Tell Me Something Good: A Planning Webinar for Lent (Recording & Summary)
On January 21, 2026, we hosted a Lent Planning Webinar for anyone using (or interesting in using) our Lent series, Tell Me Something Good: Grounding ourselves in the good news this Lent. In this time, we dove into our theme and why we created this series. We shared some tips about how to use the materials and talked through ideas for implementation. Below is the recording. We hope this can be helpful to you as you plan and prepare.
We’ve also summarized much of the conversation that occurred in the chat. We are amazed by and grateful for the wealth of knowledge and inspiration within the larger Sanctified Art community. Be sure to read through the Q/A’s and crowdsourcing ideas at the bottom of this page.
In the webinar, we shared a Quick Links PDF with links to all the resources and materials discussed. If that document might be helpful to you, you can download it here:
an outline of the webinar recording:
00:00:00—00:14:56 Welcome and Introductions
Welcome and introductions from the Sanctified Art creative team alongside participants’ introductions shared in the chat. Introducing all the guest contributors who helped create the Tell Me Something Good resources. An outline of the webinar.
00:14:57—00:19:02 sharing Good News
Participants were invited to share some good news in the chat. Their responses are summarized below:
A word cloud (generated by simplewordcloud.com) of the most commonly used words in response to “What is some good news you have heard or received?”
Common responses to “What is some good news you have heard or received?” included:
Resistance movements, especially in response to ICE: “A call for clergy to come to Minneapolis has received so much response the organizers consider it ‘full.’” // “Local County law enforcement stating they would no longer hold ICE detainees without verified criminal charges.” // “Today’s witness at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and delivering letters from clergy to Senate and House offices.”
Community offering food and shelter to those who are vulnerable: “My daughter was purchasing some hand warmers for unhoused individuals. The cashier gave them to her at no charge, saying she had the capacity to extend to those in need.” // “Our Food Pantry mission continues to feed many families in our community.” // “Our church is housing unhoused people when nighttime temperatures drop low.” // “Minnesotans are sharing food and resources with neighbors afraid to leave their homes.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and witness: “Our community MLK service. The preacher spoke of the Moses generation of the Civil Rights Movement and how, now, we are moving to the Joshua generation. God stays consistent, even as the generations march forward”
Prayers of gratitude for good health news, children safely coming home, and birthdays
00:19:03—00:25:39 How we developed the “Tell Me Something Good” theme
Sharing about the story behind the development of the series, the text and subthemes, and the branding for the series.
00:25:40—00:45:42 Experiencing the resources
A short segment in which we share art, poetry, and commentary from the series. Participants respond to reflection prompts in the chat, summarized below.
Who in your community needs protection and care?
“Our unhoused neighbors as a winter storm threatens”
“People with mental illness and dementia”
“The people of Minneapolis, Gaza, and the Congo”
“All who feel they have no place in our nation, as well as the church”
“Those who feel forgotten and lonely”
Where is God dancing, creating, and moving us toward goodness in the world?
“Clergy colleagues working together”
“People reaching out to check on each other”
“Reclaiming church lawns for flowers and bees and gardens and veggies”
“In invitations to serve the least among us, hungry, unsheltered and refugees”
“People speaking truth with great care and compassion”
A word cloud (generated by simplewordcloud.com) of the most commonly used words in response to “Who in your community needs protection and care?”
A word cloud (generated by simplewordcloud.com) of the most commonly used words in response to “Where is God dancing, creating, and moving us toward goodness in the world?”
00:45:43—1:09:55 an overview of all the materials
An overview of all the resources in the bundle as well as bonuses and supplements, with comments and ideas for how to use each component. Consider this an “insider’s guide” to all the resources. If you would like to share just this segment with staff, colleagues, or volunteer leaders, below is a link to the overview video:
1:09:56—1:21:16 crowdsourcing ideas, Q/A, & premiering our theme song
In this final segment, we engaged with the conversation in the chat and responded to the questions in the Q/A box. While you can’t see that discussion in the video recording, we verbalize many of the ideas in the chat, and much of our conversation is summarized in the section below. We concluded by playing our theme song for the series. We invite you to join our Facebook Group to continue to collaborate with other pastors and ministry leaders.
