In a recent coaching call, I had a church ask me, “What can we do to reach our community with just two people and a few bucks?” I think they thought I wouldn’t have any ideas, but those who know me would know that, of course, I have a few ideas!
Let me start by saying these outreaches must be part of a broader plan to create notoriety and build bridges of connections between your church and the ones you’re ministering to. Don’t do these as one-offs, and don’t think that if you do one, revival will come. This must be a consistent, monthly or bi-weekly effort over a period of 12-18 months before you will start to see some fruit.
That being said, if you got two people, a few bucks and a few hours – here are some ideas.
Coffee and donuts for teachers in the staff room. With $50.00 and a connection to the school, two people can do an elementary school staff blessing.
Stock the fridge in an elementary school staff room. A trip to Costco, and you’ll fill that fridge in no time.
Freezies for students. Since you’re already making connections with teachers, offer to give away freezies to the students on a Friday afternoon. Label them, of course.
Hand out water on a hot day. Label the waters with a “God loves you and so do we” label with your church address and go around on a hot day handing out water
Host a community connection event. Use your church, get some coffee and donuts and call it a “meet your neighbours” nite – partner with the local community neighbourhood association. It only takes two.
Granola bar giveaway at a community event. Find an event happening in your community, buy 200 granola bars and label them. Hand them out.
Dog concierge. Is your church nearby a park? Get water bowls, dog treats and poop bags and set them up on a Saturday or an evening and bless the doggies and their parents.
Paint night. You’ll need one of you to be an artist, but a paint night for 12-15 people is doable with just two of you. Get people to register so you have their info. Call it “Community Paint Nite” rather than “Revival Fire Painting.”
Prayer walk. It only takes two people to pray and walk around your neighbourhood. Listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying and share it the next Sunday.
Door knockers. Get a simple door knocker made up letting the homeowner know “we prayed for you” with your church name and address. It’s a nice addition to when you’re prayer walking.
Neighbourhood block party. Print up some invites, and hand them out. Get some hot dogs and beverages and have a small neighbourhood block party. If you had six families do this in their neighbourhoods over the summer, imagine what connections you could make.
First responders treats. Make or buy treats for the fire, ambulance, police and emergency services. Go and give them away. Label them, of course.
Seeds for the garden. Buy a bunch of packs of seeds and drop them off at the houses surrounding the church with a nice note on them that says, “A gift for your garden” and the name of your church.
Gift certificate giveaway. Buy a $50.00 gift certificate to a local shop and use your online social media to give it away. Bring some publicity to the shop and bless someone who DOES NOT attend your church in the process.
Community clean up. It only takes two people to walk the street around your church and pick up garbage.
Business coffee blessing. Buy a pack of coffee and a box of chocolates and bring it to local businesses (in the downtown core) in your community. Let them know you’re thinking about them and that your church is praying for their business.
Make a relevant video that addresses a real-time need in your community. Take your phone and film yourself talking about a relevant issue (anxiety, depression, confusion) for 90 seconds. Make sure you point people to Christ in the video. Sponsor it for $25.00 on Facebook. You’ll have reached 1.5 thousand + people.
Grief Share, Divorce Care, Sanctuary Course, Finance Course. You only need two people to facilitate these courses. Put on a pot of coffee, put the video in and off you go.
Hot chocolate giveaway. Get some containers and some hot chocolate, and go where it’s cold and warm people up.
Park takeover. Go to a local park on weekends or evenings and bring some freezies and a few balls. Get a game going with the kids in the area. Make it a fun time. You’ll make an impression.
A few things about these ideas.
1. Make sure you label the things you give away or have a card that says, “God Loves You, and So Do We,” with your church name and web address. The reason you do this is because you want the gift to carry with it a spiritual note. This isn’t just a gift; it’s a reminder of the love of God.
2. Make sure you take a picture of what you’re doing and post it to social media on your site, talking about how excited you are to bless your community and use the hashtags “#for __(your community)” or “#godloves__(your community)__.” After you’ve posted that, share that same post with other community Facebook groups. This is all about spreading joy into the community that good things are happening.
So find a friend, pick one of these and let’s reach your community.
Jeremiah works as an Effectiveness Coach with the ABNWT District of the PAOC. He is a passionate and creative leader who believes that the church is the hope of the world. He uses collaboration, innovation, and inspiration to challenge churches and their leadership to engage in the only mission Jesus ever sent his church on: making disciples.