Crafternoon Tea 

Scripture: Matthew 18:20 

Introduction  

Crafternoon Tea is a gathering designed to make connections through crafting and afternoon tea. There are women in your community who love crafting. It would be great to invite them to this event.  

Ideally, the project needs to be simple enough to make while talking, but don’t shy away from learning a new skill, particularly if this is a group of old friends. You will be comfortable enough with each other to relax as you work.  

You can find delicious recipes and unique crafts for all occasions on Pinterest. Search topics such as Crafternoon Tea and Women’s Ministries Toolkit.  

You will discover that there is something special about getting a group of likeminded women together who want to have fun, learn a new crafting skill, relax with a cup of tea, and enjoy delectable treats. 

Allow plenty of time to complete your projects—a good two to three hours plus run-on time for more tea and socializing.   

Icebreaker Activity 

Tell us a little about yourself by answering the following questions: 

• The first thing I do each morning is… 
• Breakfast consists of… 
• If I have 30 minutes to myself, I… 
• I love to wear… 
• My favorite place to have lunch is…  
• I never miss an episode of… 
• My favorite hobby is… 
• My favorite tea is… 

Craft Idea 

Drop blobs of paint anywhere you like on a canvas or piece of cardstock. It can be different colors, same colors, or mixture of many colors. Placing different color circles on the paper and let them dry. There is no certain order, but it looks better if you use odd numbers of “blobs.” Use watercolor sketch book, watercolors, (children’s paint work great) and felt pen, with fine point to doodle around in the blobs of paint. Let your imagination flow as you create. The object is to be creative and to have fun. 

Afternoon Tea 

Did you know that afternoon tea is relatively new? Drinking tea has been around for a long time but the art of afternoon tea has only been around since the mid–19th century. 

Afternoon tea was born out of necessity. Anna, the duchess of Bedford became extremely hungry in the midafternoon because dinner wasn’t served until 8 pm. She asked the kitchen staff if they could bring tea, cakes, and sandwiches to her room in the afternoon to hold her over. 

Soon, she began to invite friends over to join her. Over time, afternoon tea became a fashionable, social event. Ladies changed into lovely long gowns and gathered for tea. I’m sure that they just didn’t drink tea and eat sandwiches. I could almost guarantee that they began to share together about their lives and what was going on with them. 

It’s always wonderful to get together with those who are likeminded, to enjoy each other’s company and to lift each other up. My sister and I love the opportunity to craft together. It is good for my soul when we are together. We may laugh, cry, or solve the troubles in the world. Whatever we come up with is a byproduct of spending time together. Sometimes we have a mission, and sometimes we just see what we can come up with. 

While Matthew 18:20 doesn’t necessarily mean that Jesus is only with us when two or more are gathered, but it is wonderful to know that “when two or more are gathered in my name, there am I with them.” 

During Crafternoon Tea, we are going to eat, drink tea and have fun. But we also are going to be together in the name of Jesus. If anything hinders us from loving each other and from fully loving Jesus, we can share, pray, and rejoice because God is here and wants us to be in one accord. 

For a short while, we are going to take in all that God has for us without worrying about things around us. We are going to soak up God’s love for us like the treats that we are going to have soak up flavor. We are going to create some beautiful things together. All of it reflects what God wants for us and is doing for us.