Make Jesus Famous
Tips for evangelism
These tips have been brought to you by contributors from Church Army Evangelists, Activate, Purpose Driven Church Europe and Christians to encourage you to Share Faith through Words and Actions.
Street party
How can you love your neighbours if you hardly know them? Why not organise a barbecue for your street one weekend lunchtime, and invite everyone in the street? If possible and not too noisy, hold it in the open or with different hosts for each course. Float the idea with the people you know best, and knock on the doors to invite people personally. If people ask what they can bring, ask them to help with something, or to bring a neighbour – get them involved in feeling that it is their event as much as yours.
New home
Keep a stock of small new home cards – if you can make them yourself – and write in them a simple blessing: “May the Lord bless you in your new home.” When someone new moves in, bake them a cake and take it round an hour after the removal van has gone with a card. Welcome them, introduce yourselves, and invite them to knock on your door when they can’t find something vital. Then get out of their hair and wait for them to knock.
In the pub
Arrange for your church group to meet on a regular basis at the local pub. Most publicans will welcome regular local groups, and you can invite regulars to join in your discussions and tell you what they think, to listen to what the bible has to say about issues that interest them, and to bring matters for prayer. It is also an ideal non-threatening place to invite friends and neighbours to.
Gather a small group from your church and book an evening with meal at your local pub – ask the publican if they can get together a team to challenge you to Christians v Lions - a quiz, a game of football, cricket, rounders, team darts, or whatever other team game seems suitable – ideally one where you will lose but not too heavily. Then relax and enjoy their company, find out what makes them tick, and let them see that you are real people. People will watch you to see if Christ makes you a more attractive person, and a good witness will often influence the opinions of the wider community.
Church Army evangelist Stephen Plumb has started a church in his local pub with more than a dozen others. They wanted a “go to” model of church rather than a “come to us” one. Most church services are hidden away from view by the four walls of the building, but Stephen and his colleagues wanted to do church in full view of everyone in the pub.
Stephen says: “We now regularly have Christians in a 'local', praying, worshipping, reading the Bible and sharing their faith and lives with others, something that was not happening in that 'local' 12 months ago.”
Community action
Mobilise your church for a day of community action. Identify real needs in the community – elderly people who need help with their gardens or company, schools, community centres or old people’s homes with decorating needs, public areas that need cleaning up – and challenge your church to give their time to show God’s love and their commitment to the community. Include things that the elderly and young can do. Repeat annually to show it is not just one-off. A practical initiative called Streetreach is taking off all over the country. Church Army evangelist Lizzie Wallace recently led a team of people who gave up their holiday weekend to clean up their community.
They picked up rubbish, cleared alleys and helped in local residents’ gardens. Hundreds of cakes were baked and personally delivered to local parishioners. Toys were spring-cleaned for the local toddler group, and some people even made requests for prayer when they realised the team were Christians.
Lizzie comments: “People are surprised that the church cares enough to get its hands dirty in a very real way.”
Virtual prayer walk
Go for an imaginary prayer walk. Close your eyes and relax, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts. Choose a group of people that you often meet – at the office, in the shop, at school, on the bus, in the leisure club. Who do you meet first, and what would you like to say to them? How are they feeling? Pray for them and for their situations. Next time you see them, if you feel brave enough, tell them that you prayed for them. You might be surprised by the response.
Prayer walk
Do a prayer walk around your area. In small groups simply go for a walk and ask the Holy Spirit to draw your attention to anything that he wishes to highlight. Try to become more aware of the environment around you – the sounds, smells and textures as well as the sights. While you walk, talk out loud to God about what you notice. Greet people you meet, and stop for a chat where it seems appropriate. At the end, bring all the groups back together and talk and pray about your thoughts and experiences.
Matchstick testimony
Make notes about your faith journey and ask a group from your church to do the same – your background, how you came to faith, what events or people were involved, how it affected your life, and what difference it makes today. Practise your story by chatting to yourself in front of a mirror, and see if you can do it without using your notes or jargon. Get your group together and each tell your stories, encouraging each other and finding out more. Then each cut your story to the bare bones, strike a match, and tell it all before the match goes out.
Matchstick testimony with friends
Make notes about your faith journey – your background, how you came to faith, what events or people were involved, how it affected your life, and what difference it makes today. Practise your story by chatting to a mirror. Try out the story with one of two trusted friends who would not call themselves Christians. Explain that you have been asked to do it as an exercise, and ask if they would comment afterwards about whether you were understandable or used jargon or clichés. If they would like to tell you what they thought of your experience,that would be great.
