Pinwheels for Pentecost

Pinwheels for Pentecost with Fresh Fruits of the Spirit.

I have to confess that I have thought this was super obvious for ages, and am surprised it caused such delight and newness!  Some churches have practices connected to Pentecost involving balloons or kites.  Someone needs to make fireworks happen - but I will let others work on that idea.  I have been serving as an interim minister at a parish without any special Pentecost practices, so this was a chance to make a new one.

For a long long while, I have been adding pinwheels to Godly Play baptism lessons!  Doves are super scriptural imagery, but they don't offer very complex metaphorical teaching. So dove yes, but also a pinwheel.  Pinwheels are colorful and joyful and the basic ruach metaphor is all there - wind or breath move and make energy.  One of the best parts is that sometimes it takes a big breath to move it; other times when outside on a breezy day it just moves.  This pinwheels for Pentecost is teaching about some of the scriptural facets of the Spirit and summery colorful good fun.  I had enough for everyone - and folks took them for people they love.  I also encouraged folks to keep it in a place they will notice it and pray on their word, and even to take it with them on journeys and take photos #flatjesus style.  #pinwheelpentecost ??

Not pinwheels but origami cranes in fire colors on a mobile.

I ordered these multi-colored pinwheels online (Oriental Trading, Amazon...).  Only problem is that the ink on the stems rubbed off easily on hands. There were others that you could assemble yourself.  I also wanted them to be quite colorful (both a statement on diversity and it was Pride weekend (and a purple parish)), but one could order all fire color ones.  There are ways to make them with origami, and you could probably find a way to upcycle something to make them if you planned well enough in advance.  I used to make an origami crane mobile using firey colored magazine pages.

Then using the label function on MSWord I made labels with one word each - various fruits and gifts of the Spirit.  This parish has torch holders on many pews so I used those to hold sets of pinwheels.  Simple, exciting, and theologically complex.  A new way to celebrate and teach Pentecost.  Maybe next year you can try this instead of balloons.