Real Hope for Real Life

A Guide for Planning a Lent and Easter Invite-a-Friend Evangelism Campaign and Friendship Celebration

Friendship Celebrations: Effective Evangelism

Poll a cross-section of people about how they came to faith and participation in the church and approximately 90% will say, "I was invited by a relative, friend or neighbor." Friends invite friends to Jesus.

Congregations across the country have found creative ways to harness the power of this truth by hosting worship events or special congregational gatherings to which their members may invite their friends. Because most people find new places intimidating, they are far more likely to "come and see" if they are invited by a friend or relative.

Today we live in the midst of a large spiritually yearning public. The mission field is no longer overseas. It is in our neighborhoods and schools, our workplaces and homes. The hurts and hopes of a stress-filled, fast-paced life contribute to a hunger for answers and meaning. Our congregations can be communities providing real hope for real life.

Research also shows that there are three key times when unchurched people are more inclined to seek a relationship with God and the church: Christmas, Easter and Mother's Day. Seekers, drawn by the pull of religious memory, family history or cultural influence are even more likely at these times to respond positively to a sincere invitation than at other times of the year. Congregations attentive to these opportunities will mobilize their members to invite their unchurched friends, relatives and neighbors to join them for worship and the possibilities of a new or renewed relationship with Christ and his church.

This resource is designed to help you plan an effective Lent and Easter evangelism campaign and Friendship Celebration. It offers a theme, Real Hope for Real Life, and the following resources:

• Tools for motivating congregational members to invite others to your Friendship Celebration.
• Ways to publicize the campaign and Friendship Celebration in your local community.
• A timeline for planning and preparation prior to your Friendship Celebration.
• Hospitality and follow-up strategies with your Friendship Celebration guests.

Adapt and expand this material in the ways that work best for you in your setting.

The mission field is no longer overseas.
It is in our neighborhoods and schools,
our workplaces and homes.

Tools to Strengthen Your Lent or Easter Welcome

Before going further, review the materials included in this packet to enhance and strengthen your Lent and Easter Friendship Campaign.

Evangelism Dramas: Real Hope for Real Life
This resource provides four dramas to be used in worship during the following times of the year: Rally Day, Advent or Christmas, Lent or Easter and on a Sunday focused on encouraging members to share their faith in daily life. These dramas highlight themes for encouraging members to invite others to church or explaining the basics of Christianity to unchurched people. (To order multiple drama script copies, call 800/638-3522; order code #69-7856, ISBN 6-0001-0951-2, $1.25 plus shipping and handling.)

About the Theme: Celebrations: Real Hope for Real Life

The world is searching for something real. Ads promise us that we can find fulfillment by purchasing the right car, new clothes and trendy things. In the midst of a world of hype and false promises, there is a place where we can find real hope, the real stuff for living. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can center our lives on someone who is as good as he promises to be.

Unlike the broken promises of relationships gone sour or human inadequacies, Jesus Christ has been a sure and steady source of real hope to millions of people who have lived over the past twenty centuries. Countless individuals have found a lasting and reliable friend when they have built a relationship with the One who is the Hope for the world. The theme of this campaign is "Real Hope for Real Life," a powerful reminder that Christ alone has the power to change people's lives from despair to joy, from brokenness to wholeness, from emptiness to abundance and from restlessness to peace. Jesus is the real hope for real life! Make your Friendship Celebration an experience that will help your congregation spread the news that Jesus is the "Real Hope for Real Life."

Getting Started

There are several areas you'll need to address to prepare for your Real Hope for Real Life Lent and Easter evangelism campaign and Friendship Celebration.

• Raising congregational commitment for the effort
• Publicizing your campaign and celebration in your local
  community
• Planning the Friendship Celebration details
• Anticipating a follow-up strategy to guests.

Careful attention to these areas of preparation will ensure that the results of your evangelism campaign and Friendship Celebration are effective in reaching unchurched family, friends and neighbors of your congregational members. Material on the following pages provides further detail on all of these areas.

Three Keys to Why Friendship Celebrations Work

1. Effective witness happens over time and is grounded in relationships and context.

While some people experience dramatic conversion, 85% of people come to faith and a relationship with Christ and the church over a period of time. Effective conversion happens most often because of the experiences of authentic and caring friends who invite and model discipleship. In this kind of "process evangelism," invited friends discover the love of God through the genuine relationships modeled by God's people.

