How to Organize a Church Choir Banquet
- 1). Determine the number of choir members and decide if they will be inviting a guest. Many people sing in choirs but their spouses do not. This could double your banquet size. Include any sound board, lighting or behind-the-scene volunteers. The preachers could be invited as a courtesy. Pass around a sign-up sheet with the chosen date and time for the banquet to get a rough estimate of your attendance. It typically will not be a good date for everyone. After church on Sunday morning is a good time because everyone who sings will be there already. An evening banquet will be more formal.
- 2). Check with the church leadership for a budget. When you are working with a church group you do not make all the decisions on your own. Ask a group of people who are not involved with the choir to help with the work. The head of the ladies ministry is a good place to start. If a dinner committee is not already in place, ask specific people who have worked with food before. Often times the ladies ministry already has a plan for special banquets. Don't overlook the men. Many are excellent chefs who enjoy cooking for special occasions. Some of these people will overlap in the jobs they do, but avoid making the choir members work at their own banquet.
- 3). Choose a menu that will accommodate your budget and your attendance. Pasta is relatively inexpensive. Chicken or ham serves a crowd well. Prime rib will definitely let your guests know they are appreciated.
- 4). Pick one volunteer with kitchen experience to be in charge. She should purchase the food for the banquet and select the recipes. It will be her job to tell the other kitchen helpers what to do. Many people enjoy helping out but don't want to oversee the effort. Ask one adult Sunday School class to decorate the tables and another class to help serve and clean up. Even your teen class will get involved if someone asks them. When the work is spread around the church everyone gets a chance to participate, and no one group is overwhelmed.
- 5). Decorate your banquet hall with a musical praise theme. Choose a Psalm from the Bible to use as place cards or a banner. If the choir has a musical theme of its own for the year, use that theme for the banquet. Arrange table centerpieces that are appropriate for the season and add musical notes or Bible verses to tie in the occasion.
- 6). Honor the choir as a group. It is not expected that each individual member be recognized. You may choose to single out new choir members or someone who has been singing a very long time. Remember the director and other musical accompanists with a special gift for giving their extra time. Provide a musical table favor for each member to take home as a thank-you gift.
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