#outreachidea

[serveday]

Outreach Quick Guide: In the Name of Love

Provided my Manna Church

The Idea: Empower and equip the members of your church to communicate the Gospel in tangible ways by engaging in easy, low risk serving in their own everyday lives. This helps to break the need for the Church leaders to program outreach and encourages it to become part of the lifestyle of the people.  

Number of Volunteers Needed: 1- 1000

Supplies Needed:

List of Simple Outreach Ideas (see www.serveday.com/resources for example)

Outreach Cards

Side A: “In The Name Of Love” and your Worship service times and locations.  

Side B: An explanation that connects to the Gospel. Have a link on the card inviting recipients to tell their story (this is a great way to capture stories to share them with your church)

Card verbiage example:

What happened here?

Someone just showed you the love of Jesus – no strings attached.

Jesus Christ was the greatest example of this that ever existed.  He diedon the cross to pay for sins that were not His own – they were yours.  The person who gave you this card has experienced that revolutionary love and is passing it on to you.  

Tell us your story

Basic Instructions:

Have cards bundled in packs of 5-10 and make available in your church lobby (a stand located at the exits works great)

Do an “In The Name Of Love” campaign introducing this idea to the church. (Sermons/teachings/etc)

Explain that the point of this outreach is to do something for someone else with no strings attached (anonymous works the best!).  

Example: Go to Starbucks and buy the order of the car behind you and ask the server to hand the outreach card to them when they go to pay.

Avoid the “bait-n-switch”

It’s not a “come to our church now that we bought you a coffee” thing – it’s a “Jesus loves you – NO strings attached” thing.

[serveday]

How to Create an Outreach in 5 Simple Steps

2019 is here and full of new opportunities to make a difference for others.  Do you have an idea to serve your city? Here are 5 simple steps to help you create a great outreach. (Provided by Servolution OG - JP Brumfield)

Step 1 - Find A Need Needs are everywhere. We just have to take time to notice them. Many times outreach ideas come from needs we have personally experienced. Sometimes it’s needing some help with the yard, food in the pantry, or even a stick of gum after a garlic heavy meal. :) Whatever it is, ask God to reveal needs to you that He would have you help meet.

Step 2 - Can You Meet it Practically? If you’re tackling a need, big or small, you’ll want to break down some practical steps in order to meet it.

Step 3 - Weigh Quantity and Quality Some serve ideas are designed to brighten the days of a load of people at a quick pace. (Like giving out 1000 cups of hot chocolate at a busy street corner on a cold day.) Other serve ideas are designed to make a deep impact in the lives of a few people. (Like doing an extreme home makeover for a single mom and her kids.) And some serve ideas are a combination of the two. Both are important and have a place in serving. Take some time to define your goal.

Step 4 - Ensure it’s Volunteer Friendly Consider who you will invite to participate in your outreach and that their experience will be worthwhile. Make sure everyone gets a chance to add value, their time is honored, and that they want to come back to serve again!

Step 5 - Ask Yourself “Will This Idea Truly Share Jesus’ Love with Someone?” Some ideas can be fantastic, but if they aren’t centered on Jesus they’ll be a wasted effort. Take some time to pray and seek Jesus’ heart before going out and making any moves. It’s gotta be all about His heart for people! Okay! Got all 5 down?? Then you’re ready to go!!! Leave us a comment sharing your latest outreach idea!

[serveday]

SERVE “Quick Guide”: Hurricane Prep Buckets

Contributed by Bayside Community Church

We recently spotlighted Bayside Community Church as they distributed Hurricane Prep Buckets to people in their community. Some of you reached out wanting to get some more details on this fantastic idea.  So we asked the team at Bayside to share all of their "how to's" and they generously agreed! So if you're in a hurricane prone area or want some ideas for any type of disaster relief prep kits, this one's for you. 

Get the supply list, instructions, and tips here 

[serveday]

SERVE FROM HOME

Here are 6 ideas to empower your church members to make a difference right from home. This is a time for personal acts of kindness to truly shine and for every person to get a chance to be creative, observant, and use our talents and what’s in our hands to make a difference like never before. 

Download PDF here

[serveday]

Outreach Quick Guide: Free Garage Sale

Contributor: Church of the Pines, Tyler TX

The Idea: It works just like a community garage sale except we GIVE everything away for FREE.

Team Roles:

40-45 Volunteers Recommended

Pre Event:

Advertisement

Donation Pick Up

Logistics

Sorting

 Day Of Event:

Set- Up Team

Greeters

Check-In Team (Shoppers check in where we give them a certain amount of tickets. Tickets can be used in exchange for items. We set a maximum number of items shoppers can choose from each category [clothing, shoes, household, etc.] to ensure there is enough for everyone who comes.)