2. Effective witness happens best when a congregation teams together in its evangelism efforts.

Many people shy away from faith sharing because they fear standing on their own. Friendship celebrations and other invitational evangelism efforts provide a team effort in which all the elements of the event become "the evangelist." We simply invite. The Holy Spirit working through inviting members, the worship service, the message, the music and the community of God's people works the miracle of a powerful witness.

3. Effective witness is only successful as it is taught and caught.

Friendship Celebrations become a major teaching tool over time. They help a congregation devote attention and training for members about faith sharing and invitation skills for effective discipleship. They give congregational members an opportunity to practice and learn this expression of discipleship. Congregations who regularly host Friendship celebrations discover their members grow in their courage, ability and skill as evangelists.

Internal Evangelism: Raising Congregational Commitment

Begin publicizing the Real Hope for Real Life evangelism campaign on the first Sunday of the new year to your members. By starting early, you'll build momentum and excitement among members for the evangelism efforts which will happen over the following months into the Easter season. Here are some ideas for raising congregational commitment to the campaign:

• Gather a small group of congregational members who will serve as the Real Hope Evangelism Team for the first quarter of the year. Develop a monthly and weekly calendar using the Real Hope for Real Life campaign materials.
• Plan ways that you can highlight faith sharing and inviting skills in your Christian education ministries with adults, youth and children. (See the resource listing on page 5 for educational ministry ideas.)
• Write a letter to your congregation encouraging involvement in the evangelism campaign and sharing information about the schedule of events around it.
• Ask your pastor to integrate friendship evangelism themes into the sermons during the period of the campaign.
• Consider scheduling several lay leaders to share temple talks motivating members to invite others. Some topics which could bolster enthusiasm prior to your Friendship Celebration include: stories about a person who shared their faith and significantly influenced the faith of another person, stories about the difference your congregation has made in a person's life, stories about what it means to be a Christian and stories about how congregational members take Sunday faith into Monday's world.
• Encourage a group of drama enthusiasts in your congregation to act out the Real Hope for Real Life skit.

Think strategically about ways to encourage congregational members to invite those they know without a faith connection to come to your Friendship Celebration and other congregational events.

The Importance of Prayer

Begin your preparation for your Real Hope for Real Life evangelism campaign and Friendship Celebration with attention to prayer. Highlight prayer as a central focus throughout your campaign regularly remembering those who are doing the inviting and those who will be coming to your congregation for the first time during the Lent or Easter season.

Consider providing strips of colorful paper as inserts in your worship bulletins during the weeks preceding your Friendship Celebration for members to write the names of those they will be inviting to church activities. These strips of paper may be linked together to form a prayer chain for your narthex or worship space. Use the chain as a visible reminder to your congregation of the people being prayed for in preparation for your Lent or Easter celebration. Watch the chain and the prayers grow as your Friendship Celebration draws near.

For further information and ideas on strengthening your congregation's prayer ministries, order the resource "Growing Your Congregation's Prayer Ministries," by calling: 800/328-4648, order code # 69-9290, 6-0000-9997-5.

Encouraging Faith Sharing and Invitation

Congregational members may be hesitant at first to talk about their faith and invite those they know to come to church with them! To encourage greater success in your internal congregational evangelism efforts, provide a variety of educational opportunities for members to strengthen their faith sharing skills. In addition to the temple talks mentioned above, consider ways to help children, youth and adults feel more comfortable and confident in inviting others to worship and other congregation-related activities. Through sermon illustrations, newsletter articles and teaching opportunities, you can help members discover personal evangelism as a mark of their discipleship journey.

Resources to support your effort

The following resources will provide support for your educational efforts with various age groups (all of these resources may be ordered by calling: 800/328-4648, using the order codes listed):
Faith: Living It. Sharing It (34-10506-2100, 6-0001-0506-1) This interactive video helps participants build confidence in sharing their faith. It highlights ELCA congregations effective at encouraging faith sharing skills and gifts among members and in the world.
Sharing Faith in Daily Life: A Small Group Study (69-4936 or 6-0000-9995-9) This four-session resource helps participants discover their unique, God-given faith sharing style and guides them to new appreciation for their role as God's inviters.

Begin publicizing Real Hope for Real Life the first Sunday of the new year to build momentum and excitement among members.

