Need a little spark in your summer ministry plans? Perhaps a tip or two will help.

Father’s Day

• Here’s a last-minute idea for honoring Christian fathers, mentors, and role models this Father’s Day. At the close of Sunday services, invite all the men outside for a photo opportunity. Ask them to stand so that the cumulative result is the shape of a cross. Stand on a ladder to capture the picture. Then send a digital image to those who provide their e-mail address. Suggest the men use the photo as a computer screen saver or a print to place where they will see it often. Let the photo serve as an encouragement of what Jesus did for us and a reminder to live each day for Christ.
• Father’s Day is the perfect opportunity to link seasoned dads with first-time fathers for prayer support and mentoring. Gather contact information from experienced dads who are willing to serve. Share this information with new dads, and let them connect with the father of their choice for advice and encouragement in Christian fathering.

Patriotic Days

• Purchase inexpensive plastic flags at your local dollar store. Give one flag to each family as they arrive for your June 14 worship service (Flag Day). At the close of services, invite families to hold their flags high as you pray for our country. Encourage families to place their flag at home where it will remind family members to pray daily for the nation and our leaders.
• Consider getting your church family together before this year’s Fourth of July fireworks. Plan a July 4th barbeque cookout for the evening meal. Ask participants to provide side dishes. After the meal, gather together for a short time of prayer—thanking God for our country and also praying for his continued guidance and strength to witness to his saving work in Jesus among those who do not yet know and love him. Walk or carpool together to enjoy the local fireworks.
• Do your outdoor flags need to be retired? Consider replacing them this month. You might even want to formalize the replacement with a simple ceremony after services on July 5th. Invite those members of your congregation involved with Boy Scouts or veterans’ associations to help with protocol and the ceremony. (You might also invite members who have tattered or faded flags to bring them along for respectful disposal.)
• Invite families to show their patriotism as they use chalk to decorate the sidewalk outside your church. Provide chalk and be sure to take pictures so you can save the “artwork.”

Vacation Time

• Ask your local hotels, motels, and bed-and-breakfast establishments if you can post information about your worship times and location(s) on their bulletin boards. Or ask that information about your church be included in their visitor’s guide. Check to make sure summer dates and times are correct.
• Help your congregational shut-ins experience a “virtual getaway” this summer. Invite interested families to share information about their vacation with homebound members. Suggest that family members take along photos, postcards, maps and other memorabilia to make the virtual trip even more memorable for the homebound person(s).
• Many families can’t afford a vacation this summer. Perhaps just a change of scenery would boost spirits. Consider organizing a congregational house swap. Interested parties can sign up as host homes along with dates they’d like to switch houses with another family.
• Post a large piece of butcher paper in your fellowship hall and label it “Fun in the Sun.” Encourage families to note local summer favorites: best park for biking, yummiest outdoor dining, best museum for kids, greatest picnic spot, favorite fishing holes, and more. Include some free and inexpensive categories as well as some that charge admission. Suggest that congregation members and visitors check out the places this summer.

You are welcome to copy this article for one-time use in your organization as long as you will receive no monetary benefit from it. Please include this copyright line and submit an actual copy of use to CTA, attention Editorial Manager.

Used with permission grant #051609. © 2009 CTA, Inc. No duplication of this article is allowed without the express written consent of CTA, PO Box 1205, Fenton, MO 63026-1205. www.CTAinc.com.

1. Use the addresses in your guest book from the last two or three months to create a mailing list and announce plans for summer Sunday school and VBS. Send a postcard or e-mail that lets people know what age levels are welcome, what the theme will be, and whether or not there is any cost involved.
2. Many churches have started charging a small fee for VBS. Could you spark people’s interest by offering them an amount off the fee when they bring a friend? There might be someone, or even a few someones, in your congregation who would be willing to pay the difference if it would spark attendance. For example, you might create a coupon that gives $1 off if two friends sign up together. Or make a coupon that members can give to friends offering 50% off the regular VBS enrollment fee.

Many churches use these words at the conclusion of their worship service. Thinking more deeply about the passage, phrase by phrase, can make that part of the worship service even more stirring. Be Blessed provides refreshment and renewal—the perfect gift for any woman on Mother’s Day.

As a free gift to you, we also provide a “Be Blessed” Ministry Message^SM, a one-page presentation devotion you’re welcome to use when you give these gifts to the women in your church. The devotion is also available in Spanish.

Blessed: A Bouquet of Benefits

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. . . . Forget not all his benefits.

Psalm 103:1–2

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

C. Austin Miles wrote these opening words of “In the Garden” nearly two centuries ago. As he thought about walking and talking with Jesus, he envisioned roses.

Roses of various colors have come to communicate different meanings. If we have eyes to see and hearts to understand, each color can represent blessings that come to us from God through his church, other believers in the body of Christ. As the fruit and gifts of the Spirit operate in us and in our brothers and sisters in Jesus, God encourages and strengthens us.

Red roses symbolize love, a fruit of the Spirit. We see Christ’s love for us in his blessing us with faithful pastors who proclaim God’s Word to us and who walk with us in the milestone times of our lives—births and deaths, Baptisms and confirmations, weddings and funerals. Week by week, our pastors remind us that like the red rose, the blood shed by Jesus expresses his unconditional and eternal love for us and his full pardon for all our sins.