QUESTIONS & Answers:
(Summarized from the chat & discussion)
-
A: The Tell Me Something Good series does not follow any particular lectionary. If you prefer to follow the Revised Common Lectionary, we have many RCL bundles for Lent here.
-
A: In the Words for Worship, there is liturgy for Ash Wednesday. If you are in the practice of incorporating Ash Wednesday into the First Sunday in Lent, both texts could be read, as both tell of God’s surprising grace in the context of a feast.
For Maundy Thursday, we have a service written by our guest liturgy writer, Claudio Carvalhaes.
For Good Friday, there is a simple Tenebrae service available on our blog.
-
A: The devotional booklet contains the art, poetry, hymns, and commentary from the series. It has about five pieces of content per week, so it’s not a daily devotional but has plenty to engage with throughout the week.
The daily devotional cards have a card for each day, following the weekly sub-themes. The cards each contain a question for reflection, a weekly good news mantra, and a prayer.
The cards and booklet do not overlap in content, so both can be used. Either one also makes a great foundation for a Sunday school class or other spiritual formation time for teens and adults.
-
A: For the devotional booklet, we create a digital version on Flippingbook that you can share with your congregation. The link is on page 4 of the printing guide. We also share a single page version and a chronological spreads version in the printing guide, which can be shared for viewing on screens.
For the daily devotional cards, there is a plain text version in Airtable, linked in the instructions PDF. This allows you to email, text, or post the content of the cards easier.
Note: We partnered with Print Bind Ship to create low-cost printed copies of both of these resources. The deadline to pre-order has closed, but we hope to continue offering this option with each new bundle we create. Be sure to join our email list and/or Facebook group to be alerted when this option is available!
-
A: We do create a black and white version of the devotional booklet. The print order version is included in the download, and the single page version (for printers/copiers with a booklet function) is linked on page 3 of the printing guide.
If you need black and white versions of other resources, please email us at contact@sanctifiedart.org so we can help you find a solution.
-
A: No, the paper lace art included in the visual art collection are smaller pieces than the paper lace banners Hannah designs. All our paper lace banner designs (including some for Easter) are available here: https://sanctifiedart.org/banner-worship-art
If you’d like further inspiration for creating paper lace banners, check out these blog posts:
-
A: Yes! Britt Kusserow’s theme song is coming soon for bundle patrons—check the patron access page for a link to a folder with the recording and sheet music. Once the video is edited, we will create a listing for the theme song that includes the video, sheet music, and recording. That listing will be linked on this page.
-
A: Yes! A visio divina guide, applicable to any image and scripture, is included any time you download art from us. Bundle patrons can find the visio divina guide in the same folder as the visual art collection.
-
A: If you order the full bundle, all of the free bonuses and supplements we’ve progressively released are at the bottom of the Patron Access Page. They are also linked at the bottom of the public webpage for the Tell Me Something Good bundle.
-
A: Yes, if you purchased the full Tell Me Something Good bundle, then you will be directed to a Patron Access Page to download all the files/materials you need. You are welcome to share the link and password with the rest of your staff, worship team, or anyone else in your congregation who may need access to the resource files. We recommend saving the password PDF to your desktop so you have easy access to the resource files any time you need them.
-
-
A: You can find the price for each tier of the bundle (depending on average worship size) along with a description of every resource included and their individual prices (if purchased a la carte) on this page.
-
A: If you are a smaller church who can’t afford to pay for a whole bundle (even at the lowest tier), we encourage you to consider ordering a selection of individual resources “à la carte.” Many smaller congregations may not be able to use every resource included in a bundle, so we hope this allows you to focus on the materials you need most.
For churches with 25 or fewer active members, no full-time staff, and limited budget but who are interested in using a full bundle of resources, we offer subsidized bundles by request. You can apply by including information about your community and budget, as well as what resources you are interested in using. That application can be found here.
Q: Where do we order the paraments & banners for altar display?
A: We have two printed-to-order banners that feature the Tell Me Something Good branding. The small banner is printed on a weather-resistant material and includes grommets. It could be displayed outdoors or indoors. This size might work well as a parament for the pulpit, and comes in four colors: green, white, and two shades of purple. The table tapestry is printed on a blanket fabric and it is hemmed along the edge. It’s not best for outdoor display, but could be displayed as a cloth for your Communion Table.
Mock-up of an altar display utilizing our custom design print-to-order paraments & banners.
IDEAS for ImplemenTing our resources
(Summarized from the chat & discussion)
-
The devotional we will use with our congregation as a whole, both online and hand delivered to our elderly and housebound members.
I'm using the devotional, graphics, art, and poetry to create a new video for each week, as we use a 5-minute video countdown for our service.
As we have an older congregation, I print the devotional as a ledger size booklet (using the large format file). It makes it easier to read.
Will be using it in group study midweek.
I use the devotional booklet as a daily emailed devotional for my congregation.
I use the devotional as a weekly email to the congregation. In that, I include the link for the digital version of the devotional.
We use this in small groups, including online, and in adult classes.
We have used it as our Sunday School time. The devotional is a great way to engage in conversation.
We also printed it in black and white to save money. Then I put the colored art online and shared my screen during the small group meetings.
-
We used the questions on the daily devotional cards for Elder Deacon training as a way for them to get to know one another.
We will use the daily devotional cards as text messages sent to those who sign up for the daily devotion. We did this with the series last year and received positive feedback from folks, as it also served as a daily reminder to pause and reflect.
My congregation LOVES the devotional cards! We use them for our midweek study—it generates great discussion.
I am thinking of using the devotional cards as conversation prompts in our worship.
I like to share the prompts and prayers on social media.
-
I'm inspired to use it with our Contemplative Prayer group.
We have done visio divina with the artwork for adult ed and it has been great.
We used visio divina for our midweek services in place of a sermon or homily.
We did visio divina in worship. We had instrumental music and gave time for people to take in the art. It worked very well in the worship flow.
I've been using the art as part of my sermons for the last few years.
We printed off all the art and framed them for a gallery spread—folks loved both looking at them, seeing what the artists had to say right next to them, and reading the poetry for that week.
I often use the art for children's sermon.
We have taken the art and artists statements with the corresponding scripture and have made prayer stations for them.
In the past, we’ve printed the art on large posters and displayed them in our entryway so they can be experienced as you enter worship.
We print the images with artist reflections as our bulletin.
We've used the art within projection in worship. We've also projected the images on the wall rather than the text of the scripture. It allows people to focus in on the image and ponder its connection.
I use the art, alongside the artist’s statement and the poem, to create our 5-minute countdown for the livestream for each service.
-
IDEAS SHARED:
During each season, we start each service with different voices reading the poems to ground everyone into the service. They are followed by the prelude music.
I love to use the poems to set the tone of the homily and reintegrate a key phrase as a wrap-up.
We often use the poems in our visio divina sessions.
I begin adult Bible study sessions with the poem for the week as an opening prayer.
We create videos using the poems and use them as a response to the sermon.
Each week, a different voice has a wireless mic. During the service, that voice reads the poem.
-
I create a companion children’s devotional booklet and send it with bits and pieces for a Lent devotion that families can do together.
We adapt the Children’s Curriculum for our weekly Intergenerational Moment (instead of a Children’s Message). We often send home the materials for further exploration. We also set them out at our Hospitality Hour for folks of all ages to work on together.
We are using the children’s material for the first time this year and I’m really excited to use the material across our whole congregation!
I love the idea of youth/teens helping with the skits for the younger children on Sunday mornings.
-
For Ash Wednesday, we’re going to start in the sanctuary and include imposition of ashes during that part of the service, then move to the fellowship hall for a soup supper. Given the scripture for Ash Wednesday, including a meal seems really appropriate.
Use the second piece of art (each week in Lent has two) for visio divina and/or bulletin covers.
Perform or read the scenes in the Lenten play inspired by each of the focal texts to offer a different mode of engagement with the scripture.
Use the prompts and prayers on the daily devotional cards for the week as a time for reflection.