Counting Down to your Lent or Easter Friendship Celebration: Real Hope for Real Life

Follow these guidelines to plan a successful Lent or Easter evangelism campaign and Friendship Celebration in your congregation. At least twelve weeks before your event, pull together a task force or team to plan and promote this effort. The team should include motivated members with a heart for sharing the Gospel with others. If you have an established evangelism committee or team, you may want to involve some of its members on this task force. Because this is a focused evangelism campaign, you may invite new people who have limited time for an ongoing commitment but strong interest in a short-term project like this campaign.

Begin to meet, study the Real Hope for Real Life materials, establish the date for your Friendship Celebration, develop a timeline and organize your efforts. Plan out specifically in detail how your congregation and the task force will move forward with this emphasis. Set clear monthly and weekly goals and decide who will complete which tasks.

Week 8

Write a lead article in the newsletter announcing the campaign. Share the timeline and plans for the campaign and Friendship Celebration. At worship, announce the campaign and briefly explain the role congregation members will play as inviters. Introduce the Real Hope for Real Life theme through a bulletin inserts.

Week 7

Begin a series of temple talks motivating members to support the evangelism campaign and encouraging them to pray for the people who will be reached through it. Invite your youth group or confirmation class to distribute one set of the campaign door-hangers throughout local neighborhoods over the weekend. Place an ad on a local billboard. Begin a six-week emphasis during Sunday school on friendship evangelism.

Week 6

Continue the series of temple talks with a personal story from a member who became a Christian through the invitation of a friend. Begin a four-week youth or adult forum, class or small group on faith sharing skills (see suggestions on page 5.) Include another bulletin insert in the worship bulletins for the week. Include a paragraph description of the campaign in your bulletin announcements and publically during the worship services.

Week 5

Continue the series of temple talks with a personal story from a member who became a Christian through the invitation of a family member. Continue your youth or adult educational activities on faith sharing skills. Place another campaign bulletin insert in the worship bulletins for the week. Hand out to members invitations they can share with friends, relatives, associates and neighbors inviting them to your Celebration Sunday. Prepare and send out one set of direct mail postcards to all the residents in zip codes close to your church building. Prepare a second article for the next newsletter highlighting the details of the campaign.

Week 4

Continue the series of temple talks with a personal story from a member who became a Christian through the invitation of a neighbor. Continue the youth and adult educational activities. Place another campaign bulletin insert in the worship bulletins for the week. Include slips of construction paper in the bulletin to use for a prayer chain. Have worshipers write down the names of people they intend to invite to the Friendship Celebration and place the prayer chain links in the offering plates. Distribute coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets, shirts, visors or hats to members to use in their daily life as a way to promote conversations about your congregation and its ministries during the week.

Week 3

Continue the series of temple talks with a personal story from a member who became a Christian through the invitation of a work colleague. Highlight the prayer chain during the announcements and encourage members to continue making prayer chain links using the construction paper in their worship bulletins. Ask your pastor to incorporate stories or illustrations about evangelism in the sermon. Pray for members who will be inviting others to come to your Friendship Celebration and for those who will be invited that they may be receptive and open to the Gospel. Continue the Sunday school, youth and adult educational training on faith sharing. Prepare a press release for your local paper about the upcoming Celebration Sunday.

Week 2

Continue the series of temple talks with a personal story from a child or youth about how they were invited to worship or a congregation-related activity by a classmate or friend at school. Mail a second set of direct mail postcards to all the residents in zip codes close to your church. Include the drama, Real Hope for Real Life, in your worship services for the week. Place another campaign bulletin insert in the weekly worship bulletins. Pray for the inviters and invitees who will be coming to your Friendship Celebration in two weeks. Have volunteers make phone calls to remind members about the upcoming Friendship Celebration. Intensify your external publicity efforts with print ads and a press release in your local newspaper.

Week 1

Continue the series of temple talks with a personal story from a congregational member about the difference it has made to be a Christian and to follow Jesus. During your worship announcements, invite several people to role play different ways of inviting others to church. Encourage all members of every age to invite their friends, relatives, associates and neighbors to the Friendship Celebration. Finalize arrangements for any on site hospitality efforts, such as name-tags, refreshments, greeters, building tour guides, etc. Include another campaign bulletin insert in your worship bulletins. Send a team of people into your local neighborhoods to distribute another set of door-hangers inviting local residents to your Friendship Celebration.

Tying Lent or Easter to your Friendship Celebration Emphasis

Review the Gospel texts of the Lent and Easter seasons to prepare for your Real Hope for Real Life evangelism campaign. Use the texts as devotional readings during your early planning meetings and invite task force members to share insights for tying the texts to your Friendship Celebration.