Pink roses symbolize grace and elegance. What a blessing when friends in Christ’s church have and use gifts of hospitality. They create an atmosphere of warmth and beauty from the decor they design to the smiles, handshakes, and hugs they offer. These people bless us, encourage us, and build us up.

White roses represent purity, honor, and reverence. We might think of the intercessors in our church whenever we see white roses. Their prayer lives are deep, and they take our needs to the throne room of heaven with humility and faithfulness.

Many people see orange roses as communicating enthusiasm. Who has (or needs!) more enthusiasm than nursery and youth workers who mentor young believers and fill them with zeal to spread the Gospel?!

Lord Jesus, the people of my congregation come to me as true blessings from you! They make my life here on earth so much more full and meaningful! Help me cherish them, lift them up in prayer, and praise you for them. Amen.

The Scripture quotation is from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

You are welcome to copy this article for one-time use in your organization as long as you will receive no monetary benefit from it. Please include this copyright line and submit an actual copy of use to CTA, attention Editorial Manager.

Used with permission grant #041609. © 2008 CTA, Inc. No duplication of this article is allowed without the express written consent of CTA, PO Box 1205, Fenton, MO 63026-1205. www.CTAinc.com.

At our church we had more visitors than usual for Easter worship. We especially noticed a lot of families with young children. What happened at your church? Did you have more visitors than usual, as well? Did you hear any thought-provoking comments from your visitors? As you look back on your preparations for Easter, is there anything you’d do differently for next year? Click on “Comments” to let us know.

Most likely, you now have a visitor book with several names and addresses filled in by visitors on Easter Sunday. Here are some ideas for keeping in touch with them:

• Phone, E-mail, or visit them during the next two weeks to thank them for visiting and ask if they have any questions about your church or needs your church can help with. If you can’t get a visiting team together, send them a postcard. Here’s one you can use for free.  (Note that it has two pages to download–front and back; depending on your connection time, this may take a minute or two.)
•  Compile your visitors list into a mailing list and use it for publicizing VBS and special summer Sunday school events. CTA has a free GLOW (God Lights Our Way) postcard invitation you can print up and mail to them.  It’s generic enough to work for any summer Sunday school or VBS program. (Again, download times will vary.)
• Save your contact list for fall and use it again to let people know when fall programs will be starting up or to invite them to your fall festival.

Here at CTA, we’re always interested in what’s going on at your church. Let us know what’s keeping you busy and how you’re staying in touch with visitors!

• “The annual Easter Egg Hunt is on April 11. Please consider taking home a bag of empty Easter eggs and filling them with individually wrapped candy or Christian Easter stickers and returning them by April 5. Thank you for your help! The eggs can be picked up in the main entrance. Return filled eggs to Jane’s office.” [Who is Jane and where is her office?]
• “The New Song Service is offered each month on the second and fourth Saturdays at 5:00 PM.” [This must be something different than usual. Is it a service with a different worship style? Is it a time for me to show up and learn new hymns/songs that we’ll be using in regular worship? If it’s something different, is it located in a different space?]

The prospect of many visitors coming to church on Easter Sunday is exciting. As you prepare for them, take a moment to read through your announcements once more from their perspective.

For all the “regular” Sundays that follow, keep those new members in mind as you write announcements. It’s one way to encourage them to be more involved in your church family.

I’d love to hear from you. Is this something that’s happening intentionally at your church? Who’s the watchdog in your congregation? Who’s keeping those new people in mind?

Blessings to you as you prepare to remember our Savior’s suffering and death and as you celebrate his victory, now ours!

Our family had a wonderful experience at this church. A friendly man welcomed us as soon as we stepped into the building, and a shy young boy handed us service folders. I noticed several very attractive displays publicizing the Christian school this church helps to support.

Then it happened. Just before the worship service began, the pastor welcomed us and explained the displays in the entrance. The church was using this Sunday to celebrate being involved with the Christian school. As he talked on behalf of the congregation, thanking the teachers and staff and announcing to everyone present how grateful this congregation is to be part of the school, I realized in amazement that this 5-minute time of recognition made me comfortable to be there and showed me the heart of the people there.

Pastors, I know that the time leading to Easter is filled to the brim with special services and extra sermons to write and all of your regular duties on top of that, but I encourage you to take a few minutes of your time to think about what you could “announce” that would help visitors to see the heart of your congregation.

Could you express appreciation for your Sunday superintendent and staff and the tremendous gifts of time and relationship they give your congregation? Could you invite visitors to attend Sunday school as part of your announcement? Could you thank those who decorated the church for Easter? And use that announcement to mention that there are lots of ways to serve the Lord at your church? Maybe you have a large church staff. Could you use a few moments to tell everyone–out loud–what a privilege it is to belong to such a Christ-focused team?

Jesus Lives, Rejoice! Custom Imprintable Laminated Card with Lapel Pin

At CTA we offer imprintable items whenever possible. If you’re using something like that to give to visitors at Easter, what do you want to say about your church in the imprintable area? Here are some ideas using a fictional church. Let me know if they’re helpful to you! You can enter your own text while you’re on our Web site. By doing that right online, you’ll be able to see how many words will fit and what your message will look like.

Church of the Redeemer
123 Main Street
Springfield, NC 12345
(123) 456-7890
(123) 456-7890

Church of the Redeemer
Worship Times
Sundays 9:00 and 10:30
(123) 456-7890

Church of the Redeemer
Loved by Christ—
Loving Others for Him
(123) 456-7890