Cheery trader
Get your church or the local churches together group to sponsor a cheery trader award. With the help of the local paper, invite votes for traders from a specified area – a row of shops, a town centre, an out of town shopping complex, or a whole town. Hand out voting forms at busy times outside the shops, and encourage the shops to distribute them as well. Put a suitable bible verse, perhaps from Proverbs, on the form, and hold a simple awards ceremony, when you can speak briefly about service to the community and thank those who serve us.
10,000 minute challenge
There are 10,080 minutes in a week, and most Christians only spend 80 of those in church. Challenge church members to give a proportion of those 10,000 minutes to God by doing something they enjoy with those who do not know him – join a sports club, do someone’s shopping, form a tapestry circle, or raise funds for a local cause which is not explicitly Christian. Get people to sign up their time, write it up in your church newsletter, and commission them at a service as your local missionaries.
Car boot sales
Many people who never come to church are at car boot sales on Sunday mornings. If they won’t come to you, why not go to them? A stall that provides a focus for prayer and reflection can provide a helpful contrast to displays of bargains, and our experience is that people will ask for prayer, healing or just to be heard if you make it clear that these things are on offer. If you are there regularly, people will come back. You will be amazed at how open people will be about discussing the important issues of life if you meet them in a context where they are comfortable.
Name above all names
Here’s a simple tip from Church Army evangelist Phil Clark. In your everyday conversations with people, name the name of Jesus.
As the well known song by Noel Richards goes: “There is power in the name of Jesus… At his name the demons flee. At his name captives are freed. For there is no other name that is higher than Jesus!”
Say “God” to people and there’s no problem, but say “Jesus” and it’s more of a challenge. Maybe it’s because many people create God in their own image, but Jesus is more specific. Don’t be ashamed of your Lord.
Workplace carol service
Many of us spend most of our time at work, but are wary of proclaiming Christ at work. Why not organise a lunchtime carol service for those who work there or nearby? Get permission, find some empty space where there is still power, keep strictly to 40 minutes with refreshments afterwards, stick to well-known biblical carols, cutting out verses as necessary, and the supplement the key bible readings with two 5-minute slots, one a drama, one an illustrated talk on the Christ who came to live among us. Advertise on notice-boards, through work e-bulletins and by personal invitation.
Workplace breakfast or lunch club
Many of us spend most of our time at work, but are wary of proclaiming Christ at work. Why not set up a monthly meeting in the works canteen at either breakfast or lunchtime. At each one, cover an issue which is topical – either in the news or relevant to those who are there – and invite participants to select the topic for the next meeting. Find a short bible passage or extract from a Christian book which addresses the issue to start off. Invite others to bring a short passage from the teaching of their own religion or philosophy, including atheists and secularists.
Clubbing for Christ
Some people go clubbing to celebrate, others because they are lonely, but few have any contact with the church. How would Jesus reach this generation? Find out if other local churches are doing anything, spend a Friday or Saturday night in club land to see the opportunities and challenges, and ask the police, council and club owners how you can realistically offer support in partnership with them. You will be surprised how open people are to offers of help. This ministry is costly, and it is better to do something small consistently than to commit to more than you can sustain. Church Army evangelists and Diana Greenfield work as nightclub chaplains offering care and support and a listening ear within nightclubs. This is welcomed by the club owners and offers a good opportunity to build relationships and share faith in a low-key way, as well as offer much needed pastoral support. Is this the sort of work people in your church who are regulars on the club scene could do?
Community fun day
Why not lay on a totally free fun day as a gift to the community from the church? Welcome them with jugglers and clowns – you probably have suitable people in the church – and think about a band or street theatre. Have energetic and quieter activities for various ages – bouncy castle, inflatable slide and Gladiators-style game to use up energy, karaoke, face-painting and candyfloss to replace it. Lay on tea and cakes for their parents and grandparents with plenty of seats, plus barbecue and prayer room. Advertise outreach activities such as parent and toddler groups or faith exploration courses.
Door to door
Terrified of door to door visiting or afraid that they will think you are a sect? Drop a leaflet around a few days before to say you will be calling, and be positive. Look for one person God has appointed you to meet, and don’t be deterred by those he hasn’t. Do a community survey to find out what needs you might meet, or ask people if there is anything they would like prayer for. Be ready to be the answer to prayers yourself – can you offer a lift to hospital, help in a garden or visit someone lonely?
