2025 Pancake Day Event
by Victoria Donaldson
In our diverse community, I often ponder how to share the gospel in simple, creative ways. Starting small and being a good friend and neighbour is key.
Easter is widely recognized, with chocolate eggs and bunnies appearing early. Many people here are also familiar with Lent or fasting due to their Christian, Catholic, Orthodox, or Muslim backgrounds. We previously hosted a successful Easter event for families with young children, but I wanted to engage slightly older kids too, like my daughters aged 8-11.
I invited them to bring friends for Pancake Day after school, adding that I would share briefly about the origins of the festival. I sought ideas from Passion For Evangelism’s Facebook group and decided on the theme of “getting ready.” The night before, I prepared a brief talk covering Pancake Day’s origins, Jesus’ temptation, his crucifixion, and its relevance today, all under the theme of “getting ready.” I did a practice run on my husband, who was really supportive.
All the invited kids accepted, and we ended up with 11 children making pancakes together! Throughout my talk it was chaotic and there were distractions, but overall it went well and a couple of kids asked questions about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit afterwards. Our children also opened up, showing their cartoon Action Bible and recounting a Bible story they knew.
I realized afterwards that Ramadan had started, and yet one of the children who is being raised at least to adhere to the Muslim traditions did attend our pancake feast! I think her mum didn’t want her to miss out on this moment with her friends.
It felt good to sow and water some seeds in a light-hearted and fun context. I am encouraged to keep going, finding creative and fun ways to share the gospel in our neighbourhood. And it’s great to know there are others doing the same thing so we can pool ideas and encourage each other!
Gospel talk for kids aged 8-11 on Pancake Day
1. What day is it today? (Carnival/mardi gras/Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day) - Spring - Christian festival -Use up food/dress up to get ready for Lent = 40 days before Easter What foods or ingredients do we have here?
2. How do you get ready for a big job? - a performance? - a test? - the Lausanne marathon?
3. Jesus also needed to get ready for his big job, big mission. - The Bible says he went into the desert (flour) for 40 days to fast and pray - The devil tried to distract him with lots of nice (sweet) things... - But he didn’t give up, he didn’t give in
4. At Easter, Christians remember how Jesus did a very big and important job - He died on a cross - was put in a tomb - and 3 days later he came back to life - so everyone could have a chance to be friends with God
5. We all go through sweet and sour experiences in life. - How can we be ready? - We, as Christians, believe that no matter what we are going through, sweet or sour, we are not alone because Jesus is with us and God is our friend - We have a guide book to help us live our lives, called the Bible - We really hope you enjoy the crêpes and this time together! If you have any questions about anything I’ve shared, feel free to ask!