Community outreach is a priority for every church, regardless of size and location. It fluctuates based on the needs in your area and the time of year, but connecting with the people in your community is always on your radar.
Outreach comes in many forms and can vary from season to season. But one challenge that arises every year is how to prioritize outreach and find effective outreach ideas during those dreary winter months between Christmas and Easter.
The warm weather of spring and summer and the festive spirit surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas give numerous opportunities to build connections with the people in your community. But what do you do when it gets cold, and people fall into the winter slump that plagues the first few months of the year?
The importance of outreach doesn’t go away, so here are 15 ideas for community outreach that your church can do to effectively share the hope of Jesus during a time when the world is literally at its darkest.
Whether your church has a week to come up with some way to connect or a whole year to plan an event, these ideas can work for you!
Low Prep
Community outreach doesn’t have to be complicated. There are lots of things you can do with little to no prep or advance notice. Here are five outreach ideas that you can plug in around the other things going on in your ministry or put together fairly quickly if a need arises.
- If you live in a colder climate, offer free snow-blowing or shoveling driveways and sidewalks for the neighborhoods surrounding your church. Involve those physically capable of clearing snow and also take some church members who can connect and share the Gospel with homeowners while the others work.
- Distribute hot chocolate or coffee to commuters at mass transit stops. Put your church’s logo and location on cup sleeves or napkins to hand out with the hot drinks.
- Connect with your local utility companies and pay the bills of those who need additional help covering expenses.
- Go on prayer walks throughout your community. Plan stops to pray over places where the love of Jesus can be difficult to see like government buildings, homeless shelters, teen homes, schools, etc.
- Put together winter survival kits to hand out to the homeless. Include lip balm, hand warmers, new gloves, a gift card to a local restaurant for a hot meal, or other items that would be helpful based on your climate. You should also include an encouraging note or prayer card and an invitation to connect with your ministry.
Medium Prep
Here are five things you can do to build relationships with your community, especially during the winter months, if you have more time and resources to plan outreach events. Cold weather tends to push people indoors, so take advantage of the spaces your ministry has and the skills within your congregation to plan more in-depth ways to connect.
- Serve hot meals once a week or partner with a soup kitchen to provide volunteers one time or on a regular basis. If you offer meals, open your family life center or fellowship hall and ask some of your members to sit and connect with people while they eat.
- Host a parents’ night out event. Offer free childcare and dinner for kids and give parents 3-4 hours of time to themselves. Parents can use this time to go on a date night, check things off their to-do lists, or just reset following the hectic holiday season.
- Offer free self-defense classes for men, women, and children. Partner with local law enforcement or martial arts studios to teach basic protection techniques.
- Recruit financial professionals from your church or community and offer free workshops on filing taxes and other financial health and wealth management topics.
- Enlist your members with experience in vehicle maintenance to provide free oil changes for widows or single mothers. Ask some of your ladies to be available to connect with women while they wait, and provide coloring pages or a safe place for kids to play.
High Prep
While there are plenty of things you can do to share the love of Jesus with just a few weeks or month’s notice, some outreach events require more time to plan and organize. Take a look at these five high-prep outreach programs and start planning now to include them in your plans for this year!
- Use your church gym or basement to provide temporary housing for the homeless. Connect with your local homeless shelter to offer additional space for those who would otherwise be exposed to the winter elements.
- Become a host church for Night to Shine to connect with those living with special needs in your community. Partner with other churches and resource centers to create a magical night for special needs adults and their caregivers who may feel overlooked or disconnected.
- Develop an Upward Sports league for kids and families to build relationships with each other and with your church in a fun and engaging way. If you don’t have the right spaces for the sports you’d like to offer, partner with a church that does to share space, resources, and volunteers.
- Plant a community garden with vegetables that will be ready for harvest in the winter months. Use this time to find and prep the space and plant in the late summer or early fall. Set up harvest hours when the community can come to pick their own vegetables and recruit church members to monitor the garden and connect with people as they gather food.
- Plan a Winter Wonderland event with inflatables, games, and treats. If you live in a warmer area that isn’t likely to see winter weather, set up fake snow machines or have a fake snowball fight. Depending on your space and the weather, this event could work indoors or outdoors.
However you chose to connect with the people in your community during this cold and dreary season, remember that you are called to be the light of the world. Take this time to shine your light and show those around you the hope of Jesus!
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