Film or TV night
Invite friends and neighbours round to your house to watch a film and to discuss the faith issues that it raises over a drink and refreshments - don’t let them be surprised to have a discussion. Films tell stories and touch on the big questions of life, so go for a popular film rather than one with obvious relevance to faith. Alternatively, do the same with an instalment of a soap opera (issues of relationships and life events) or even a football match (issues of morality, justice, prejudice, commitment), depending on the interests of your friends. Visit the Reel Issues website.
How green is your mission?
Many people in our community are passionate about the environment but don’t think the church has any relevance to it. Why not use this as a mission tool by having regular meals on LOAF principles – that’s Local, Organic, Animal-friendly and Fair-trade, or by broadening the “ownership” of the churchyard to include local people interested in archaeology, heritage, education, conservation or natural history? Or you could give out low-energy light bulbs at Candlemas, discuss flood prevention with reference to Noah, or promote growing you own food for harvest.
Join a club
Whatever your interests, there is probably a club or group for it – salsa, orchids, parents and tots, slimming, sports, local history, books or whatever takes your fancy. Track it down through the library or the internet and join it. Wear something which identifies you as a Christian – a fish badge, cross, or wristband – as a potential conversation starter. Some sports and health clubs offer spiritual spaces, such as yoga, relaxation or alternative therapies – you might be able to offer Christian meditation, Taize, or even an enquiry group.
Street entertainment
How about taking the gospel out in a light-hearted way to wherever people congregate – the high street, shopping centre, park, leisure centre or the streets outside major sporting events? Make use of or learn skills of juggling, mime, short comic sketches or sketch boarding. Use bright colours and a few props such as a kickstool. Keep whatever you do short, have a 5-minute programme which starts by drawing people in, then stretches their imagination and leaves them with a message. Break before restarting to allow people to disperse and for friends in the audience to chat to those watching.
Street pastors
People don’t expect Christians to hang out on the streets – how can you reach those who do? Street pastor schemes are normally set up in consultation with the police and local community, with proper training and safety monitoring. Street pastors wear a high-profile vest; they talk to people, pray for them, offer basic first aid, help people to get home safely, offer a reassuring presence and generally serve those on the streets. Although originally devised for hazardous urban areas at night, it could work just as well wherever people congregate at any time of day. Read about Steve Simmonds (PDF format) and his street pastor scheme.
Chocolate party
Have a party as a base for inviting people to groups such as mothers and toddlers, parenting skills or a pathfinder weekend. After a chocolate fondue, have chocolate-related party games. Have a quiz where all the answers are linked to brands of chocolate. While children are busy, ask adults to watch an advert for the new “Believe” branding of Mars bars, and ask them what the marketers think is the link between belief and chocolate.
Pampering parties
Everyone loves to be pampered! Beauty therapists and hairdressers find people pouring out their hearts to them when they relax. Gather a few friends and give each other a facial and a manicure. Play some relaxing music, and read some poetry from the psalms while everyone is lying back with a cucumber over each eye. Then continue the music and invite people to talk to God silently about their deepest longings or things that trouble them. In closing, offer all the things that have been thought to God, and ask him to answer those prayers in whatever way is best.
Reading groups
Book groups are gaining in popularity due to the Richard and Judy show. Join or set up a reading group or book club. Gather a group of friends or neighbours, mostly non-Christians, and choose a book to read over an agreed period. Then get together in a home, a coffee bar or a pub to discuss it – how you feel about the main characters, how they handle crises, life issues that arise, matters to which you can relate. Other people’s choice of books will open your eyes and broaden your horizons. Books without obvious spirituality may provide more opportunities to discuss spiritual issues openly. Perhaps every month or so select a book with low-key Christian theme of grace or love and introduce the principles of Christian love and grace into the discussion
Cracking the code
With the DVD release imminent, interest in the The Da Vinci Code is continuing. Why are people so fascinated by the book and its offshoots? Which bits do they think are fact and which fiction? How do they assess whether something is true? If it were all true, how damaging would it be for Christianity, and why? What did Jesus say about the issues it raises? Find a not too defensive Christian book responding to it, think the issues through yourself, and put it aside. Gather a group on mostly non-Christian friends and ask them these questions – you will be amazed by their answers. Whatever you think about The Da Vinci Code, the controversial film and novel seem to have got people of all faiths and none talking about spirituality and Christian matters. Somehow, Christians should be joining in these conversations.
Steve Hollinghurst of Church Army has written an excellent booklet, called "Coded Messages - Evangelism and The Da Vinci Code". In it, he suggests running a Da Vinci Code event, either for people who want to talk about the book, or to show the DVD and have a discussion afterwards. Steve’s booklet gives a number of tips on how to run such an event.
