Moving ranks right up there with the most stressful life events. And with nearly 60% of moves happening between May and August, chances are you’ve got some new and overwhelmed families in your neighborhood right now.

That makes summer the perfect time to reach out with a warm welcome. Inviting new neighbors to your church doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. With the Outreach New Mover Program, your church can automatically send a friendly, well-designed postcard to every family that moves within your area—all for 79 cents per card with a nonprofit permit. It’s a simple subscription service that is easy to set up, and you can cancel anytime.

Even better: Right now, setup is free, and your first month’s mailing—up to $100—is on us, no strings attached. You can cancel after the first month. Visit NewMoverOutreach.com to learn how many new families have relocated near your church this month.

Kids’ Area Makeovers

First impressions matter, especially when it comes to your children’s ministry. For many visiting families, the look and feel of your kids’ spaces can be a make-or-break moment. If the area feels outdated, messy or uninviting, they may never give your church a second chance. The good news? You don’t need a massive budget or a construction crew to make a big impact.

Outreach has just released three budget-friendly Children’s Area Design Sets that are easy to install and full of color and creativity. Each set includes banners, wall shapes and cutouts made from lightweight Coroplast® (translation: durable, affordable and easy to hang).

Choose from three fun themes:

• Hosanna Savannah (perfect for the little ones)

• Adventure Kids (for elementary-age kids)

• Galactic Explorers (great for older elementary)

You can transform hallways, classrooms or worship areas in a weekend. Check out all the options at Outreach.com/KidMin.

Ready to Grow

It may still feel like summer in your corner of the country, but back-to-school season is just around the corner. That means now is the time to plan your fall outreach—and we’ve got just the thing to help.

When your church signs up for Back to Church Sunday (happening this year on Sept. 21), you’ll get access to a free fall resource kit filled with tools from trusted church growth partners. It’s a great way to jump-start your ministry season with a big push and be part of something bigger—the nation’s largest single-day outreach effort to reach the unchurched and bring people back to God’s house.

It’s completely free to join. Learn more and register at BackToChurch.com.

My friend Chuck Scoggins, who is the Executive Director of the Center for Church Communications (maybe you’ve heard of Church Marketing Sucks) was with me and he decided to write about how to maximize this outreach opportunity. What follows is his guest post. Enjoy!

If you’re going to go through the effort to plan a Trunk-or-Treat, fall festival or whatever you call your Halloween-alternative event, make sure you have a plan in place to maximize the event by following up with them afterward. There are a variety of ways to get participants to return to your church, but one of the most effective is through an email campaign.

Below are a few tips for you to consider if you plan on leveraging an email campaign to get your trunk-n-treat families to come back to your church on a Sunday.

COLLECT INFORMATION

There’s no way around it: if your strategy is to use your event to get people to eventually check out your church, you have to collect their info. The key to getting folks to give you their info is to get creative, for example:

• Give Something Away

If you give away a compelling gift like an Amazon Echo, Apple Watch, etc. people will be quick to hand over their details as they register to win. Set it up where someone doesn’t have to be present to win as a good excuse to get an email address so you can “contact the winner.”

Pro Tip: Make sure you state at the bottom of your registration card that by registering to win, people are giving you information to send a follow-up email.

• Give Away Food

Cook up some hotdogs and a have a cooler of soft drinks (sodas and water for adults, juice boxes for the kids) and ask folks to quickly register (name and email address only) to get their ticket or wristband for concessions.

• Photo Booth

Family photos can often be a compelling reason to ask folks for their contact info. Set up a backdrop with hay bales and corn stalks where a professional photographer can take a free family photo. Collect an email address so you can send folks their photo.

Pro Tip: If you take this approach, you might choose to manually send Email 1 from below (instead of using an automatic send) to thank them for attending and attach their photo. It’s a little more work, but the results will be a huge payoff.

START WITH WHAT YOU KNOW

As you begin thinking about forming your follow-up email campaign, begin with what you know: folks who came to your fall harvest event were most-likely families. (Pro Tip: Keep in mind that families come in all shapes and sizes, so make sure your emails are mindful of that diversity.) They’re also willing to attend community events that provide benefit for their family. We also know that people will not care about your church until they know that your church cares about them.

When done skillfully, we can leverage what we know about the people in our community to send emails that serve them in such a way that we leave them with a desire to check out our church. We can reach them without a “hard sell” email.