As you plan your timeline, keep in mind that you will likely have the greatest potential impact by planning your Friendship Celebration for the Sunday before Palm Sunday. This kind of schedule allows your congregation to invite guests into a three-week period of story into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It also invites people into a time of festival celebration in the life of the church and an opportunity to experience the real hope of the Easter message! Another option may be to plan your Friendship Celebration for the first or second Sunday after Easter. This may encourage your members to invite unchurched friends, relatives and neighbors to Easter Sunday services and worship services during the Easter season.
    
The Real Hope for Real Life evangelism campaign materials are not time dated. They can be used during Lent or Easter or in both seasons. The following information is offered as illustrations for themes for all three Revised Common Lectionary cycles: B (2000, 2003, 2006), C (2001, 2004, 2007) and A (2002, 2005, 2008).

Lent 2 (Cycle A)/Lent 4(Cycle B)/: John 3: 1-21
In this text, John describes the reason Jesus was sent into the world: to save it from condemnation. Because of God's infinite love for humanity, God desires that all people should come to believe in Jesus Christ. John 3:16 is often quoted on signs in stadiums. But, people unfamiliar with the Gospel don't have a clue what it means! This Gospel is a reminder that we are called to invite others to know Jesus Christ, the one who is real hope for real life! Part of what it means to be God's loving people is to share that hope with others, to translate the stadium signs into meaningful, real-life messages for others. The text for this Sunday provides an opportunity to emphasize the importance of friends inviting friends to know the source of real hope!

Easter 2 (Cycles A, B & C): John 20:19-31
The story of "doubting Thomas" is full of real life issues to help share the Gospel with people unfamiliar to the Christian message. Most things advertised as too good to be true, usually are! How can Jesus give his disciples peace which lasts? (Vs. 19-21) Does he really breathe his Spirit into his followers? (Vs. 22 & 23) Is it possible to believe in something or someone who is truly life-giving? (Vs. 31) People yearn for peace and hope. In the midst of life's uncertainties, Jesus appears and addresses the questions of those who seek and wonder. He is real hope for real life; Jesus is real enough to deal with the questions of those who follow him.

Easter 3 (Cycle C): John 21:1-19
Jesus is able to accomplish infinitely more than what can be done by humans! Our hopes and dreams are confined by the limits of what we know and see. Like the fishers in the story, we have learned to lower our expectations and hopes about ourselves and others. Placing faith in Jesus Christ is holding on to someone who defies boundaries and makes the unexpected happen. Even the wind and seas obey him, even demons recognize him. How can we know Jesus? Can he be as real to us today as he was to these early followers?

Easter 4 (Cycles A, B, & C): John 10: 1-30
In a world where relationships are fleeting and few things are reliable, there is one who is who he says he is! Jesus is the source of real hope and security for the "unreal" things that happen in life! Like the Good Shepherd, Jesus stands by those who know him. He cares for his own like shepherds care for their sheep; it is not a fleeting commitment but the real substance of a lasting relationship. Jesus is the hope that is real when life feels hopeless or too real to deal with!

Raising Community Awareness

To receive the most benefit out of your campaign, couple your internal evangelism efforts with external communication to the people living in the neighborhoods closest to your church. By using local public media, you'll gain the attention of residents and provide support for your congregational members as they invite their friends, relatives, associates and neighbors to your Friendship Celebration during Lent or Easter.

Practical tips for using the campaign

Every successful evangelism effort starts with a plan. Begin by asking these questions: What do we plan to accomplish through this evangelism campaign? Who do we hope to reach in our community? For assistance in planning an overall communication evangelism strategy, order and review the resource, GO PUBLIC: Developing Your Plan for Communication Evangelism (800/328-4648, 23-2335, ISBN 0-8066-3620-3) For the greatest impact over time, it is best to partner this seasonal campaign with long-term plans at evangelizing through public media. Remember that "one shot" efforts are normally not as effective in reaching people. A sustained effort to evangelize through public media should always include efforts to involve your "internal audience" --- your congregation. No one ad or single postcard mailing will produce a harvest of new people or instant crowds!

How to put the materials to their best use

While this campaign is designed to reach the "unchurched," it will also touch those in other church settings or members of your own congregation! Each portion of the campaign stresses hope through Jesus Christ and ends with an invitation to worship.

