Written by Deb del Villar, Director of Communications
Grandparents Day is a wonderful way to honor grandparents and celebrate their critical role in the family.
What is the Background of Grandparents Day?
Several people are credited with getting Grandparents Day on the calendar, but Michael Goldgar and Marian McQuade are the two most mentioned.
Marian is probably the one most pointed to as she crusaded tirelessly for this recognition of the elderly. This great love for the elderly came from her own cherished relationship with her grandmother.
When visiting her grandmother on the family farm, she could not wait till the chores were completed. Once they were completed, she got to go with her grandmother to visit elderly neighbors, bringing food and gifts. This lifelong love and concern for making sure the elderly are not forgotten spurred her on.
The movement began in the early 1970s and morphed slightly from an elderly focus to a grandparent focus. Marian realized the wisdom and family history that grandparents could share with their grandchildren. She sought to connect the generations.
Due to Marian’s efforts and others, Grandparents Day was proclaimed as a national holiday by President Jimmy Carter on August 3, 1978.
When Is Grandparents Day Held?
This holiday takes place on the first Sunday of September after Labor Day. Legacy Coalition is challenging churches to see the month of September as Grandparents Month. Find ways throughout the month to honor grandparents while also equipping them for their critical intergenerational discipleship role.
Churches can also choose a grandparent focus throughout the year. It can be whenever it best fits into your church calendar.
Why Should Churches Observe Grandparents Day?
Observing Grandparents Day within a church setting emphasizes the importance of their godly role within the family. Consider planning and hosting a meaningful church service that honors and challenges grandparents in their role.
Legacy Coalition helps grandparents grow in their biblical role through resources and events, so they can have a greater spiritual impact on their family. We have an array of free resources to help you thoughtfully plan and execute a day to strengthen these critical family bonds while also fostering intergenerational connections.
Our FREE Grandparents Day Kit provides resources to help churches plan and celebrate the day while also giving them ideas and resources to equip their grandparents in their godly role.
Churches report that this is a great time to kick off a new year of Grandparenting Ministry. Highlighting the importance of grandparents in a church service raises interest and attendance at grandparent events. If your church has not started a grandparenting focus yet, this would be a great time to gauge interest and begin.
How Can Churches Celebrate Grandparents Day?
Celebrate Grandparents Day with meaningful church services, engaging activities, and heartfelt tributes to honor and cherish grandparents.
1. Plan the Service
Consider the values and experiences of your grandparents while also seeking to engage all generations. Think through all aspects of the service, from Scripture readings, prayers, and sermons. Some churches make it the central theme of the whole service. Christian Grandparenting Network also has wonderful prayer materials for Grandparents Day.
2. Share Stories
Consider having grandparents share stories, anecdotes, or reflections from their grandparents that impacted their own spiritual journey. These testimonies honor influence and legacy. Grandchildren can also share their grandparents’ influence, adding heartfelt moments and often tears of laughter and joy.
3. Include Videos
Videos increase the impact. One church interviewed the children in the children’s ministry weeks before the event. The video was priceless as various grandchildren shared about their grandfather and grandmother.
4. Set Up a Display
Consider using a display table or booth to recognize grandparents of your church. It can have heirlooms or photos from grandparents as well as resources that will help grandparents fulfill their godly role more intentionally. Churches have also set up photo booths so families can commemorate the day.
5. Incorporate Children’s Ministry
Children’s ministries could have the children express their love and appreciation for their grandparents in some meaningful way. Be creative! One church had children make memory jars – slips of paper with their favorite memories written on them that were placed in the jars and later given to grandparents.
Fun Facts About Grandparents Day
- It is celebrated globally by countries including Mexico, Poland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Singapore, Italy, Hong Kong, Estonia, Canada, Australia, and of course the United States. (*Dates vary)
- Celebrations include a wide variety of activities like giving gifts, spending time, or doing kind actions for grandparents.
- Celebrations are held in various places like parks, schools, and churches.
- Over four million greeting cards are sent within the United States.
- Symbols for Grandparents Day are “A Song for Grandma And Grandpa” by Johnny Prill, and the official flower is the “forget-me-not” flower.
- It is the highest day of visits to nursing homes.
Conclusion
Is this the year for you to start celebrating Grandparents Day at your church?
Maybe God is calling your church to encourage, equip, and empower grandparents to become more purposeful as they realize their potential for impacting their grandchildren.
4 thoughts on “What Is Grandparents Day and Why Should Churches Celebrate It?”
Thank you Deb as this is really helpful as our church is planning to celebrate Grandparents day. We have invited our grandparents to join their grandchildren’s Sunday school class with them. As we have prepared some very special activities with the children to honor their grandparents.
We have incorporated the conversation cards and a few other ideas listed on your blog to make the day memorable for all.
Sounds like you have a special day planned! May God bless your efforts. Thank you for your kind words.
Dear friends,Thank you for this article and for all you do for grandparents and elderly. I am very happy to tell you that it was the catholic grandparents Association that initiated Pioneer and helped establish the work day for grandparents and elderly in the universal Church celebrated on the Sunday near 27 July the feast day of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne parents of Mary and grandparents of our Lord Jesus. Pope Francis granted our request for a while today for grandparents under the and established it on 31 January 2021. We have just celebrated this wonderful gift to grandparents in churches all over the world. We have supply at churches parishes and communities with resources for grandparents that helps them celebrate this very special day.
It would be wonderful to hear from your president as to how we might work together to create an awareness for the enormous contribution and vocation of grandparents to the church, the family and to society.
WithIt would be wonderful to hear from your president as to how we might work together to create an awareness for the enormous contribution and vocation of grandparents to the church, the family and to society.
With love and prayers
Catherine Wiley founder of Catholic Grandparents oof Association,
Feel free to check out all the resources available at legacycoalition.com