Gathering points
As a church group, make a list of all the places in your neighbourhood where people gather together, such as shops, offices, schools, parks, bus stops or pubs. Go through the list asking how much Christians from the church interact with people at this place. For those with most interaction, how could they bring the good news of Jesus Christ there? For those with less, how could you get involved? In a time of prayer, lift to God one at a time the places you have mentioned and the people who gather there, and pray about the church’s role with them.
Pray to Win
Get together a team a join a local football league.- but give your team and unusual name- such as God Squad .You may want to start or finish with a prayer huddle, demonstrate the fruits of the spirit in your playing performance, or have special messages written on your shirts for you to bare when you have that all important goal celebration. Go out of your way to develop strong friendships with the teams that you play and when appropriate invite them to a suitable outreach event such a sports quiz or watching a football match. Ask you opponents if there is anything you can pray for them about.
Fitness for the Soul
If you are a member of a local leisure centre or sports club ask the management if you can act as chaplain. Explain the concerns about fitness for the soul as well as the body and wear a suitable T-shirt with chaplain or mind body and spirit emblazoned on it. Make this a unique selling point for the sports centre as part of the health and well being agenda. Try to get the centre manager to set aside a quiet area where you can offer prayer support and leave cards with times when you are at the gym and available. Leave a box for prayers.
School run
The schoolyard is a great place for building relationships with other parents or carers. Make a conscious effort to befriend those you see regularly and try to introduce faith issues with them in conversation in sensitive and relevant ways- relating to chat about TV programmes, films or books. When you know them a little better you can ask them what’s on their heart and if there is anything you can pray for them about—you’ll be astonished at how positively this is received. Go that extra mile to help with ferrying kids for school trips and events so they can see the generous spirit of Jesus working in you.
Always keep a seat warm for the Gospel
If you are a fan of a local football or cricket club, and can afford it, why not buy a spare season ticket that is used primarily for outreach purposes. Invite someone who is on the fringe of church to come along and enjoy the game and then stay on for a meal or drink. An excellent befriending method for those interested in sport and for showing that Christians are interested in the game as much as anyone else.
We love our community
Valentine’s Day is all about hearts, chocs and flowers. In the run up to February 14th ask your church to club together and by enough chocs and flowers to deliver to the local community with your own style of valentine’s card saying something like: “This card and small gift is brought to you by your local church because like, Jesus, we want each and everyone of you to know you are loved.” Give a contact phone number or email address for local residents to ask more questions and perhaps include 10 reasons why you are loved by God.
Stars and signs
If you get into any conversations with people about horoscopes and star signs take a different approach than condemnation. Church Army Evangelist Hugh Boorman suggests that you tell people your star sign is the cross and explain that the Lord of all creation and the universe who flung the stars into space died for you and guides your life each and every day.
Thank you for the music
If you are part of a local band or music group, ask you conductor or leader if you can do a programme of carols or Christmas music at shopping centres or schools as part of service to the wider community. You can explain the joy and comfort people get from listening to this type of music. Offer to write the programme and perhaps include a simple and appropriate prayer for the community in it.
All the world’s a stage
Why not invite the Lacey Theatre Company to perform their Word on the Street or Christmas shows at a local community theatre. This is an entertaining evening suitable for non-Christians as the bible is acted out in 75 minutes told in a modern and entertaining way. Church members should be encouraged to bring a non-Christian friend.
Bless this house
Choose an area in the community that your church would really like to pray for- and then pray for them! But also produce some cards signed by Church members from those same streets or surrounding area and deliver them by hand to the streets to show practically that they are being prayer for. Again be sure to give contact phone number and email addresses.
42 the answer to life the universe and everything?
Evangelist Nick Green in Stockton has organised a series of events based at his local Planetarium and Observatory to encourage discussion about our creator God. His series of 4 sessions are titled- The Wonder of the Universe; Martians and ET; The Hitchhiker Guide; and God Stephen Hawking and the big bang. These provide opportunities for those interested in the stars and planets to explore low-key theological issues in a non-church environment.
Walkies witness
Here’s a simple tip from Church Army evangelist Phil Clark. If you don’t have one already, get a dog. Strangers will happily chat to you if you have a dog with you. At parks, on the streets, in shopping centres, or wherever you happen to go for walkies, a dog seems to make you much more approachable. You will make new friends.
As a conversation starter, choose an unusual name for your dog, maybe from the Bible. People will inevitably ask why you gave your dog that name, and then you can explain!
