Ideas that Work
October 1, 1996
30-Minutes-a-Month Care
Our church struggled to provide timely ministry to its members. People moved,
entered the hospital, lost jobs, or even died-and sometimes the church didn't
find out about it for weeks or even months.
In response, we started "InReach Care Ministry." We recruit people to oversee
a maximum of five families. Their responsibilities include one phone call
per month; cards sent on birthdays, anniversaries, and special holidays;
and two invitations to church social events each year. The responsibility
takes about thirty minutes a month. The church provides the cards and the
postage stamps.
For recruits, we began with the chairman of deacons, who is now responsible
for the full-time church staff. Each full-time staff member is also responsible
for five families. A staff member monitors changes in assignments and posts
them weekly.
When there is an illness, death, or emergency, the church is typically notified
by the InReach minister. Numerous members report they are being contacted
for the first time since they joined the church.
Cookies and Coffee
To follow up visitors to our worship service, our church began a cookie delivery
on Sunday afternoons. About 2 p.m., a church member drives to the home of
the visitor, delivers homemade cookies and a visitor packet, and invites
the visitor back to church. The following week, a different church member sends or delivers a note and
a coffee mug bearing the church name.
Carol Announcement
Schedule a night of caroling a week before your special Christmas service
or cantata to invite people to it. At each home, after caroling, present
candy canes. On the candy canes tape a tag: on one side, write a verse (Isa.
9:6, Luke 2:10-11, or John 3:16); ...
Please complete one of the following:
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