Use a variety of items to reinforce your message and maximize impact. Depending on your individual situation, you should plan on using one or more items (example: newspaper ads and postcards or postcards/door hangers or some other combination.) Also, your "internal audience" of congregational members can share bulletin inserts and invitations to worship with friends, acquaintances and others who may feel disconnected from life or church. Plan on using the same ad, same postcard and same door hanger as a "theme" for a week or month.

Direct marketing tips: Postcards and door hangers

The use of the postcards and door hangers offers a "direct marketing" complement to your total evangelism plan for Lent and Easter. They can be especially effective if used in combination with the newspaper ads. However, for some congregations, newspapers may be too expensive. Postcards and the use of door hangers may be the most efficient way to directly contact people in your area. The postcards and door hangers offer a "targeted" approach to your "prospects."

Consider placing the Real Hope for Real Life door-hangers at every home or apartment in your community on the weekend before your Friendship Celebration. For maximum coverage in your community, order several sets of the door-hangers and place them on every door in your community early in your campaign and closer to the date of your Friendship Celebration. Remember that the door-hangers must be hand-delivered, so make sure you arrange for volunteers to help on the day of distribution! If you are in an area with apartments, condos or other restricted housing, check on local distribution laws. Some communities have regulations about "solicitors" and the distribution of materials.

Arrange direct mail post-cards and send them out to local residents several times during the course of your evangelism campaign. Consider a series of mailings--you may elect to do a mailing a week. Multiple mailings over a period of time creates the best impression. Remember: the more often people see your campaign material, the more likely they are to respond to your Friendship Celebration!

Door hangers, postcards, invitations to worship and bulletin inserts may be designed by your congregation or local marketing firm. Remember to include your name, address, worship times and other information on them.

Multiple mailings over a period of time creates the best impression. Remember: the more often people see your campaign material, the more likely they are to respond to your Friendship Celebration!

Targeting your materials to your audience

Before you decide to send out direct mail postcards, determine where you want them to go! Who should receive them? Here are some options:

1. You may select the residents of various ZIP codes to receive your mailing. Some churches in more densely populated areas may feel that the residents living within 3-4 miles of their congregation are their preferred "target" population. However, if your congregation draws people from a larger demographic area, is in a less densely populated area or has substantial funds for a broader effort, you may want to include a greater number of zip codes in your direct mail campaign.
2. You may choose to select the populations of particular demographic groups in your community to receive your mailing. For instance, your congregation may want to send your direct mail campaign only to young families, older adults, local Hispanic/Latino or African-American residents.

In either case, consider using the Internet for assistance in planning your direct mail effort. Go to www.census.gov to search for specific ZIP codes, demographic profiles and other ways of distinguishing the populations you hope to reach through your evangelism campaign. Also, check out the demographic populations of your local area by visiting the ELCA web-site at www.elca.org. You'll need to know your congregation's ID number from the ELCA directory to access information about your congregation and community.

After you have determined the groups of residents who will receive your mailing, you'll need to purchase a list! To obtain mailing lists and for other technical assistance, check the yellow pages of your phone book or go on-line to companies providing help under "Mailing List Services." Most of the lists are now available directly from the Internet---downloaded to your home or office computer! One example is AccuData. (There are many excellent list providers -- this is just one. Note: This is not an endorsement for their particular services. ) Their website is www.accudata-america.com. You can obtain list counts, costs and download information directly off the Internet.

With most list providers, there is usually a "per thousand" charge for the names. There may be a minimum charge as well or a charge for unlimited use of the list over a period of time. If you think you'd like to use the list over an extended period of time, then it's probably worth the extra money to pay the additional charge. Just remember that people move or die, and new houses are built, so a list is not good indefinitely!

Mailing list houses may also offer their lists in other ways besides the Internet. You may order traditional peel/stick labels, Cheshire labels or lists on a disk that's delivered to you. If you have volunteers and want to do the mailing yourself, you may want the traditional peel/stick labels or have the disk delivered to you and print them yourself. Cheshire labels require a special application process.

If you're planning a large mailing, consider using a professional mail house. These businesses specialize in inkjeting or applying the labels, sorting for maximum cost savings and delivery to the US Postal Service. The cost is very low compared to trying to do it yourself. Remember: your congregation qualifies for "non-profit" mail rates!

Tips on running the campaign newspaper ads

Almost all newspapers across the country have standardized their column sizes. These measurements are in "SAU's" or Standard Advertising Units. There are different column measurements for tabloids and standard size newspapers. Find out which format your local newspaper uses.

