Other outreach ideas

Christmas
St Michael’s Church in Aberystwyth set up a ‘stable trail’ one Saturday in December, using people in biblical costume in various places around the church. Parents shopping in the nearby town centre were given leaflets inviting them to bring their children round the various places and events mentioned in the Bible narratives. Many came and got much from the experience.A bigger event, the ‘Bethlehem Experience ', was held at Totley Rise Methodist Church in Sheffield.

Easter
Christ Church stands on a busy main route out of the city. Each Easter the congregation puts up a large wooden cross outside the church, right by the road. On Good Friday they drape it with black fabric, then on Easter Sunday they decorate it with fresh flowers and white and yellow ribbons. It’s eye-catching and has set people talking – and maybe thinking. What could your church do to get people talking about Christianity?

X:site
What would you choose to do with your friends for your 10^th birthday party? Go bowling? Go for a pizza? Bethany chose to take her friends to X:site, the city-wide bi-monthly event run to help Christian children live out their faith among their friends. They enjoyed it so much they’ve been to subsequent events and brought more friends with them.

Lifepath
'I loved Lifepath! Thank you for the best school trip ever!’ (child)
‘I just felt something so special during the singing at Lifepath and when the children were building their cairn… the following Sunday I woke up and just had to go to church’ (teacher)

A club for girls of other faiths
One inner city church runs a midweek club for teenage girls of the local Gujarati community. It meets in the home of one leader and lasts for about an hour and a half. The format of the evening is centred on the Bible and includes a Bible quiz, formed around finding the answer in the Bible and a Bible study. The remainder of the evening is spent doing crafts and chatting. Links are made with the girls’ families, relationships are built and seeds are sown.

Welcoming people to the area
Tony, who is a lay reader at St Philip’s Church, makes the most of his walks around the parish. When he sees a For Sale board go up he makes a note of it and keeps an eye on the sale’s progress. When he judges the house has new occupants, he calls with a ‘welcome to the area’ leaflet, which his church produces. This has details of useful contacts and facilities in the locality as well as information about his church. Does your church leaflet include enough useful information to be kept by people for some time?