Church Picnics

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 NLT

With the summer winding down, so are the many festivals, fairs, and church picnics that are a part of the summer season as mosquitos and iced tea. There are still plenty of festivals and fairs in southeastern Pennsylvania to attend, but the traditional church picnic has been dwindling for a number of years. A significant reason would be the shrinking of the church roles in many churches. Church attendance has been steadily dropping over the years and those remaining are getting older. There are simply not enough able bodies or those who care enough to be part bringing the church together in the love of Christ.

Church picnics come in all shapes and sizes. Not all churches have a church picnic, nor is it required that a church have a picnic, at least I do not see it in Scripture. But what I do see are references to love one another, as Jesus told His disciples before He was about to go to the cross. Jesus’s main concern was for those who followed Him to genuinely love each other as He has loved them and their love would show others they were true followers of Him.

A big part of loving one another is having fun together, formally we call it fellowshipping with one another. We show our love for each other by being together, eating together, playing together, and just having a fun time and enjoying each other’s company. As you have your church picnic do all of the above proving that you are Christ’s disciples and fellowship together, and don’t forget the mosquitos and iced tea.