Many congregations are familiar with newspaper advertising and pricing because of their current communication evangelism ministry. However, if this your first time running a newspaper ad, call your local newspaper and ask for the retail advertising department. This is the department that normally handles this type of newspaper ad placement.

The cost for a newspaper ad is measured in "column inches." For example, an ad may measure 2 columns wide by 8" inches deep. The total amount of column inches would be 16" or 2 col. X 8". Prices are quoted by the column inch -- for instance, if the column inch rate is $5.00 you multiply the size of your ad times the rate and you arrive at the cost of your ad. (Example: 2 column ad X 8" = 16 column inches, then 16 column inches x $5.00 per inch = $80.)

Some newspapers still give "church discounts," but most do not. However, always ask about church or other discounts that you might receive. Some newspapers have discounts for multiple insertions or combination rates. There are newspapers that offer substantially lower rates for insertions on Monday and Tuesday if another insertion is scheduled during the latter part of the week or weekend.

Avoid placing your ads on the "traditional" church page. These sections generally run on Saturdays and mostly attract folks who are "churched." Preferred placement is during the week or on Saturday, but not on the church page. Entertainment sections, sports sections and the main news sections are often very well read and will provide better exposure for your ads.

Newspapers can take delivery of ads several ways:

1. Traditional ad "slicks" (A type of high quality paper output)
2. On disk (usually in a MACINTOSH format)
3. Or transmitted electronically directly to their newspaper facility (This is becoming more common and a preferred method of receiving advertising materials).

Contact your newspaper well in advance of the date you want to run your ads and get a copy of their deadlines. Allow extra time. That way you'll be able to see a proof of your ad and make sure everything's correct. If you provide the ads too late or on deadline, you probably won't be able to proof your ad before it runs. Most newspapers require "camera-ready" or ad slicks several days before they run. Keep in mind that your newspaper may be on an advance deadline schedule during holiday seasons. This means that they will require materials sooner than their normal deadlines.

Public Media Resources from AFP
To expand your external evangelism efforts, consider these additional public media resources, available by calling Augsburg Fortress Publishers at: 800/328-4648. Order the items by code number.
GO PUBLIC!: Designing Radio Ministry for Communication Evangelism (34-74964-2100, 6- 0000-7496-4) This audio-cassette and compact disk provide examples of radio evangelism ministry from the ELCA and its congregations around the United States and Puerto Rico.
GO PUBLIC!: Developing Your Plan for Communication Evangelism: A Guide for Congregations (23-2335, 0-8066-3620-3) A 120-page "how-to" manual for developing a strategic communication evangelism plan that reflects your congregation's identity and mission.
GO PUBLIC!: Motivating Your Congregation for Communication Evangelism (34-74956-2100, 6-0000-7495-6) This interactive video features ELCA congregations doing effective internal communication and external evangelism through public media.
How Shall They Hear? A Handbook for Religious Communicators (34-611007-3420, 0-9646- 1100-7) A 150-page resource with practical help for internal communication and external public media methods for evangelism.
 

Couple your internal evangelism efforts with external communication to the people living in the neighborhoods closest to your church--use local newspaper ads, postcards, doorhangers....

Welcoming Guests to your Friendship Celebration

Like Christmas, Easter is an important family gathering time. Easter worship services are often surrounded by special family rituals and visits from relatives. At the same time, Easter is a time when unchurched or dechurched people may experience the heart tug to "check it out." Navigating this tension between the family gathering and an openness to guests is extremely critical when choosing to offer a friendship celebration during your Lent and Easter worship services. Think carefully about the level of commitment members can make to bring a special sense of welcome to the day. You may be able to offer a meal or special reception following worship to which guests may be invited.

Whatever you choose to do, the key is to be genuine, warm and welcoming. Easter tends to be a season when congregations are at their best: special music, choirs, flowers, festive banners and a victorious message are part of the festival celebration. There is often high energy and a wonderful sense of joy. It is great time to welcome guests to the ministry of your congregation!

As you do so, keep in mind the following issues of basic hospitality:

Be "user-friendly" to guests
Position "greeters" or "hosts" around your building and in your parking lot. Their job is to smile, greet and help people feel graciously welcomed. Ask everyone, including members and guests, to wear a name-tag. Be sure to have plenty of signs to help guests get around. Temporary signs and church maps may be printed for the occasion. The goal is to make your church building easy to navigate. Do whatever you can to lower the anxiety level of your guests and help them feel welcome. Do not force them to stand up and introduce themselves; this will make them feel conspicuous and uncomfortable. Instead, offer a general welcome to all worshipers, extending a special welcome to those who are worshiping for the first time.

