Hosting a History Themed Event

We can all relate to history, which is one of the reasons it makes a good event theme. I’ve used this as a “His Story” theme for women’s ministry. It really can be used for a lot of different things. You could focus on map/travel, archaeology, genealogy, adventure, landmarks, museums, dinosaurs, etc. Enjoy!

History Party Event Theme Ideas

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History Theme Concept

—Originally Posted June 13, 2011 as a “Women of His Story” women’s ministry theme
—Updated June 2020

The event themes on the website can be used for showers, parties, women’s ministry retreats and activities, or church functions. Each theme will have one or several possible spiritual applications. I give you lots of info and ideas—You pick just a few to enhance your event. More ideas can be used for showers and parties, but less is always more for ministry events.

Theme Title Ideas

  • A Celebration: Godly Women in History
  • Adventure Awaits
  • Age to Age
  • Amazing Stories
  • Amazing Lives of His Story (God’s story)
  • Birthday Expedition
  • Blast from the Past
  • Celebrate Women of His Story (God’s story)
  • Explore More
  • Down in History
  • Faithful Women of His Story (God’s story)
  • For Such a Time as This
  • Generation to Generation
  • Gone but not Forgotten (honoring women of the past)
  • Great Women of His Story (God’s story)
  • His Story Treasures
  • Indiana Jones (child birthday party)
  • Let’s Roar! (child dinosaur birthday party)
  • Life Exhibit (for elderly birthday or a tribute—Have photo displays marking landmarks in the persona’s life.)
  • Looking Back at His Story(God’s story)
  • Roar Like a Dinosaur! (child’s birthday party)
  • Telling His Story (God’s story)
  • The Big Dig (archaeology geared kid’s party)
  • The Trail of His Story(God’s story)
  • This is Your Life (birthday or tribute)
  • Time Travelers
  • Through the Ages
  • Women, Faith, and His Story (God’s story)
  • Women of His Story (History)

Spiritual Applications

  • Focus on making a mark in history through our faith.
  • Focus on us as Christians living and sharing the story of Jesus (His-story.)
  • Focus on Queen Esther and how she was used at such a time as this in history.
  • Focus on going back in time to see examples of godly women.

Theme Verse Suggestions

“…and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”  Esther 4:14 (KJV)

Devotional Starters and Workshop Ideas

Simple Decorating

  • Tray filled with history related items
    • Anything revolving around history
    • Use architectural elements (small columns, greek “head” statues, etc.)
    • Old Books
    • Small globe
    • Scrolls
    • Maps
    • Artifacts (anything such as small antique urn or vase)
    • Put old documents or photos under glass or plexiglass for display
    • Old framed pictures and photographs
    • Pictures of historical women
  • Simple centrpiece idea
    • Stacked books of various sizes and colors

Ice Breakers

Discussion Starters

  • If you could be anyone in history, who would it be and why?
  • Who do you think will be the most famous woman (or person) in the far distant future that is living today? Why?

Music

—-Did you know these hymns were written by women? (for Women of His Story emphasis)

  • I gave My life for Thee  (Frances R. Havergal)
  • Take My life, and Let it Be  (Frances R. Havergal)
  • Safe in the Arms of Jesus  (Fanny Crosby)
  • I Shall Know Him  (Fanny Crosby)
  • Nearer My God, To Thee  (Sarah Adams)

Favor Ideas

  • Skeleton Dinosaur toys (for kids)
  • Mini Toy Dinosaurs (for kids)
  • Mini scrolls (parchment paper) with Bible verse added
  • Journals
  • Mini world globe
  • Novelty compasses (add cute hang tag)
  • Novelty binoculars (add cute hang tag)

Door Prizes

  • Books on famous Christian women (see your local Christian bookstore)
  • DVD on famous Christian women (see your local Christian bookstore)
  • Historical Christian Novel (those set back in certain time-periods)
  • Diary or Journal
  • Devotional Book
  • Photo Album
  • Photo Frame
  • Historical type puzzle. (You can get them with landmarks, maps, historical figures, prehistoric creatures, and even historical documents. Just do an online search.)

Just for Fun

Dress Up
Have your helpers wear name badges as museum “tour guides”. Ask your invited guests to each dress up for the occasion as a historical figure or someone from a specific time period.

Fossil Craft (for child parties)
Do a fossil craft with salt dough. See directions on the Pre K Pages website.

Museum Brochure Idea (for a women’s ministry event)

  • Make up a program for your event but make it up as a “museum brochure”.
  • Have “exhibit hours” (your event time)
  • A “map” highlighting where your displays are located.  Be sure to add in your bathroom locations on your map.
  • Times of any “informative exhibits” (where you’ll have someone in charge of explaining an exhibit or more information about one of the historical women you’ve chosen to highlight.
  • Add in special speaker information.
  • Add any “entertaining” such as having a music special using one of the hymns written by one of our Christian women hymn writers.
  • Add in any information you think is important for the event.

Historical Visit
If you have any historical homes or museums locally, check to see if you can get some brochures to hand out or even check to see if they have someone from the museum that would come to your event and share a little about it’s history in your community.

Historical Fashion Show

  • A fashion show of different eras of history with appropriate costumes/dresses from each era you want represented.
  • A fashion show using some of your guests dressed up as particular people in history.
  • Tell a brief description of their outfit and a brief bio of their life (when the historical person lived, where they was from, what they are remembered for).

Historical Documentary
Play a dvd/video of a particular figure in history. Check your Christian bookstores for a Christian figure.

Christian Women of History (for a women’s ministry event)
Do some research and share some highlights from some of these women’s lives. You could also highlight some biblical women as well.

  • Susannah Wesley
  • Frances Ridley Havergal
  • Fannie Crosby
  • Sarah Adams
  • Susannah Wesley
  • Fanny (Frances) Crosby
  • Mary Slessor
  • Amy Carmichael
  • Corrie Ten Boom
  • Betty Stam
  • Mary Jones

Group Project
Make or decorate journals or recipe books. You could have someone share some tips on how to record the history of our lives to preserve for future generations.

Invitation Wording Ideas

  • Come Dig In for _______________________’s birthday. (child’s birthday party)
  • Come join the Birthday Expedition for….. (child’s birthday party)

Food and Serving

  • Pyramid cake (Do an online search. You will find lots of ideas for them.)
  • Serve some specific food that has been popular throughout history.
  • Serve specific food they would have served in Bible times. Fresh fruit, etc.
  • Have everyone bring in a traditional food from their family.

Photo Sources

  • Want the photo used for the page title of this theme?  I used two photos.  One faded over the other.  Find the originals at Unsplash here.
  • There are some historical photos available that you can print at the Library of Congress.  You click on their category, then underneath the photo that comes up, beneath the search box, will be a link that says, “view all” and you can see everything in that category.  Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.  Be sure to read their Downloading Tips.
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Thanks for stopping in.  Please leave any extra ideas for this theme over on my Facebook Page.  Or if you have used this theme, let me know!  Love hearing from you.

Creative blessings,
Julia



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