Shopping Buddies (Shopping Buddies are assigned to help guide guests through their shopping experience, help them keep track of their tickets, shop in a timely manner, build relationships, and offer prayer.)

Kids Team (This team is all about making sure that the children have a great experience while their parents shop!)

Car Loaders (This crew helps shoppers load up their “purchases”.)

Clean-Up Team

Supplies Needed:

Storage for donations

Bags (large and small)

20 round tables

(2) 6 ft tables

15 chairs

Posters for labeling

Signs

H stakes for the outdoor signs

Cleaning supplies 

Sharpies

Name tags

Tickets

Acts of Kindness Cards

Bottled Water

Basic Instructions:

Pre-Event:

Advertise that you are accepting donations

Pick up donations/store in storage

Advertise your Free Garage Sale to the community

Sort and load up donations

Set-up

Day Of Event:

Greeters welcome guests

Guests Check In and receive shopping tickets and instructions  

Pair shoppers with shopping buddies

Open Kids Activities

Enjoy the day!

Clean Up

Donate any remaining items to a local Thrift Store, organization, or a place where there is a need.

 Wins

Getting to connect with people

Meeting physical needs

Opportunities to pray with people one -on-one

We had some people from the community attend church with us the next day!

Extra Tips

Consider adding an extra layer of service by offering to deliver bigger items to peoples’ homes.

Name tags are a must

To make it extra fun, we also hired a local food truck and gave away free meals.

We offered face painting and games for the children - We also plan to create an intentional VBS type experience for the children next time around.

Make sure you are marketing the correct way to the community you are serving.

We learned that starting a little later in the day would have worked well in our community .

[serveday]

Build A Bear Christmas Workshop

Our friends at ITOWN hosted their annual Build a Bear Christmas Workshop last weekend, where families get to assemble bears for children (and all of their siblings) who will spend Christmas in the hospital.  Outreach Pastor, Heather Chaulk, shares: One nurse told our team that this was the only Christmas present the children in the family would get. They were beyond excited to have one. ... This young fella (first pic) actually served at the workshop assembling bears. The following week he sadly, actually found himself in the hospital - but was so excited to get to be one to receive a bear and a visit from his church family. . Christmas time is so full of opportunities for personal encounters - sharing the love and hope of Jesus! Thanks, itown fam, for sharing this super fun idea and just some of the many precious stories that have been written through you. .

Want more info on this Serve Idea? Check out the Outreach Quick Guide here. 

[serveday]

Outreach Quick Guide:  Thank a Veteran

The Idea: Anytime you cross paths with a veteran, commit to shake his or her hand and thank them for their service. It may be a little awkward at first, but you never know how honoring them may lift their spirits. You may just end up getting to hear their life story and gaining a new friend.

Volunteers Needed: 1-2 (Just don’t plan to go anywhere alone.)

Supplies Needed:

· 1 hand

· 2 ears

· Cell phone camera - for a selfie (optional)

 Basic Instructions:

· Identify a veteran (many wear hats or badges signifying their service)

· Shake their hand, introducing yourself first followed by asking their name. (By giving your name first, you share a piece of yourself before asking them to share a piece of themselves.)  

· If possible, try to be at eye level with them

· Use discernment – but if time permits, and they are engaged, spend a little time listening.

· If questions about their service are sensitive, just exchange stories about everyday life.

· Feel free to keep it short and sweet or if you feel lead, spend a while, pray together, swap numbers, take a selfie, or even grab another buddy and take them to dinner together

[serveday]

Outreach Quick Guide: Redbox Outreach

Contributed by: Jennifer Carlile, Outreach Director at Turning Point Church in McDonough, GA

The Idea: Hit up the Redboxes in your area and sprinkle some surprise acts of kindness inside. 

Number of Volunteers Needed: 1 – 50

Budget: $20-$500 depending on how big your team is and how many Redbox locations you are targeting.

Supplies Needed:

Debit/Credit Cards

Dollar Bills

Post it Notes

Pens

Church Invite Cards

Basic Instructions:

Meet together at your church or at a designated place

Assign leaders for each location and divide into teams (if needed) *This outreach can be done by one person, a family, or even a whole group. Depending on the number of people involved, you may want to divide up and go to multiple locations. We recommend no more than 5 people per Redbox. Any more than that can feel overcrowded. 

Arrive at your selected Redbox location(s) and check out movies and games of your choice.

Have someone write encouraging notes, Bible verses, or fun phrases like “Snack are on us!”

Insert the note, a couple of dollar bills, and a church invite card into the DVD case.

Insert the DVD back into the machine

Repeat as many times as you like

Extra Tip of Advice:

Redbox machines limit the number of rentals that can be made per debit/credit card. The maximum is usually 5. In order to make the most rentals, we ask our volunteers beforehand if they would be willing to use their personal cards for purchases, offering to reimburse them afterward.