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Calendar
Organizing a "Fun Day" can seem overwhelming! Moving those in your church to poverty ministry can seem even more overwhelming! However, by taking one step at a time, in faith, it can be done. Make yourself available to God's Spirit, and see what God does.
September 2006
Once God has laid it on your heart to reach out to those in poverty, begin by praying. Enlist your Women on Mission® group or missions leaders to also pray with you. Contact your pastor to discuss plans with him. Be sure to point out that the goal is to expand a current ministry in the church, not to begin a new ministry.
October 2006
Develop a leadership team. Include your pastor or staff member, WMU director, Acteens® leader or student leader, GA® leader and Mission Friends® leaders or children's leader. Consider including a WMU® member and a deacon, as well as a teenager, a young woman, a young man, and senior adults. A good leadership team size is six-to-eight members. Be sure to share what God has laid on your heart. Share with them about what you know about poverty in your area.
November 2006—January 2007
Meet with your leadership team once each month.
- Prepare for the Cast the Vision Sunday service.
- Explore possible locations for the "Fun Day."
- Select a location, date, and time for the "Fun Day." Be sure to reserve the location, if necessary.
- Create a list of potential booths for the "Fun Day."
- Pray for the rising up of volunteers within the church.
February 18, 2007
Cast the Vision Sunday! In the days following the service, enlist additional volunteers to assist with ministry booths, including food and needs assessments.
- Assign one booth to a leadership team member and a volunteer. They will be responsible for setting the booth up, enlisting the appropriate workers, and obtaining supplies, if needed.
- Remember to use those in your area to assist. Include the following: health department, hairdressers, mechanics, veterinarians, nurses, etc. Be sure to share with them that the goal is to better understand the needs in the community so that the church can reach out to those people. Let them know you are seeking to minister to those who live in poverty.
March-May 2007
Depending on when you set the date for your "Fun Day," meet monthly with the leadership team.
- Prepare flyers and posters to distribute around town. Be sure to use the children and teenagers in your church to help with this! Be specific about what ministry booths will be offered.
- Place advertisements in local newspapers.
- Work with local apartment managers to place flyers and notices around the property.
- Make visits to those in the area.
- Send flyers to local schools to send home with the children.
- Contact local radio stations and TV news stations to place your information on their community calendars.
Two Weeks Before "Fun Day"
Meet with all those involved to discuss plans. Be sure everything is ready to go. Discuss placement on the location and times to be ready. Pray for those you are seeking to reach. Ask God to move on their hearts to attend.
"FUN DAY"!
After the "Fun Day"
Enlist your leadership team, volunteers, deacons, WMU group, children, and pray-ers to assist with the following:
- Send thank-you notes to all who assisted. Remember to include any local businesses or agencies that assisted.
- Follow-up with contacts made during the Fun Day.
- Compile Needs Assessment responses.
- Meet with your leadership team to make recommendations to the pastor on how to use an existing ministry to include one or two families who are living in poverty.
- Begin making those contacts related to the expanded ministry.
- Email us at projecthelp@wmu.org to share your stories and pictures!
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