Developing a Theme

Welcome to God’s Laundry Mat

This theme is excellent for use in a ministry where you have several levels of spiritual growth among your ladies. “God’s Laundry Mat” is based on the verses in Ephesians 5:26-27—That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Decorations and Nametags: Cut out large cardboard boxes for a washer/dryer. Bring in an ironing board/iron/starch. Use rope to put a clothesline across the room and bring in laundry baskets, unfolded clothes, laundry detergent, and pre-wash spray. Ladies write their name on a clothespin and attach it to their clothing.

Giveaways/Prizes

• Sample bottles of laundry soap, softener, or dryer sheets
• Scripturized clothespins
• Cleaning tips and hints

Craft Activity: You can find several clothespin crafts on the internet. We painted clothespins, glued craft sticks to the clothespins, decorated the face of the sticks, and then attached a magnet to the back.

Game: To play the laundry game, split the group into two teams. Have each team act out the different stages of the laundry process (be sure to use the room decorations to make this game as “real” as possible). The team with the fastest time wins. We also had a matching game that related to stain remover tips.

Devotional: We separated the laundry process into five stages—pre-wash and detergent, agitation, water, drying, and ironing. We had the ladies get into 5 different groups (be sure each group has a spokesperson). Hand each group a picture that represents one of the stages in the laundry process and have them discuss the parallels between that stage and how God changes (cleans) us. After a while, have each group share what they discussed. The coordinator of the event needs to be ready to then apply the parallel lessons to everyday living.