The leaves are turning beautiful shades of autumn colors, pumpkins abound, kids (and adults) are in costumes, and the Braves won the World Series. It must be Fall! Right?
Well, yes and no. It is Fall, but it is also time to be planning for Christmas at your church.
Christmas offers an optimal time to engage your church with your surrounding community in lots of meaningful ways. Christmas outreach to under-served families in the neighborhood schools, service personnel and food distribution offer tangible ways for the church to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Families love to bundle up, take a Christmas picture and make a memory. It really is the “most wonderful time of year” for outreach and sharing the Good News.
Noonday has a variety of ways to come alongside of you and your church as you focus on your community and communicate the message of Christ’ birth.
Below are some next steps for your church as you prepare for Christmas:
Plan Service Opportunities
Giving and helping others is a huge part of the Christmas season. Encourage your members to give of their time in service to others. Storehouse Ministry is available to assist you with food drives, packing lunches, and other opportunities of service for church groups.
Determine Your Target Area
Mailouts to advertise times and dates for special services and Christmas Eve are a must for churches. Resources are available to help target demographic areas and households in order to make your marketing most effective.
Set Aside a Special Monetary Gift
Challenge your members to give to special mission causes and needs. Perhaps your church has a missionary or mission cause they want to give over and above to. Maybe your church is focusing on a local ministry that needs financial help. Christmas is about giving. What better time to encourage members to grow in the grace of giving than at Christmas time?
Collaborate with Ministry Partners
Noonday is connected with a diverse group of ministry partners in Cobb who provide clothing, shelter, food, and other resources for needy and underserved people and families. These groups provide missional opportunities to help the local church engage in sharing the love to Christ in their local setting.
Visit our website at www.noondaynet.org, connect with us on social media, or contact one of our church consultants and let us help you have your best Christmas ever.
Kim is a Church Consultant at Noonday Baptist Association and has been involved in local church ministry for the past 40 years in Cobb County. She is married to Randy, the Public Defender for Cobb County, and has two married children and one adorable granddaughter.