Put Easter on the map

Remember the most important thing, when seeking to initiate an Easter conversation, is to stay calm, listen well, be respectful and trust God.

“What is your family doing over Easter? Does your family treat Easter more as a holiday or a faith thing? Will you go to church?”

“Does Easter have any meaning or hope for you?”

“Do you think having public holidays for Easter is still a good thing in a multi-faith or no-faith society such as ours?”

“What was Easter like for you as a kid?” (listen). (Then) “For me the most important thing was getting lots of chocolate. That is, until I looked into the Christian message more closely as an adult - that’s when the religious meaning became more significant for me.”

“Why do you think Good Friday is called ‘good’ when it celebrates the death of an innocent man?”

“Do you think Jesus’ death has any significance for us today?” A lot of people will instinctively say “Jesus died for our sins” without having ever thought about what that means. Dig deeper into their understanding, and then explain why Christ took their place.

“Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead like the Bible claims?” Again, many people believe this but have never thought about the implications for themselves. Probe their thoughts, and then explain its relevance to us (Jesus is the Lord and Judge, he’s coming back, and the Holy Spirit is available to give us new life now—see Acts 2).

“Have you ever read the account in the Bible of Jesus’ death and resurrection?” This might be a good question for people who are anti-Christian but who have never read the source documents. You could offer to give them a printout of Luke 24-26.

You could attach a QR code which points to the online copy or, if appropriate, attach the Easter egg to a hard copy of Sam’s Easter article (you can order these pamphlets you register with us).

1. An Easter scene
2. A bowl of Easter eggs
3. An Easter flyer written by Sam Chan. Set up a QR code pointing to the online copy or leave out hard copies of the pamphlet (order these when you register)

Make sure your colleagues know you are responsible for feeding them chocolate, so that you might develop conversations around the meaning of Easter.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Work out what Easter display you want to create and purchase the items.
2. Confirm with management/HR that putting your display in the kitchen is okay, if necessary in your workplace.
3. Set up your display two weeks before the Easter weekend.
4. Put your name somewhere obvious, such as on the Easter egg bowl.
5. Ensure the Easter eggs are well-stocked each day.
6. Pray for your colleagues and seek out conversations where you can share that Jesus died to save and rose to reign.

Here's an example of an article you could submit, plus a pitch to HR.

How Christians Celebrate Easter
For many employees and customers, Easter is one of the most important dates in the Christian calendar. Here is a short overview of what it means and how it is celebrated.

Easter is one of the most important holidays celebrated by Christians worldwide. It is a time to celebrate and commemorate the resurrection (i.e. rising back to life) of Jesus Christ from the dead, which is considered to be a symbol of hope, renewal and new life. The week leading up to Easter is often called The Holy Week, and includes Palm Sunday (the day Jesus entered Jerusalem), Maundy Thursday (the "Last Supper" where Jesus met with his disciples to observe the Passover meal), Good Friday (when Jesus would be crucified on the cross), and Resurrection Sunday (the day that is celebrated as Jesus rising back to life).

Celebrating Easter
Many of the Easter customs and traditions that are enjoyed today point back to the historical events of Jesus’ death and resurrection found in the Bible. See Luke chapters 23-24 for example.

Hot cross buns, which are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, carry the symbolism of the cross on which Jesus died. The spices inside the bun represent the spices used on his body when he was placed in his tomb. Another popular tradition, for people of all ages, is to enjoy Easter eggs! Although eggs are traditionally a symbol of fertility and new life, in early Christianity Easter eggs symbolised the empty tomb of Jesus, from which he came back to life.

Christians around the world will often celebrate Easter in different ways such as by attending special church services, fasting, prayer meetings, family gatherings, observing the Passover meal and musical celebrations.

Wishing everyone a meaningful and restful Easter season.

Here’s a suggested pitch to HR

Subject: Proposed Easter Article for Company Newsletter

Hi HR Name,

I hope you’re well. I wanted to ask whether the company newsletter might be open to including a short informational article about Easter and its meaning in the Christian tradition.

Since many organizations acknowledge major cultural and religious holidays as part of diversity and inclusion efforts, I thought a brief, respectful overview of Easter could be helpful and appropriate for readers who may not be familiar with its background and significance.

You will notice that the article is educational in tone and similar to how other cultural or religious holidays are sometimes explained. See below my draft for your review. I’m happy to adjust it to fit company guidelines and length requirements.

Please let me know if this would be suitable for consideration.

Thank you for your time and guidance.

Kind regards,
Your Name

1. Free hot cross buns and other delights.
2. Held in a public, easy to access space.
3. You invite your coworkers to join in.
4. A member of your workplace Christian group shares their personal Easter traditions and reflects on why Easter brings them hope for life. This could include talking about the significance of Christ’s resurrection and how it gives them purpose and peace, especially in times of uncertainty. The aim of the talk is to start conversations not to present the complete gospel.
5. For fun: “Easter myths and facts” quiz — fun, light, opens doors for gospel dialogue.

