a beautiful collage together with everyone else. God accepts you and loves you, and just like your unique object added beauty to the collage, so you are adding beauty to God's family.
"See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children—think of it—and we really are!" 1 John 3:1 (The Living Bible)
Perhaps next time you see an interesting object in nature it will remind you that you are unique and loved.
'LOOK AT THE LILIES'
Themes:
Worry, peace.
You will need:
Area with flowers growing, or if indoors some flowers in a pot or vase.
Paper and pencils.
Poster Text:
Jesus tells his listeners to not be worried about the future - where they will get their next meal or what clothes to wear (Matthew 6). He asks us to "look at the lilies" which do not worry or work, and yet are so beautiful and well cared for by the earth.
ACTIVITY
Spend a moment looking at the flowers and make a quick sketch on the paper provided. Which parts of the flower can you identify? Can you see petals, leaves and stem? If you've learned about them in school you might even spot parts like the anther, sepal and style. Which part of the flower can you not see?
Jesus ends his speech with this line:
"So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time." (Matthew 6:34)
Close your eyes and think about anything you're worried
about. Give those things to God and ask him to give you peace.
Maybe next time you see a beautiful flower you can remember to give God your worries.
FRISBEE PRAYERS
Themes:
Thanks, sorry, please
You will need:
Frisbee(s), marked out with three sections, "thank you", "sorry" and "please" written in each section.
Space to throw the frisbee(s).
Poster text:
These frisbees have three sections. When you catch the frisbee (or pick it up off the ground), have a look at where your hand grabbed it - was it in the 'thank you', 'please' or 'sorry' section?
Whichever section - close your eyes and pray a quick prayer in your heart using that word.
For example: "Thank you for my friends", "Please help my brother who is sick" or "Sorry that I was unkind to my parent".
When you've prayed, throw the frisbee to the next person.
Perhaps next time you play a game of catch, you might want to also throw a quick prayer to God.
SEEDS OF HOPE
Themes:
Prayer, hope, faith
You will need:
Area of soil
Flower seeds (large seeds are easier to handle)
Trowel
Watering can
Poster text:
Sometimes when we pray to God for something, we don't feel like there's an immediate answer - it feels like the prayer just disappears! But the Bible promises that God hears our prayers:
"And we are sure of this, that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will." 1 John 5:14 (Living Bible)
ACTIVITY
What are some of the things your hope for? It might be something for yourself or someone you know. Pick up a seed and mention those hopes to God in your heart.
Make a little hole in the ground, put the seed in the hole and cover it with soil.
Imagine that your prayer has been planted too, and even though you can't see God answering your prayer, the fact that you prayed has kick-started a process, just like burying the seed starts the process of growth. We can have hope that God hears and acts on our prayers.
Remember to water the seeds and when you see them grow up (or any other little sapling), you might be reminded that God gives us hope.
BUBBLES
Themes:
Thanks
You will need:
Bottles of bubble mixture and bubble wands
Poster text:
What are you happy about or thankful about?
Tell each other about some of the things.
ACTIVITY
Then blow bubbles as a symbol of your 'thank you' prayers going up to God.
The Bible says: '...remind each other of God's goodness, and be thankful' Ephesians 5:4 (Living Bible)
Perhaps next time you see a bubble it will inspire you to be thankful.
GOD-WORDS WHISPER RELAY
Themes:
Names of God, evangelism
You will need:
Open space
Poster text:
Who is God to you?
What word can you use to describe God?
Do you know any names of God used in the Bible?
Share these names and words with each other in kind of "Chinese whispers" running relay.
Get in a line (or a number of lines with equal numbers of people). The person at the back should whisper a word that describes God to the person in front of them, who then continues to whisper it to the person in front of them, and so on. Meanwhile the person at the back runs to the front of the line. The new "back" person whispers their own word for God to the next person, and then also runs to the front.
Keep going until you've reached an agreed destination. If there is more than one line, first team there wins!
WIND
Themes:
Power, Holy Spirit, invisible
You will need:
Home made wind socks (we based ours from the one on this website - https://rainydaymum.co.uk/plastic-bottle-windsock/ but we used strips of plastic bag instead of ribbons, and we did not decorate the bottles as we wanted people to write on them - see pic above)
Permanent pens
Compass
Poster text:
Talk together about how you experience the wind. Can you see the wind? If not, what senses do you use to experience the wind? The wind is a powerful thing - can you think of examples where this power is helpful?
We can't see the wind, but we can notice the effects of the wind (eg. rustling leaves, bending trees, kites flying, wind turbines). God is like that - we can't see him, but we can see what he has done.
"Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it will go next, so it is with the Spirit." John 3:8 (Living Bible)
Hold up the "windsock" - is there any wind today? If there is, use the compass to work out which way the wind is blowing from.
Think of a situation in the world where people are in need, and you would like to see God bring change. Write those on the windsocks. Hold the windsocks up again, and say the names of these places out loud, as a way of asking God to blow like a wind into that situation, bringing his change and his peace.
Perhaps next time you feel the wind you might think about the invisible work of God.
DISAGREEING WELL
Themes:
Forgiveness, hurt
You will need:
A wishing well, or a garden planter in the shape of a well with a bucket of water
Large-ish smooth stones
Poster text:
Take a stone and hold it in your hand.
How does it feel?
Think of something that someone has said or done that has hurt you.
Everyone gets hurts sometimes. Forgiving someone is like letting go of the stone of hurt. It doesn't mean what the person did to you was right, it just means that you choose not to carry the hurt around with you.
If you want to, put the stone in the well, as a sign of putting down that hurt and that you want to forgive that person.
"Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. As the Lord forgave you, forgive others." Colossians 3:13 (Living Bible)
Maybe next time see a wishing well you might think about forgiveness.
Preview Images
Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany (Year A)
Third Sunday of Easter (Year B)
Trinity Sunday (Year B)
Proper 3, Ordinary/Lectionary 8 (Year A)
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