Community Service
God wants you to be salt and light in your community. Select someone or a group of people in service in your local community- mayor, MP, councillor, town centre manager, police, fire service, teachers and take some goodies along to their place of word with a card enclosing a suitable encouraging message.
Matthew Party
Host a Matthew party! We read in Matthew 9: 10-13 that Jesus hung out with sinners and had dinner with them, so why can’t we? One of the best ways to build relationships with people who do not come to church is over a meal or a barbecue. If you live in a street with other church goers ask them to help you set up a Matthew party and invite the rest of the street. In a low key way share with those who turned up why you wanted them to know that you love and care for them. Your guest will notice your camaraderie and be curious about what you have in your life that makes you want to do this.
Prayer to go
Whenever you talk with neighbours, ask before you go if there is anything they would like prayer for. If they mention something you could even pray right the. People rarely reject prayers. You will soon note how this simple question can transform your relationships with non Christians. You don’t have to bible bash people to share what you know of Jesus. Simply naturally introduce into conversations with friends and family times when God has helped you and how you depend on him each day. You will be surprised at home effective this is when done sincerely and openly.
Street Interviews
Gather some video cameras and send teams of between 3 and 6 people to different places to interview people on the high street or shopping centre nearest your church. Ask non threatening questions about God, worship or prayer and then use the findings to show in church to your congregation to help them to understand the thoughts and feelings of those in your community about God. It should help develop a fresh perspective on outreach and mission in your church.
One at one
Develop a list of seekers – those un-churched friends you know are struggling to find faith. At one o’clock each day pray for one minute for one of those names on your list and repeat this each day of the week.
Work Party
Find a family in your community that needs some work done on their home. Get some members of your church together and help with whatever needs to be done. Even better if you can get someone to cook lunch for your team and the host family to enjoy together. Explain that this is an act of love from your church.
Garage sale with a difference
The next time you and other church members have a mountain of clothes, toys or bric- a brac you would normally give to a charity shop think about the opportunity of using a garage sale on your drive to witness the gospel in a different way. Choose a faith based charity you are supporting and advertise it by saying something like- Garage sales to benefit Tearfund- Christian action for the world’s poor. 5 families working together to make s difference. As well as items for sale have literature available about your church and the cause for which you are fundraising.
Neighbourhood Easter egg hunt
One for next spring, but in the run up to Easter invites neighbours and their children to an easer egg hunt in a suitable garden of a church member. Serve some light refreshments (and hot cross buns) for parents and older kids as the young ones go off looking for their eggs. Keep the time short, sun and focussed and make sure they know you are a group of Christians celebrating new life in Christ this Easter season.
Focus on a friend
Think of a friend you haven’t seen for sometime but who you know needs Christ. Spend some time this coming week with that person, by phone, email, invitation to dinner or a film or theatre trip or a sporting event. Let them know that they have been on your heart and you are sad you have not spent time with them for some while. Make sure your intention is to keep in touch more regularly because you really care for them.
Have you noticed in the New Testament how Jesus first ministered to a person’s need and then shared the gospel with that person? Think of the people you know who you’d would like to see come to Christ and start ministering to their needs. When you do so, you will have the credibility to share the gospel with them.
C-C-Changes
People are generally more open to the gospel when they are going through times of transition or change in their lives. Consider giving a change kit tailored to the specific needs of the family you are reaching out to. Put together a new home kit for those moving into the area; a new baby kit for those welcoming a new baby to their family; or a grieving kit for those who are grieving or fighting depression after losing a loved one or being made redundant.
Looking and listening for God in everyone
We must start from where people are. We need to stop, look, listen carefully for where God has begun a work of exploration and revelation in people’s lives and then be able to join them on a journey of dialogue and discovery together. Start your discussions on faith, Like the Apostle Paul, from the point of people’s own spirituality so the discussions can be grounded in something they are familiar with- they will then be better able to see God at work.
Fresh expressions
We need to deal with people’s faith seeking by being able to provide opportunities for personal exploration and expression of faith in unthreatening, imaginative, multi-sensory and interactive ways. Our church and its language may simple not be close enough to where people are at, so we may need to plant a new or fresh expression of church within their culture and not ours. Going outside of our comfort zone, rituals, music and language.
Such new Christian communities are unlikely to resemble churches as we know them.
Church is about belief in and worshipping God and that can happen wherever people may be.
Experience evangelism
We need to loo for opportunities to help people to meet with God directly and be touched by the Holy Spirit, maybe in advance of their need for Jesus. This experience evangelism gently fosters the search for God in every living person and starts from the point of the individual’s limited experiences and then ripples out to asking more questions and seeking more satisfying answers that will eventually les or Jesus.
