Rainbow Prayer Kite

Using a leftover kite, inexpensive fabric and permanent markers, we combined our prayers into a beautiful symbol in honor of our 4th Anniversary as a Reconciling Congregation.  Here are a few, brief instructions and ideas for this prayer station.

Materials:

The kite was left over from a scouting project several years ago. I love re-purposing items rather than purchasing new. However, if you need to find one, there are many rainbow kites available for purchase online.  The kite tails were made of rip stop fabric, cut into 1” by 30“ strips using a rotary cutter. Using a fabric store coupons and ¼ yard each of red, orange, yellow, green and blue (there was no purple available) the cost for 100 ribbons was $8.00. Alternatively, you could use plastic table cloths in each color for an even less expensive option.

Use:

Ribbons and markers were passed out at the beginning of worship. During prayer time each person was invited to write their prayer for justice on their ribbon.  The ribbons were waved each time we said “Lord, hear our prayers,” Children of all ages enjoyed using this simple movement in prayer! Ribbons were collected by the ushers after worship. A brief explanation was provided in the bulletin:

“We pray with our minds, bodies and hearts. Please wave your ribbon as we respond, “Hear our prayer.” You are invited to write a prayer for justice on your ribbon before returning it to the ushers at the end of worship. They will be added to a kite hung in the lobby as a reminder to pray for the Church.”

Adding the tails to the kite:

After worship the ribbons were attached to the corners of the kites using a needle and thread. The kite will be hung in our entry. Extra ribbons and markers will be left out for people who would like to add to our prayer kite.

This beautiful symbol will hang in our lobby through the United Methodist Church General Conference in May as a symbol of our hope and prayer for full inclusion of all people in the Church (see Reconciling Ministries Network for more information).

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayers.