Ideas that Work - Christianity Today

DISCOVERY DAY

Last May, a demographic survey revealed that nearly 70 percent of our people had attended the church only three years or less. So we designated one Sunday in September as “Discovery Day,” to help people discover—or rediscover—the church ministries and opportunities to be involved.

Lay ministry leaders hosted tables (booth-type displays) along the sidewalk of our parking lot that Sunday morning. Even our elders hosted a table. In addition, the staff distributed a booklet of the names and telephone numbers of ministry leaders.

I preached an abbreviated sermon (playing off the discovery theme), to leave people time between services to browse at the tables and socialize. We provided refreshments and music in the parking lot. This year, in addition, the children’s ministry had a large outdoors gathering for elementary-age kids, sponsoring a speaker from a local professional sports team.

The Discovery Day has done a great job helping new people to get more involved.

—Bill Oudemolen

Foothills Bible Church

Littleton, Colorado

GET-UP-AND-GO GROUP

Thinking how lonely some widows in our church might be feeling, I thought about a support group for them. I invited the widows to a salad luncheon and shared my idea with the twenty who attended. We agreed to meet on a regular basis.

The group meets after church for lunch and keeps in touch by phone. When there is a death, members are the first to bring comfort, food, and encouragement. One member, Gladys, said, “When I became a widow, I didn’t feel I fit anywhere. Now I have a social life again.” The members now call themselves the “Get-Up-and-Go Group.”

P.S. The Men’s Fellowship wanted to help; when a widow has a repair need, she fills out a form and a volunteer from Men’s Fellowship does the repair work.

—Darlene Neubauer

Hope Baptist Church

Phoenix, Arizona

COMMUNITY BLOCK PARTY

Second only to “more interesting sermons,” “a church involved in the community” is what church seekers look for. To showcase Trinity Lutheran’s involvement, we organized a Downtown Community Block Party on Trinity’s front lawn, to encourage volunteerism in downtown Orlando.

News releases were sent to newspapers and TV stations, and three promotional pieces were mailed to downtown residents and businesses.

On that early spring Saturday morning, volunteers set up table decorations, and 27 community agencies set up booths. A catered meal was served by Bubbalou’s Bodacious Bar-B-Que, and live music and entertainment throughout the day kept excitement high. At 2:30 P.M. Orlando’s mayor gave an address. With Trinity’s youth selling pop and elders serving barbecue, we raised $2,400 for “People to People,” a local charity that links churches and social agencies.

Average worship attendance at Trinity had been 500; that weekend 700 people attended four services. The Block Party also let the community know our interest in their needs.

—Mark Joeckel

Orlando, Florida

THANKSGIVING PIES

Our Sunday school attracts 700 people weekly, so our church neighbors put up with a lot of traffic and noise. To thank them, church members baked pies, and then our pastor went door to door, saying, “Thank you for being such good neighbors. Here’s a pie to show our appreciation. We want to be as good a neighbor as you are to us.”

In the five years our pastor has served the church, we’ve never had an angry neighbor.

—Stan Sullinger

Memorial Baptist Church

Baytown, Texas