1. An Easter scene
2. A bowl of Easter eggs
3. An Easter flyer written by Sam Chan. Set up a QR code pointing to the online copy or leave out hard copies of the pamphlet (order these when you register)

Make sure your colleagues know you are responsible for feeding them chocolate, so that you might develop conversations around the meaning of Easter.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Work out what Easter display you want to create and purchase the items.
2. Confirm with management/HR that putting your display in the kitchen is okay, if necessary in your workplace.
3. Set up your display two weeks before the Easter weekend.
4. Put your name somewhere obvious, such as on the Easter egg bowl.
5. Ensure the Easter eggs are well-stocked each day.
6. Work out a roster for one or two group members to be at the display every lunchtime to encourage people to take an Easter egg / pamphlet etc and to have conversations.

1. In a meeting room with AV capabilities or at a restaurant with a private room using a laptop (take speakers).
2. Free lunch.
3. The Bible Project website has some good short videos which explain the Easter story using vivid visuals and sound.
4. Someone in the group then shares their testimony on what Jesus' death or resurrection means to them (personal application of Biblical truths).
5. People can then ask questions about the video or the testimony. Brief your group members not to ask questions.
6. Suggest some easy next steps to find out more.

1. The group prays for opportunities to have good Easter conversations with work colleagues.
2. Then run through the list of possible conversation starters (see below). Group members share which ones they like and why.
3. Report back in the week leading up to Easter (or after Easter) how everyone went. What worked. What didn’t.
4. Give thanks and pray for next steps with individuals.

Remember the most important thing, when seeking to initiate an Easter conversation, is to stay calm, listen well, be respectful and trust God.

“What is your family doing over Easter? Does your family treat Easter more as a holiday or a faith thing? Will you go to church?”

“Does Easter have any meaning or hope for you?”

“Do you think having public holidays for Easter is still a good thing in a multi-faith or no-faith society such as ours?”

“What was Easter like for you as a kid?” (listen). (Then) “For me the most important thing was getting lots of chocolate. That is, until I looked into the Christian message more closely as an adult - that’s when the religious meaning became more significant for me.”

“Why do you think Good Friday is called ‘good’ when it celebrates the death of an innocent man?”

“Do you think Jesus’ death has any significance for us today?” A lot of people will instinctively say “Jesus died for our sins” without having ever thought about what that means. Dig deeper into their understanding, and then explain why Christ took their place.

“Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead like the Bible claims?” Again, many people believe this but have never thought about the implications for themselves. Probe their thoughts, and then explain its relevance to us (Jesus is the Lord and Judge, he’s coming back, and the Holy Spirit is available to give us new life now—see Acts 2).

“Have you ever read the account in the Bible of Jesus’ death and resurrection?” This might be a good question for people who are anti-Christian but who have never read the source documents. You could offer to give them a printout of Luke 24-26.

1. An in-person only event at a confirmed physical location.
2. Email Craig or Simone your preferred speaker - Sam Chan (Sydney) or Andrew Laird (Canberra) and all possible event dates and times ASAP

1. A hybrid event at a confirmed physical location that has AV access for high quality live streaming.
2. The live streaming location(s) must have in-person attendees.
3. People joining online must be part of a watch party in different workplace locations (not WFH). ie. To maximise engagement and impact, we are not recommending “watch-from-home” options this year.
4. Email Craig or Simone your preferred speaker (Sam Chan or Andrew Laird) and all possible event dates and times ASAP

1. An in-person only or hybrid event at a confirmed physical location.
2. To maximise engagement and impact, we are not recommending “watch-from-home” options this year.
3. Play one of the Easter videos from previous years or supply your own speaker (eg. Church pastor, a respected and senior (Christian) leader in your workplace or a member of your Christian Workplace Community who is solid in their faith and confident at public speaking).
4. The event can be a more formal event or casual morning tea with hot-cross buns with someone simply sharing ‘What Easter means to me’ and with the aim of starting conversations.

Here’s a possible 55 minute run sheet for a more formal event:

1. 20 minutes - Free lunch and chatting
2. 2 minutes - MC welcome and introduction / overview of meeting.
3. 5 minutes - Prayers for the world (current events etc.)
4. 20 minutes - Short Easter talk (live or video).
5. 5 minutes - A personal testimony / story from a group member on how the
   Easter message inspires them (keep it short).
6. 2 minutes - Suggested next steps.
   • Read the Easter story in Luke 22-24 (Google it)
   • Check out our Christian Workplace Community (if suitable for enquirers).
   • Read and discuss the story of Jesus with someone one to one.
7. 1 minute - Finish and close