100 Outreach Ideas

As mentioned in the newsletter a couple of weeks ago, I want us to get thinking outreach again. To kick start the process let's compile a list of 100 outreach ideas. Hit reply now and send me some suggestions - these can be sensible ideas, safe, crazy, expensive or cheap, it doesn't really matter! We can sift through them later. Email them to me or hit the 'comments' link below and add them there. I'll add them to the list below as we go along!
1. Run an Alpha course in a pub on a Monday night - the pub would love it as a quiet night filler!
2. Pancake Race along Wormley High Street...
3. Host/sponsor a comedy evening
4. Community action days (i.e. go and clean a public area, free car washing
etc)
5. Social events (e.g. quiz nights, cultural evenings, barn dances)
6. Make the most of Christian 'holidays' - Easter egg hunts, pancake races,
carol services
7. Use Children's/youth work to encourage parents - award evenings and launch
services for holiday clubs, feedback services from Youth Camp
8. Film night/televise sporting events (providing correct entertainment
licenses obtained!!)
9. Community lunches
10. Church sporting events/outings/picnics
11. Church drop in sessions (someone to listen)
12. BBQ on some of the green spaces in the flats around Fairfield Drive
13. To get to know at least one other person in WFC that you only say 'hello' to on a Sunday.
14. Invite two people from the WFC to lunch. One you know already, the other (see 13). This can be done on a monthly basis, which hopefully will alternate to the others houses. It may be an idea to have a start / finish time (?)
15. Ladies of WFC invite Rosedale ladies to a 'bring some grub' evening. Written invites to be sent.
16. Have a birthday card scheme for Sierra Leone, like the Baptist Missionary Soceity. Those who want to join receive a birthday card and an envelope.They can put in a donation for the work of S L. Needs someone to organise, set up a birthday calendar, send out cards, collect money and pass on to Treasurer.
17. Have a picnic with a Rounders match afterwards.
18. Have a social - like Sheila & Dougs 40th. Make sure the music covers 50's, 60's, and up to the present day.
19. Have a photo album of the years events.
20. Check out other ideas here

21. O-openhouse Sunday/community lunch
22. N-next big thing (battle of the bands)
23. E-easter egg give away

24. H-holiday club
25. U-unsung heroes (jobs for people)
26. N-new for old (turn old clothes/furniture into new things)
27. D-donate a play area
28. R-renovate the area (cleaning)
29. E-entertain with music
30. D-drama