See www.churchinaspiritualage.org.uk
Do’s and don’ts
Don’t but in. Don’t judge; don’t try to offer pat solutions to problems. Don’t hijack the conversation with your own agenda. Show you are interested b y making good eye contact and by asking questions relating to what you are being told. Keep confidences so that trust is built between you. The Art of Connecting says- “Questions allow people to go place within themselves that they probably would not otherwise go. A sympathetic listener, asking relevant questions at the right time and in the right way can often open up emotions, fears and points of pain that may have been deeply buried and would certainly mot have been volunteered”.
Surveys show
Surveys show that well over half the population claim to have had what they would describe as some sort of spiritual experience. But be aware that the vast majority of people may be hesitant to discuss this. We need to give them time and encouragement to talk openly- it may take months. If you listen long enough, you may be privileged to hear what those experiences are. But it takes time. When it happens people find it helpful to share what then have felt and experienced.
Hatch, match and despatch
Talk to people you know who do not regularly attend church who may have been involved with a baptism, wedding or funeral in recent years. Ask them about their experience of the process and how far what was offered met their needs. Did it make them think any differently about faith ?Try to discover why they approached the church they did, were their expectations met and how could things have been made easier or better for them
Times and seasons
Easter and Christmas are occasions when the church can reasonably expect some residual Christian memory or interest- increases in church attendance or fairly common on these occasions. However, people are open to marking other festivals in the year fuelled by a renewed desire for a rhythm in life and a sense of the sacredness of nature. Think about creating celebrations that are attractive and accessible to spiritually minded non church goer that provide a spiritual atmosphere for expressing their feelings and beliefs and that make space for use of actions, still space, mediations and imagery.
Wrapping up Christmas
Why not offer a free gift wrapping service at Christmas time in your local shopping centre providing the opportunity to express God’s love and extending an invitation to your Christmas services. Carols or words of blessing could accompany this idea.
Rogation around the fields
If you live in a rural community take a tip from Churches Together in Carlton Beds and mark Rogation Sunday with a walk taking your church through fields of cows, growing grain, allotments and villages. In each case stop and invoke God’s blessing on animals and crops and give thanks for what God provides to make country life possible. This has proved attractive to local villagers and is much appreciated by local farmers.
Beg and bless
This Halloween instead of trick or treating encourage your local church youth to go out in teams and ask for unwanted clothes or accessories. Make clear that these will be donated to Christian projects in the third world and give out specially made bookmarks with a suitable message of hope and thanks. No tricks but treats for everyone.
Prayer cards
Go round the community each month dropping off cards through letter boxes inviting people to write on them requests for prayer. Make clear that these will be collected by volunteers. Whilst some households will find this intrusive, and will probably say so, most people will be appreciative of the church’s concern for them and a number will request prayer. Have a special service each month at which the prayer requests are used in intercessions. Also put a prayer collection box at various locations within the community such as a supermarket or doctor’s surgery. In Eltham, local churches set up prayer points in local high street stores.
Tea in the graveyard
It is common for many people to visit family graves at times of the year such as Christmas, Easter, Mothering Sunday and Father’s Day. Think about setting up a small stall with flasks of coffee and tea, some snacks and leaflets on bereavement and a chance to pray if appropriate. You will find a number of people ready to find God through visiting a graveyard and many open to the spiritual side of life and appreciative of a warm drink and some food.
Spiritual gardening
Churches together in Burnham–on-Sea working with the management of a local garden centre have set up a peace garden in a quiet spot within the garden centre. It uses biblical plants to create peaceful surroundings where issues of peace can be reflected upon. There are biblical references for the labels and a prayer walk can be conducted round the garden or offered on a leaflet. This is intended as a quiet space for people to sit and reflect, to help those interested in creation be pointed in the direction of the creator of all things.
Mind body spirit
Mind body spirit fairs are now a regular occurrence in many of our towns and cities. Instead of protesting about them, it is far better to engage with the thousands of people attending them by having a stall inside. Christians have set up stalls at these events called Regenerate or Journey to wholeness and use labyrinths, prayer cards, Christian icons and free healing prayer to engage with those visitors looking to find truth. It is interesting that sometimes Christians running these stalls find that non-Christian healers come to them for prayer at the end of the day. Always make it clear that you are Christians who pray to God in the name of Jesus.
