The slower pace of summer is drawing near. Schools will be out. Families will vacation. Church attendance will slack.
Though life tends to move a little slower, summer doesn’t have to be spent in momentum-killing doldrums. Here are three areas to consider for summer outreach.
1. Leverage the Calendar
While Easter and Christmas are the twin summits of the church’s year, we can’t neglect the civic holidays that dot the calendar.
- After the tassels turn, new graduates and their families are both reflective and expectant. Use the space at your church to host a block party or banquet for the local school’s graduates and their families. Make sure to share how the gospel gives our lives purpose and hope.
- To many, but especially veterans, Memorial Day is sacred. Sensitively and pastorally, honor those whose lives have been lost and those who served by bringing a meal to a local veterans association or hosting a dinner and a night of remembrance and thanksgiving at your church.
- Celebrate July 4th or Canada Day (July 1) with your community. Hand out water bottles with tracts or invitation cards at the local parade. Host a twilight fireworks show. Use the festivities to strike up gospel conversations and invite people to your church.
2. Fill the Gaps
With schools on summer hiatus, significant gaps develop in our communities.
- Children, normally occupied with studies, suddenly have hours of free time. Perhaps your church could put on a Vacation Bible School, or maybe a less formal, neighborhood-based Backyard Bible Club?
- In the United States, public schools provide government-subsidized breakfasts and lunches. When schools aren’t in session, millions of students lose access to dependable meals. Contact school administrations and other local agencies to get information on families that can be served.
- Host a “Parents’ Night Out” or “Summer Date Night” at your church where moms and dads can get a little time away from homework-less kids. Provide childcare. Grill steaks and roast potatoes. Get the word out and invite the community. Give a brief Bible-based marriage talk, and, above all, share the hope found in that great exemplar, the One who gave Himself up for His bride.
- Live in a college town? Though campus life essentially grinds to a halt, many international students stay stateside. Academics beckoned them, but many also want to get a taste of the American lifestyle while they’re here. Connect and integrate students into the rhythms of your church. Introduce them to a Sunday potluck. Bring them to a real-life, authentic Christian church service. Plan social activities and provide community for them. Build relationships that open the doors to intentional gospel conversations.
3. Go Local
Who doesn’t love a staycation? Bring that same philosophy to a local short-term mission trip—all the gospel-advance with a fraction of the logistical planning.
- Blitz your local neighborhoods with prayer walks and door-to-door evangelism.
- Execute service projects that build relational equity in your community.
- Host block parties. Cap the week off with an outreach event that shares the gospel.
What ideas would you add to the list? May God use you this summer as He works in the hearts of your neighbors and community!