Dad jokes. Dad bods.
We sure like to poke fun at dads, don’t we? I think we’re all guilty- dads included. But how often do we praise fathers? And no, I don’t mean being overly impressed that a dad is capable of caring for his children… we see you, sweet lady at the grocery store, acting like dad deserves a Nobel Prize because he’s running errands alone with the kids. It’s called parenting and, believe it or not, dads are truly just as capable as moms!
Seriously, though, when was the last time you told a dad in your life that you are proud of him, or that you see how well he loves his kiddos? Dads are capable of some superhero-level things, and they are deserving of encouragement and praise.
Our new Father’s Day video, You Don’t Have to Save the World, is a really fun “suspense trailer” style of video that emphasizes how dads often save the day- but reminds us that being a good dad isn’t really about heroics, but about presence.
If you haven’t watched it yet- check it out now. Then read on for some GREAT ideas for this Sunday! (Oh and warning… it’ll have you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the twist at the end!)
We’d like to offer you a few suggestions on ways to incorporate this video into a Father’s Day moment this Sunday.
Recognizing Presence
Before the service, place index cards on each seat in the auditorium. After showing the video, invite everyone to think about their father or a father-figure who has demonstrated the gift of presence in their lives. Then, encourage them to write the name of this special man on the card and bring it to the front of the room. The cards can be placed into a box/container, OR (if you’re feeling especially ambitious) you could have a poster made ahead of time with a heart or the word “dad” drawn on it and ask them to attach their cards to the poster. Once all of the cards have been brought forward, join in a special prayer moment, thanking God for the men represented by each card and asking God to help remind us to show them our gratitude if they are still living.
Superheroes
As each person comes into your church service, offer them a name tag sticker (it could be either the “hello my name is” style, or just a blank sticker), and ask them to write their favorite superhero’s name on it. Then, have them wear the sticker as they go into the auditorium. When you get to the Father’s Day portion of your service, ask each person to think about what makes their chosen superhero so awesome… is it a specific skill, bravery, strength? Talk about how these same qualities are also what make dads so amazing, and then play the video.
A Moment to Share
After you play the video, invite folks to share about their dads. Before service, set up a microphone on a stand (or two, depending on the size of your church and congregation). Ask people to come and tell everyone something great about their dad or a father figure in their lives. We know that not everyone has a positive backstory regarding their dads, so it’s a great idea to clearly and verbally offer an alternative to sharing strictly about biological fathers. We strongly encourage having a script for them to complete, such as “My dad saved the world by ________”- this prevents a lot of the variables that often occur with an open-mic moment. In fact, we would even project the phrase onscreen to keep speakers on task. Also, ahead of time, contact 2-3 people and ask them to be prepared to share first, which will help others want to participate!
Hopefully, you’ll find something that works well for your congregation in this list of ideas! Or maybe you already have something awesome planned! We’d love for you to drop us a line at info@worshiphousemedia.com and tell us all about your Father’s Day service.
