Fellowship and potlucks have gone together since the early days of Christianity, as the first century church knew in Acts 42-47 spending time together breaking bread, worshipping and fellowshipping are ways to keep your congregation strong. So whether your church has a fellowship hall or fellowships together at someone’s home, try one of these themed potluck ideas to put a new spin on your next kickoff party or congregational get-together.
1.) Pizza Party
For this fun idea try doing different types of pizza for appetizers, entrees and even for something sweet. You could try a dessert or fruit pizza or even pizza dip with some toasted bagel slices for this one.
Devotional Idea: Try a creative devotional paralleling the different pizza toppings and ingredients coming together to create something awesome with the different members of the body working together in Romans 12:3-8, or to get your group excited for a trip to Italy.
2.) Cupcake or Cookie Decorating
This is a fun one, especially for kids. Families can sign up to bring different decorating supplies like white frosting, sprinkles, royal icing decorations, small candies, gel food coloring, or the cupcakes and sugar cookies.
Devotional Idea: Cookie decorating or a cookie exchange is fun for ladies bible study groups during the holidays too and a lesson on “the salt of the earth” or as the kickoff on a study series for a book like “A Recipe for Peace” by Janie Craun or “Seasoning Your Words” by Nancy Eichman. Cupcakes or cookie decorating can be tied to just about any theme so this is a versatile idea for generating interest in day trips or trips around different holidays.
3.) International Foods
Families can sign up to make and bring a recipe from different countries around the world. This can be a nice blend of the exotic and familiar with recipes like Mexican rice, Chinese dumplings, French croissants along with branching out with other dishes like Japanese takoyaki or Haitian oxtail stew.
Devotional Idea: This could pair with a devotional on evangelism leading up to a mission trip, a missionary update as a kickoff party using the cuisine from areas your group will visit on upcoming trips.
4.) Pick a Color
Have different members of the congregation sign up to bring foods of different colors. Organize a sign up sheet according to ROYGBIV with at least two or three dishes under each color then put the dishes in color order at the potluck for a pretty table layout.
Devotional Idea: This idea can be paired with a devotional tied to Noah and the Ark or by relating it to a certain destination by only eating foods that are featured in the country’s flag. Try foods that are Green, orange and/or white for a trip to Ireland for example.
5.) A Passover Meal
The week of Passover try having a group get together to sample roasted lamb, bitter herbs and unleavened bread, the different components of a Jewish Passover meal as outlined in Exodus 12.
Devotional Idea: This would work well with a type anti-type devotional on Jesus as our lamb of sacrifice, entering our Promised Land of Heaven, or other related topics tying the Old and New Testament together or to generate interest in a trip to Israel.