Discussion on destiny
Millions are interested in life after death issues. Host an event billed as Life after death…is this all there is? and run it at a community centre rather than the church and you will be amazed at the response you will get- especially if you offer refreshments. Make sure you have the help of a church leader or theologian who is able to communicate the issues clearly and in a way non-churchgoers can connect to.
Wedding fairs
If you know that your town is hosting a wedding fair- see if this provides the chance for local churches to have a stall to promote the spiritual side of marriage and encourage couples to understand more about the services and opportunities offered to them by their local churches. If your church has good premises and members of the congregation with the right skills, you could even offer a low cost wedding package including flowers, food, photographs and cars.
Washing feet
At Easter time why not ask local beauty parlours or hairdressers if member of your church can offer a FREE foot washing service as an act of Christian love and service to their customers. For customers taking up this offer this represents a good opportunity to talk about why you are doing it and to give out appropriate low-key literature about relevant services or issues.
Telling it straight
If you or others within your church have acting gifts why not make use of the many excellent sketches available and perform some short and entertaining dramas in local shopping centres or high streets. Ask local college principal and head teachers if you can perform them to their students.
Some sketches are available for you to use at
Informed prayer
Buy a newspaper today. Read it with the intention of praying about situation for which you have never prayed before. Lift to God all the places in the world where people are denied justice, trying to see the news reports through his eyes. Then think about whether you might make a habit of expanding the ranges of places and people for whom you pray.
What’s in a name—a lot!
Here’s a simple tip from Church Army evangelist Phil Clark. Every day you probably come across many people - maybe on the streets, at work, in shops, in schools, or regular faces at the bus queue. Try really hard to learn people’s names, especially the names of children.
People matter to God, so show that they matter to you. Calling someone by their name suggests that you care, are interested in them and can be trusted.
If they express surprise, remind them that Jesus too knows them by name. He has known them by name since before the world was created.
Explore freedom
Make plans for next Sunday as day to do something good, happily and open-heartedly. Choose something that can be done not because duty requires it, but just because the world is better when good people do good things. Make people’s heads turn with the unexpectedness of it. Make goodness seem irresistible, and watch to see if other people catch the habit and pass it on. Add value to people’s lives with the sheer fun of increasing the amount of virtue in the world. Make this your way of scattering the darkness, and in the company of Jesus, unreservedly enjoying the light.
How Green is Your Mission?
Addressing environmental issues might be a way for the church community to engage with the local community. For example, a church in Coventry Diocese decided to put on a special meal for local people as part of their mission weekend. The food was produced locally, organic, animal friendly and fair trade as far as they were able.
This supported local food producers, it brought the church into new relationships with people in the community, and it helped to raise issues about our relationship to food production as consumers – for example, local grocers going out of business because of big supermarkets.
Caring for the churchyard
With the help of the "Caring for God’s Acre" project in Hereford Diocese, a group of churches who struggled to maintain their churchyards, have broadened out the "ownership" of their churchyards to include local people interested in archaeology, local heritage, education, conservation and natural history.
Working together to bring about a more sustainable approach to looking after the churchyard builds new relationships. It also demonstrates that the church is beginning to address important environmental issues such as biodiversity.
Deliver a DVD
Church Army evangelist Martin Garner suggests making a DVD that you can pop through people’s letterboxes. It’s easy and cheap to produce a DVD and you are likely to find somebody in your church that will have good quality video equipment.
Martin says: “Choose a theme for your DVD. One I use a lot is ‘labels’. Somebody talks for a moment about how people get labelled easily. Then have two or three short testimonies from people whose faith has made a difference to them.”
If the DVD is in local dialect with local scenery it will have far more impact.
Energy Conservation
One example is the church which decided to work together with the local energy efficiency advice service to promote lifestyle changes in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. They invited people to come to church at Candlemas and gave away free low energy lightbulbs. Encouraging churches to address creation care can speak powerfully to many in the community who are concerned about the environment. These people may not have considered that the church is engaging with the debate or producing effective action.
Food, Glorious Food
Our ultimate aim is to feed people spiritually, but there is an old saying that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. So why not get cooking?
Think of every opportunity to invite people to eat - summer barbecues, bonfire potatoes, Murder Mystery dinners, Christmas dinners, mince pies, hotpot suppers, pizza parties, hot cross buns and more
You can even make an event out of food preparation. Consider gathering people to make bread together and use the quieter times for discussion or subtle meditation. There is much symbolism about bread in the Bible that you can use.
Cookery Demonstration
Cookery TV programmes such as "Ready, Steady, Cook" are more popular than ever, so why not put one on in your church or community centre?
