Sparkling Ideas for 4th of July Church Activities

June 17, 2016

Summer days are heating up, and July 4th celebrations are just weeks away. Is your Church planning a special event? This is a wonderful time for churches to host activities that can build community and celebrate our country. 

In case you’re still looking for some ideas, we’ve put together a few of our favorites:

  • Work with your musicians, singers, and worship team to host a patriotic concert on your campus.
  • Host a free movie night with popcorn and refreshments featuring a patriotic film.
  • If your church offers a great view of local fireworks, post an outdoor sign inviting neighbors to bring lawn chairs and enjoy there! If not – don’t plan anything during the fireworks, but plan an all-day “Grill Fest” as a pre-show BBQ.
  • Parades are a traditional way to celebrate almost any holiday. If your community hosts an Independence Day parade, enlist volunteers to ensure your church’s participation.
  • Plan a multicultural service that celebrates the diversity of our nation. Feature songs that are sung in different languages and focus on various cultural groups and how they enrich our country. Ask individuals from different ethnic backgrounds to participate in prayer, worship, Scripture reading, and other elements of the service.
  • Honor both God and country during your Sunday service – include patriotic music, prayers, and liturgies during worship, invite servicemen and women to wear their uniforms to worship, ask community leaders to lead the congregation in prayer, or incorporate a special time of prayer for our country and its leaders.

It’s hard to imagine any of these programs without music, but it’s important to make sure you’re covered with the right copyright licenses. July 4th events often slide under the radar when it comes to licensing for music, but here are four important facts to consider:

1) Special holiday events, like your July 4th events, are not considered a religious service and therefore do not qualify under the U.S. Copyright Law Religious Service Exemption.

2) Music for Patriotic or July 4th celebrations often includes secular, or non-Christian songs that are not covered by some blanket licenses your church may have.

3) It’s really quick, easy and inexpensive to get immediate performance license coverage in place to make sure you can legally play and perform songs like “Born in the USA,” “Only in America,” “Some Gave All,” “Only in America,” and “God Bless the USA.” CCS’s PERFORMmusic Facilities License offers the ONLY one-stop solution for legal performance and playing of more than 22 million songs from ASCAP, BM, and SESAC.

4) Your church can have an even greater impact when you share your holiday programs with the world via the Internet. However, it’s important to keep in mind that licensing is required to legally stream Internet song performances of copyrighted music. CCS’s WORSHIPcast Streaming License is a blanket license that gives you a simple way to have music licensing coverage.

No matter how you and your church family celebrate Independence Day, be sure to enjoy all the music you want and have confidence that your copyright coverage is in place. We hope you will celebrate a happy and safe Fourth of July! If you need any assistance with performance licenses, just call one of our copyright experts at 1-855-876-5837 or live chat right here on our site!

About Christian Copyright Solutions: CCS’s quest is to help churches and Christian ministries “do music right.”  CCS is an expert on church music copyrights and our primary focus is providing licensing and clear educational resources to churches, as well as representation, administration and advocacy for copyright owners. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only, and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel.

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