IDEA #1: FAMILY-FRIENDS AND FUN DAY
In Advance
Choose a Sunday that will be the best time for people to attend. Avoid vacation and holiday times. Avoid times when church families will be gone. Plan for a meal to take place after the worship service. The church will provide a covered dish or cater a meal. The church will provide the meal and guests will not be asked to bring anything. We want to be gracious hosts to our guests. Planning for activities for children after the meal will also add to the impact for this day. You may want to consider putting all of your energy into this day and not have evening worship or activities.
10 Weeks In Advance
Meet with all Sunday School leaders. Share with them the plans for this special Sunday. It is critically important that the Sunday School leaders be supportive and understand the importance of their leadership in preparation for this special day.
8 Weeks In Advance
Announce to the congregation details about the Family-Friends and Fun Day. Ask everyone to reserve this day on their calendar. This should be promoted in the worship service as well as Sunday School. Provide an announcement sheet for your Sunday School teachers. Ask people to begin to think about unchurched family and friends to invite to this special Sunday.
4-6 Weeks In Advance
Provide a prayer card for people to keep in their Bible with the following information:
Family-Friends and Fun Day Prayer Card
I plan to invite ________________ to Sunday School and worship on this special day. I will also pray for my friend(s).
Please keep this prayer card in your Bible.
Make this card available in worship and Sunday School during the entire emphasis.
2 Weeks In Advance
Mail an invitation to all prospects inviting them to this special day.
1 Week In Advance
Every Sunday School class calls all their members and attenders in advance and encourages everyone to be present on Family-Friends and Fun Day. You may also want to advertise this to the community through the newspaper or other means.
Be sure that your church buildings are clean and neat anticipating welcoming your guests. Be sure to have greeters prepared to help guests with needs. The greeters should know where all the Sunday School classes are located. You may want to provide an area and banner that says “Guest Information”. Be sure that the meal and serving of the food are well organized. Be welcoming and friendly in the Sunday School classes. Do not call on guests to read the Bible or pray. Be friendly in worship. A simple message on God’s love and provision on the cross can have a great impact in people’s lives.
IDEA #2: TELEPHONE TREE
Commit to calling everyone on the Sunday School roll one week before a Sunday where there is a good possibility that people will attend. Avoid vacation, holidays and times when families may be gone. Calls can be made during the week or Saturday before the Sunday you are building toward a greater attendance.
Organize a telephone chain that looks like this. (Remind everyone to be present Sunday)
PASTOR CALLS CHURCH STAFF AND SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTOR. (PASTOR MAY CALL THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION WHO CALLS STAFF AND SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTOR.)
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTOR WILL CALL GENERAL LEADERS WHO WORK WITH HIM SUCH AS THE SUNDAY SCHOOL SECRETARY. HE WILL ALSO CALL AGE GROUP DIVISION DIRECTORS OR A PERSON WHO IS DESIGNATED TO CALL ALL THE TEACHERS IN EACH AGE GROUP.
A DESIGNATED PERSON WILL CALL ALL ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS. A DESIGNATED PERSON WILL CALL ALL YOUTH TEACHERS. A DESIGNATED PERSON WILL CALL ALL CHILDREN’S TEACHERS. A DESIGNATED PERSON WILL CALL ALL PRESCHOOL TEACHERS.
TEACHERS WILL CALL EVERYONE ON THEIR ROLL AND PROSPECTS. TEACHERS WILL CALL PARENTS OF PRESCHOOLERS AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THEIR CHILD ON SUNDAY.
IDEA #3: RED WHITE AND BLUE SUNDAY
6 Weeks In Advance
On Red White and Blue Sunday everyone is asked to be present in Sunday School to honor our country and those serving in our armed forces. Have a special time of prayer for our country, government leaders and those in the military. Communicate this to all your Sunday School leaders in advance. It will add a lot to this day if the worship service also is focused on Red White and Blue Sunday with music and message dedicated to this day. Usually we plan these events on a holiday weekend. For this emphasis it would be well to have this Sunday on a day when a lot of people can be present to pray. Be creative in planning for this emphasis.
4 Weeks In Advance Promote to the congregation.
1 Week In Advance
Send a mail out and call everyone reminding them to be present for this special day. Our country and military certainly need our prayers.
IDEA #4: PRAYER WALK SUNDAY
6 Weeks In Advance
Meet with all Sunday School leaders to explain this special day. There will be a prayer walk around the church buildings. The Sunday School will pray that God will use our buildings, resources and us to fulfill the Great Commission through the Sunday School. This will remind us of our mission as a Sunday School to reach people, minister to them, disciple them so that we might serve on our mission field in ministry and share our faith. This emphasis also points that God has given your land and buildings to be used to fulfill His purpose and mission. Be creative in planning for this emphasis.
4 Weeks In Advance Promote to the congregation.
1 Week In Advance
Send a mail out to everyone explaining the day. Call all Sunday School members and attenders and remind them to be present.
Prayer Walk Sunday
Everyone goes to Sunday School at the designated time. The first 20 minutes will be fellowship and prayer time. All adult, youth and children’s classes will meet at designated places around your buildings. Children will be closely supervised by teachers and other adults as needed. PRESCHOOLERS WILL REMAIN IN THEIR SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES DUE TO SAFETY AND SECURITY ISSUES. Some senior adults and others who may have difficulty walking may want to meet in a special room to pray. After the prayer walk the pastor will lead in a special time of prayer.
IDEA #5: SPORTS EMPHASIS
People often respond to sports emphasis. These can be used in a fun way to motivate and record contacts. Some ideas . . .
Home Run Sunday
8 Weeks In Advance
Promote and communicate with all Sunday School leaders about the emphasis.
6 Weeks In Advance
Contacts will be made and recorded for the next six weeks on a poster designed by you.
Base Hits
SINGLE – Contacts to members and outreach equal to 50% of the class enrollment. DOUBLE – Contacts to members and outreach equal to 75% of the class enrollment. TRIPLE – Contacts to members and outreach equal to 100% of the class enrollment HOME RUN – Contacts to members and outreach equal to 100% of enrollment plus 10.
Be creative and design your own Home Run Sunday.
SIMILAR SPORTS EMPHASIS COULD BE USED TO RECORD CONTACTS OVER A SIX WEEK PERIOD SUCH AS FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL. REWARD THOSE CLASSES THAT ACHIEVE GOALS.
IDEA #6: JOURNEY TO THE CROSS
Take a six week journey toward the cross before Easter or at another time. A number of outreach and contacts to members determined by you each week will bring the class closer to the cross. Set a goal for each week. The goal will be for each class to be at the cross in six weeks. When we consider that Jesus Christ died on the cross so that every person could come to Him this can be a reminder of God’s love as well as our command to reach out to others with His love.