How about using a dinner lady and a vicar or minister? Get your table top cookers from a local industrial hire shop, gather a store cupboard of ingredients and interview your rival cooks for menu details. Throw in a few amusing personal stories and keep it short and entertaining. Remember that everything on TV looks spontaneous, but it is all carefully scripted and timed. Maybe end your event with a challenging, food-themed thought for the day.
Discussion Groups
Discussion groups can range from a cosy chat over coffee or a glass of wine to a great debate about a current hot topic.
Invite people to bring something that makes them feel "Mad, Sad, Bad or Glad". It can be anything – a photograph, a press cutting, a poem, a piece of music or a news story. Ask them to be willing to say at least one sentence about it. This is a great conversation starter and the choice of item speaks volumes about the person.
At future meetings people could bring their favourite film clips and talk about them.
Craft
In recent times, there has been increased interest in traditional crafts. If you are excited by things like knitting, crochet, embroidery, quilting or card-making, why not gather a group of like-minded people to meet regularly? Chatting while working on crafts together is a great way of sharing faith and building friendships.
Meetings can easily be held in your own home – but maybe you could consider setting up a session in a residential home and involving the elderly residents. If you are interested in doing this, ask at your local home. They will almost certainly give you a warm welcome.
Holiday at Home
The elderly often feel marginalised and forgotten. One way of countering this is to hold a holiday club for older people.
Church Army evangelist Alison Wooding runs such a club. She says that a typical week might include activities in the morning such as board games, jigsaws, craft or newspapers. A hearty lunch can be followed by entertainment in the afternoon. You could also include a trip out to a local site of interest.
The ideal time for a Bible-based thought for the day is just before lunch. The period immediately after lunch could be set aside for prayer ministry.
Something for Nothing
Church Army evangelist George Newell recommends that churches do “giveaways” – in other words, giving something for free to people on the streets and in pubs. He says it changes the community's perception of the church.
Things he has given away in the past include small bags of potatoes coming up to Harvest, pot plants to those moving into new homes, and tea and coffee at bus stops in the morning for those heading to work.
This form of outreach is easy to do. You don't need to be a gifted evangelist. All you need is a smile on your face.
Football Evangelism
Church Army evangelist Phil Clark recommends that Christians should learn to recognise the latest football strips, even if they don't like football.
“It is an easy conversation starter,” he says, “the person wearing it will be proud of their new shirt, and it shows you are human!”
Phil advises keeping up to date with the latest signings, top scorers and star players: “Like it or not, football is massive in this country and people are passionate in their following of teams. Plug into the football scene, subscribe to Sky Sports and invite people round to watch the big match!”
Being Available
Church Army evangelist Martin Garner suggests that you leave chunks of your diary blank – a couple of hours where you don’t plan anything and can just be available to people.
Martin says, “Our pastor is not an evangelist but he has times where he goes into cafés in the city and takes a Bible or a book to read. He has brought people to church on a Sunday as a result of this.”
A person might pop into your mind and you can go and visit them. The Good Samaritan had time to stop and be available – so should we.
Give a home to Mary and Joseph
Since 2000 Church Army’s Posada has provided hundreds of churches with a simple tool for evangelism to use in their churches and the wider community during advent.
During the evenings leading up to Christmas Day, “nativity sets” of Joseph and Mary travel on a roster basis visiting a different family or place every night. The night Mary and Joseph “stay” provides a great opportunity to invite guests around to share together the true meaning of advent with a prayer evening or Christmas carolling, for example.
For more information on Posada, and how to get hold of a set, email info@churcharmy.org.uk
Get Involved in Your Local School
Church Army evangelist Darren Fraser says, “Church Army Sunday’s theme is ‘Get Out More’ and that is just what I have done. A relationship has begun to develop with the local primary school, and I have been invited to join the governors because they value a Christian presence and input within the community school.”
As a result, Darren had 400 children in his church just before Christmas. He has also been invited into the local senior school to share his Christian faith as part of the curriculum.
Get involved in your local school and be a Christian presence there.
Magazine Giveaway
Everyone knows the sorts of magazines you find in dentists’ or doctors’ waiting rooms. Short, chatty publications like Take a Break or Chat that contain true life stories, inspirational articles, helpful tips, as well as jokes and puzzles.
Church Army is one of the key partners in a new magazine called Inspire Magazine. It is glossy, colourful and uplifting, with inspiring interviews and challenging thoughts. It is also ideal for leaving in waiting rooms (providing you get permission from the dentists or doctors) and for giving away to non-Christian friends.
Churches can order free copies in bundles of 10; visit the Inspire Magazine website.
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