Church Mother's Day Gifts

So this year I was put in charge of the church mother's day gift. Generally churches give a flower or something to every mother in attendance on Mother's Day. But I don't do flowers. I got on Amazon and was going to order some practical yet cute Mother's Day pens, because who can't use another writing utensil? The item was Prime eligible which means it qualifies for free two day shipping. After I purchased it, it said it wouldn't be shipped until like June or July. Well that isn't going to work. They weren't even going to be here by Father's Day.... Dilema. I cancelled the order, and then proceeded to forget about it until Friday before Mother's Day. Well now it was definitely too late to order anything. So I was cruising around on Pinterest as I often do to find creative ideas. And someone had pinned a bottle of fingernail polish.

From that picture my idea came to life. Mom's like nail polish! Or at least most of them do. And our church budget was right at $1 per item and we needed 60 of them. I knew most Wal-Marts have $0.99 polish and Newton also has a Dollar Tree so this could work. Then our office manager came in needing someone to do Young Disciple's Time. I told her I could do it. I decided that the kids could hand out the nail polish, that would be cute. Oh but I can't do a Young Disciple's Time without some kind of message....

This was the more challenging part. How in the world can fingernail polish become an object lesson. My mother sent me a couple ideas and this is where it went.

• What is Polish? (I got a lot of blank stares back, finally one of the older girls said Fingernail Polish?)
• What kinds of things do you polish? (Silver, Shoes, Fingernails, Handbells...I opened this one up to the congregation for help)
• I asked the congregation if anyone polishes their shoes. The kids thought it was funny when so many people raised their hands.
• Why do we polish things?
• Are there other ways you get polished up?
• Dress nice for church, brush your teeth, comb your hair.
• What is Today?
• Does your mother help polish you?
• Make you clean your room
• Brush your teeth
• make your bed
• Then I gave an example how on Mother's Day 25 years ago I was baptized. 
• We talked about how going to church and something like baptism can help polish you into who you are going to become.
• If you raise a child up the way they should go they will never depart from it.
• We talked a little about the scripture.
• Then we decided we would help our mom's out by polishing for them
• Doing their duties
• Taking out the trash 
• Cleaning our rooms
• And as a special treat each mom got a bottle of fingernail polish!

The bottles say: Mom, thank you for polishing me to be the best that I can be. I have a bright future because you never give up on me.

I spent right at $60 for the fingernail polish and the labels I printed the saying on.

I figure since I "borrow" ideas from so many other people, and I haven't seen this idea anywhere else I should share it in case someone needs this idea next year!

Happy Mother's Day from Hesston UMC.