Have you ever heard your Pastor talk about a holiday at church and you’re unfamiliar with it? Seems like everyone knows what it is but you?
Or maybe you work in the church and you’re working on your holiday celebrations and activities for the year, trying to plan ahead (be sure to check out an amazing set of church bulletins covers here!)
This holidays and special events Christian churches celebrate master list has you completely covered!!!
Holidays and Special Events Christian Churches Celebrate
Each church may celebrate different holidays and special occasions, but here are guidelines for all the dates they may celebrate…
Holidays (USA)
- New Year’s (January 1; celebrates a brand new year)
- Valentine’s Day (February 14; celebrates romantic love, friendship, and admiration)
- St. Patrick’s Day (March 17; celebrates Irish culture and heritage)
- Palm Sunday (Sunday before Easter; celebrates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, during which palm branches were placed on His path, before His crucifixion on Good Friday)
- Easter (can be any day between March 22 – April 25; it is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after the Spring equinox; celebrates Jesus’ resurrection)
- Pentecost (seventh Sunday after Easter Day; celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus)
- Mother’s Day (second Sunday in May; this day honors mothers)
- Memorial Day (last Monday in May; remembering all American military personnel who died in service to the United States)
- Father’s Day (third Sunday in June; this day honors fathers)
- Fourth of July (July 4; day to celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776)
- Patriot Day (Sept 11; a day to remember the 3,000ish people who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93)
- Halloween (October 31; some churches have a trunk or treat night for the kids so that they may have a safe place to get candy; here’s some great witnessing tools)
- Veteran’s Day (November 11; honors all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces)
- Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday in November; celebrating the harvest and all blessings of the year to date)
- Christmas Eve (December 24; the day before Jesus’ birth)
- Christmas (December 25; celebrates Jesus’ birth)
Regular Events
Most churches host regular events beyond their Sunday morning and evening services, such as…
- Sunday School (Sunday morning before regular worship service; these are held at the church and break into small groups usually based on age – nursery, kids, youth, adults, etc.; a great study to go through for adults is Ray Vander Laan videos and he has study guides too)
- Bible Studies (dates vary; place of location varies – sometimes in-home and sometimes at the church or a mix of both, some kinds of classes held are: newly married, young adults, women’s, men’s, adults, couples – a couple great studies to go through is A Couple After God’s Own Heart: book and workbook and Love & Respect: book and workbook, recovery, discipleship groups or even special events teaching parenting (Paul Tripp is great) or finances, the purpose is to study the Bible more in-depth and to meet people like you)
- Wednesday Night Service (Wednesday evenings; could be a group study, a sermon by the Pastor, or a prayer meeting)
Sidenote: Women’s Bible Studies usually study:
- Topical Christian books (Loving God With All Your Mind: book and workbook)
- Training materials (Hope Bible Study, 1-Week)(Disappointment Bible Study, 1-Week)(Attributes of God Bible Study, 17-Weeks)(Time Management Bible Study, 1-Week)(Singleness Bible Study, 1-Week)
- Books in the Bible
- …and so on
Special Events
- Pastor Appreciation Day (dates vary; a day to appreciate and thank the Pastor(s) of the church)
- Graduation (usually late May or June; celebrates graduating students, both homeschooled and in public schools)
- Baptism (dates vary; an outward profession of what has already happened in the person’s heart- that they accepted Jesus)
- Funerals (dates vary; a deceased person)
- Weddings (dates vary; celebrates a man and a woman coming together to be married)
- Welcome to the Church (dates vary; invites new members or people seeking to join the church to have questions answered and get some training on protocols within the church)
- Yard Sales (summer-time; the church congregation brings in their unwanted, good, usable items to donate to the church for the church to sell at the yard sale; all proceeds go to the church and their ministry)
- Prayer Meetings (dates vary; this is a prayer gathering where everyone prays)
- Communion Sunday (dates vary; some churches do communion every month, some do communion every quarter; also known as the Lord’s Supper- commemorates Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and sacrifice and it is observed until Jesus comes back to gather His saints)
- New Members Orientation (dates vary; is a class that helps new members know what to do, showing them protocols, what to expect, and what the church is about)
- Food Pantry (dates vary; some churches partner with local food suppliers to provide food to those in need)
- Reformation Sunday (last Sunday in October; celebrates Martin Luther nailing his Ninety-Five Theses to a church door)
- Candlelight Service (Christmas-time; celebrates Christmas / Jesus’ birth)
Looking for a good church locally? Here’s a great resource on how to find a good church in your area!