31. activity/games day
32. Organise a standby set of WFC quiz team members to enter local pub events, etc
33. Run a 'Parenting course' - perfect opportunity to put across the Christian
viewpoint
34. Build upon relationships made at Toddlers etc
35. Set up Prayer Triplets (or something similar) to pray for a colleague at
work to come to Christ
36. Church newsletter with 'evangelistic' edge to be delivered to local estate
37. Deliver evangelistic literature/dvds/videos at Easter/Christmas (e.g. see here) - with invites to services
38. Develop the apologetics side of the Church website
39. Visit Nursing Homes etc
40. Link up with existing prison chaplaincy/visiting
41. Develop the link the Church has with existing Schools-work
42. Have a "Bring and Share Lunch" but invite all the people that used to come WFC but don't anymore, especially the youth.
43. pray that God will show us which ideas to follow through
44. regular prayer / prayer walks for certain areas
45. prayer box(es) in e.g. costcutters for locals to use for requests for prayer, visits, help etc
46. set up a Besom
47. lunchtime Alpha with creche
48. youth alpha at Broxbourne Secondary
49. getting to know and working with the congregation at St Laurences
50. church members integrating more into the community by e.g. supporting local events, joining clubs / societies, joining PTA, becoming a school governor, local councillor etc
51. make a stand on local issues
52. train to deliver Walk Thru The Bible (or whatever the children's version is called) in local primary school(s) once a year
53. host or co-host children's mission event e.g. Doug Horley
54. On The Move
55. deliver welcome pack to families moving into homes in the area
56. ask people what they want from their local church
57. love each other sincerely and extravagantly (1 John 3 v.23-24)
58. offer to clean people's houses for free!
59. Live the life we have as a true servant of Christ - that way we shine before men, and they can see where it comes from, because it is not us. I would add that it's tough to do 24/7.
60. Bible giveaways - buy a bible (Tescos online sell them), walk up to a complete stranger in the market or shopping mall, say 'I think this is yours' and then walk away ;o)
61. A karaoke night?
62. Select what we feel are 3 to 5 issues important to local people. Select 500 (?) addresses locally and deliver a quarterly newsletter to each with the latest update on these issues.
63. 24 hour continuous Bible reading at Slipe Lane to go from Genesis to Revelation over Easter
64. Music nights or concerts booked at the community centre (a la Dave Bilbrough 2006)
65. Guest Services
66. Palm Sunday parade with real donkey through Wormley!....
67. 'Sale' where things are given away for free
68. Donation of Christian books to local schools
69. Community Prayer Box
70. Try one of these
71. Reverse Trick-or-treat evening :-)
72. Offer Marriage /Parenting Courses
73. Build a Wormley Community Website
74. Get involved in local community groups & schools - not to 'evangelise, but to help
75. Putting up free smoke alarms
76. Giving away cups of tea and doughnuts to local shopkeepers
77. Promote a 'Get to Know Your Neighbour' week
78. Distribute CD-ROMs advertising the church
79. Giving away flowers to mothers in the local area
80. Prayer walks
81. Clean up the Dog's mess around Wormley.... sounds yuk but will be appreciated
82. Hot cross bun give away
83. Give out flower seeds to celebrate spring or Easter, with the church's details attached. Can explain idea of Easter being about new life etc.
84. Host local Teddy Bears' Picnic
85. Try some of the crazy ideas at Servant Evangelism
86. Run an award ceremony for people who have contributed to Wormley
87. Organise massive Easter egg hunt in Wormley fields and invite the whole of Wormley
88. Have cards with "Is there a God?" printed on them with answers on a postcard
to the Church address - delivered to 100 addresses - follow up with "Does it
matter?" a month later. (incoherent but hope you get the idea....)
89. Singing old favourite hymns at Wormley Court
90. Student services leaflet at Turnford college with offer of encouragement/chaplaincy for students
91. A quiz nite 4 our kids to invite their friends from school like the Adults one but geared 2 wards kids from the community
92. a survey door to door of what people think about God & what the expect from/ wish to see happen at their local church could be interesting
93. hold a youth worship service
94. tent mission
95. open air service
96. worship disco
97. internet cafe
98. alpha with child care
99. family drop in
100. youth club
101. more nights for after school club
102. 100 days of love - different ways to show Gods love in community
103. 100 hours of prayer
104. seaside trip very subsidised
105. Public Advertising of weekly services... Preacher, topic, time and location....?
106. Organise a girly pamper night, bring your friends and have manicures/pedicures etc done really cheaply. Also have videos n lots of chocolate =]
107. Do drama pieces / worship in town centres.
108. Go on a youth mission to romania or other developing countries where we have links, maybe sierra leone? Maybe do a work mission as well to help the missionaries and villages.
109. Set up a prayer phone / email chain throughout the church. Locals have somebodys phone number / email and if they want prayer then they ring / email this person and this person forwarded it on to other people in the church etc.
110. Put an advert in the local newspaper
111. collect Christmas food/gift boxes for personal delivery
112. Organise (informal) Saturday morning football for local youth?
113. Who could resist a bouncy castle on a local bit of open space? - ok, I could, but I'm sure some couldn't ;o)
114. Bring and buy sale? Jumble sale?
115. Set up a (ad hoc) table selling hand-made cards
116. Organise a summer fete - you know the kind of thing: tombola, wet sponge throwing, punch and judy, etc
117. Launch a community radio station - Radio Wormley! - or broadcast online
118. Offer a day time Alpha Course with an attached creche for parents of younger children