Michaelmas Party, September 29th
In the Anglican tradition, the angels named in the Bible are saints—Saint Michael and Saint Gabriel are named in the Old and New Testaments, and Saint Raphael and Saint Uriel are named in the Apocrypha (in Tobit and in Esdras). They share a saint day with all the angels, on September 29th. Christians have many different opinions and feelings about angels, but I hope at the very least we can agree that they are important figures in the Bible! The feast of Saint Michael and All Angels is a day to celebrate how they glorify God in their words and deeds.
Where should it be?
You just need enough space for adults to hang out enjoyably and eat or drink (and maybe read some signs), and for young people to run around looking, drawing, and making a craft. So: a big room with walls you can tape stuff on tables that can get messy.
This October, we will have ours in the Great Hall. In order to make the party accessible, the dividers will be put up; masks will not be required on the Coffee Hour side, but they will be required on the Party side.
When should it be?
The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels is on September 29th; the best time for the party is that day or the 7 days following (i.e. in the octave of the feast).
What do you need?
There are a few elements: a visual scavenger hunt based on images and verses hung around the room for all ages (for people who can read and see); an angel-wings craft and a halo craft; and a handout for all ages with information and coloring. All the files for these are below. You can also add special treats if you are so inclined!
1. Visual Scavenger Hunt: This includes a letter-size one-sided handout to fill in, and tabloid-sized and letter-sized posters to hang around the room or set in stand on tables. I set out the scavenger sheet on clipboards next to markers and colored pencils. I use painter’s tape to hang the posters. The sheet says you get a prize if you complete it; for prizes I have Christian stickers and pins that I’ve made on Sticker Mule, but anything small and fun would work.
2. Angel-Wings Craft: This requires the very thin paper plates with ridges on them; safety scissors; twine or thin ribbon; a stapler for a helper adult to use; and markers or pencils for decorating. The instructions are below.
3. Halo craft: This consists of sparkly gold pipe cleaners and simple headbands (purchased here alas from Amazon).
4. Handout: This has some basic info (for adults mostly) and outline images for coloring (for all ages!). See the file below.
5. Special treats: People often celebrate with fall-themed things, but there are also historical and traditional Michaelmas foods, mostly from the U.K. Here’s a little article complete with citations to give you some ideas—blackberries seem like the easiest to incorporate.
Communications and Invitations
a. I put this on our big handout calendar at the start of the year.
b. My weekly email to families has a shifting calendar at the bottom of it that always has the upcoming three or four weeks, so it will be mentioned there for a while.
c. The week prior, I’ll announce it during the Sunday service and post the invitation above on our instagram and facebook.
Prep and Setting Up
a. Two Weeks Before
I’ll have the big posters with images printed tabloid-size and laminated, so that I can reuse them each year. I’ll also print out the scavenger sheets and handouts.
b. The Weekdays Before
I’ll assemble all the crafting materials in good baskets or boxes and make sure the printouts are ready. I’ll collect all of this in one corner of my office.
b. The Morning Of
That morning I got to church a bit early and set everything out before the service. Remember to hang the posters at child-eye level!
What Happens at the Party?
1. Ideally, everyone sort of hangs out and does what they want! This year I was delighted that a lot of adults came to make halos, and others at least wandered through and looked at the angel images.
2. It’s helpful to have an adult dedicated to helping the youngest children in assembling the craft. You can still wander around, but just keep an eye out for young folks who need help.
Below are some pictures of the event at my last parish way back in 2018, when it was a Friday evening dinner. All the pictures above were posted on my current parish’s instagram. (NOTE: NEVER post pictures of children to a personal page like this one UNLESS you are just reposting what was already on your church’s website. Parents should always have the option to keep photos of their children off the internet; to post them online you need a signed permission slip.)
What I’ll Do Differently Next Time
I would really like to broaden my array of angel pictures. In particular, I would like more non-Western images, as well as angels who do not have pale and typically European features.
Next year I will also remember to put out the handouts! Completely forgot in the midst of the fun.
Files for Your Party
And here is an instagram-size image on Canva that you can copy and change the dates and times.