Be sensitive to families with children
A clean and orderly nursery, staffed with friendly and competent personnel will make a strong impression. Provide children's bulletins and children's activity bags to help children appreciate the worship service at their level of comprehension. You may also choose to distribute a gift to visiting children as something that will remind them later of their visit with you. Highlighting your children's choir and offering a children's message communicates on many levels the value your congregation places on children and families. Consider inviting a high school youth to do the children's sermon on the Real Hope for Real Life campaign.

Be conscious of helping guests through worship
Assume your guests will not be familiar with worshiping. Consider printing up everything worshipers will need in one worship folder or bulletin. Pulling all of the worship elements into one seamless worship booklet minimizes juggling various books and papers. (Don't forget to check copyrights and obtain permission where necessary.) Be sure to provide a word of welcome in your bulletin for guests and any relevant information about your congregation's ministries that you wish to share. You may want to include one of the campaign bulletin inserts in your Friendship Celebration worship bulletin. Consider designing your welcome and announcement page as a "take home" piece, knowing that this may be the one hard copy piece of information your guests will carry home with them.

Be attentive to hospitality practices when it comes to the offering and communion. You may wish to announce the following just before collecting your offering: "If you are worshiping with us for the first time, please know that you are our guest. Rather than your donation, we ask that you fill out a guest card and place it in the offering plate. We are glad to have you worshiping here and hope to see you again soon." It sends a message that the guest's presence is more valuable than their money! Be sure to offer clear instructions before communion so guests know who is welcome to the table and how your congregation communes.

Be ready to gather information from guests
Don't short circuit weeks of motivation and preparation by not having an adequate system in place to record the names and addresses of your worship guests for follow up. A welcome book in the narthex is not enough! The ideal forms of recording attendance for a Friendship Celebration are "pew cards" or "pew pads" which are completed by both members and guests. Providing space for prayer concerns and encouraging their return during the offering instead of a donation helps minimize the feeling of recording attendance. Cards or pads can be easily reviewed by the ushers so that guests are identified immediately following worship by designated greeters or staff. These records will also help you with guest follow up in the days after your Friendship Celebration.

Be sure to greet guests following worship
Consider offering special refreshments or a meal following worship. You may also want to have packets with information about your congregation's ministries to share with guests, including a useful gift to help them remember their experience in the weeks to come.

Please note: the days following Easter tend to be the time when your pastor takes a much needed break for family or a vacation. Anticipate this by making sure lay leaders and a system are in place for worship guest follow-up. Because of academic vacation schedules this can be an ideal time for lay people to make home visits during the day.

If you don't already have "worship guest visitation teams," consider beginning this ministry in the weeks preceding your Friendship Celebration. Preparing Lay Callers for Worship Visitor Follow-Up (800/328-4648, 15-9103 or 0-8066-0042-X) is a training resource for this kind of evangelism calling ministry. In-person and telephone follow-up of worship guests lets them know that you valued their presence at worship. It gives you the opportunity to say "thanks for worshiping with us" and allows you to strengthen the connection between your congregation and its guests!

Plan in advance the ways you intend to follow-up with guests who attend your Lent or Easter Friendship Celebration services. It is important to engage in follow-up within 24-48 hours of your worship services. You will see a greater number of your guests return to worship on a subsequent Sunday if your "follow-up" ministry is lay-led! Build on the web of relationships which already brought your guests to church. Ask the "inviters" among your members to follow-up with a phone call within two days.

Having this kind of deliberate follow-up ministry in place helps your congregation "adopt" new people into its life and ministry. It nurtures the bond between those who are searching and congregations, like yours, who are anticipating with open arms the presence of seekers and new believers in your midst!

Easter tends to be a season when congregations are at their best...There is often high energy and a wonderful sense of joy. It is great time to welcome guests to the ministry of your congregation!


Writers: Marta Poling-Goldenne, Susie Sipos
& David Poling-Goldenne
Editor: Alison Boomershine
Design: Sharon Schuster

Copyright ©1999 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 West Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. 800/638-3522. Produced by the Education and Evangelism Team of the Division for Congregational Ministries.

Permission is granted for congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to reproduce this resource for local use.