Pro Tip: Consider a mindset shift that your goal shouldn’t be to get people to come to your church, but rather to take your church to them…where they’re at and serving the needs they have. Resist the urge to tell folks all about your church in the initial email(s) you send.

EMAIL SEQUENCE

An email sequence, if you’re not familiar with them, is a series of emails that automatically send at regularly-scheduled intervals when you add an email to the list. You can easily set these up in MailChimp and, for following up on your fall event, I recommend sending one email immediately, then an email once a week following the initial send.

Here Are Examples of Six Value-Added Emails You Could Send:

Email 1:

Send a very short email simply thanking them for attending. You might want to include one line that tells folks you’re going to send them five more emails that might be helpful to their family.

Let them know they can unsubscribe at any time (by giving them this permission, you’ll show that you’re trying to be helpful and not pushy). Again, resist the urge to talk about your church in this email; make it about them, not you!

Email 2:

Find another community event that they might enjoy and tell them about it. It there a community fall festival in your area? Or, perhaps you can provide a list of pumpkin farms and corn mazes in your area.

Pro Tip: If you can find a local pumpkin farm to partner with, you might be able to work out a special deal or a free giveaway (i.e. each family gets a free pumpkin) that can be an exclusive gift for your guests.

Email 3:

By the time you send this email, the calendar will be nearing Thanksgiving. Send an email with “Six Ways to Help Your Family Express Thankfulness Around The Thanksgiving Table.” Include tips such as “go around the table and share one thing you’re grateful for” or, “place butcher paper as the tablecloth and encourage everyone to draw what they’re thankful for with crayons.” The goal here is to be creative and give creative and fun ideas for your email recipients. You might also include a list of area Thanksgiving Day parades or other activities folks can do on Thanksgiving.

Pro Tip: Resist the urge to make this over-spiritual.

Email 4:

Use this email to continue to provide value to your trunk-or-treat guests. This email could be something simple like a generic “Keeping Your Sanity While Parenting During The Busy Holiday Season” or something similar. Make sure it’s valuable to them and not about you (it’s okay to include a few spiritual tips such as, ‘find a good church with a good children’s program,’ but avoid making this list too churchy). Your goal here is to continue to keep yourself top-of-mind for them by giving them something they can use in their everyday lives without talking to them directly about your church.

Pro Tip: Get your children’s ministry staff and volunteers involved in creating this email. They probably have a better grasp on what families struggle with during the fall holiday season than you do.

Email 5:

If you time your emails just right (a week apart, beginning after Halloween), you should be getting close to Christmas. Use this email as a chance to give folks something like “Five Ways to Avoid Christmas Gift Overload.”

Again, make this a practical piece—not a spiritual brow-beating—where you help families navigate the pressure to go overboard. Perhaps you introduce them to the 4 Christmas Gift Challenge:

1. Something they want
2. Something they need
3. Something to wear
4. Something to read

Perhaps you introduce them to an alternative Christmas concept like Advent Conspiracy, or perhaps you point them to some meaningful local charities where they can use some of their Christmas budgets to serve another family at Christmas.

Pro Tip: The most important thing to do in this email is help them navigate pressure, not add guilt or give them more stuff to do. Approach this email carefully!

Email 6:

After you’ve provided a TON of value to your fall event guests, you now have permission to start introducing your church. However, avoid simply making this a pitchy piece inviting people to church. Instead, make an introductory statement like, “If you’ve enjoyed these emails, we’d love to introduce you to our children’s ministry.” Then, explain the benefits of your children’s programming (talk about how it’s fun, safe, etc.). Introduce your children’s ministry staff (with photos) and let people know what they can expect when they arrive (children’s check-in process, etc.).

If you can get these families to bring their children to check out your children’s ministry, you stand a great chance at getting the adults to attend your worship service and have a great shot at getting guests from your fall event to your church.

Follow-up Emails:

Christmas

If you’ve done this process well, you are probably okay to send people a simple email to invite folks to your Christmas service(s). I would encourage you to send this email 7 to 10 days prior to your Christmas service(s) and think about how to include language that talks about how folks can enjoy the traditions of

Christmas while celebrating at your service(s). Help them understand the benefit to them (think: warm and fuzzies, not spiritual transformation) if they go through the “hassle” of bringing their family to church.

January

Think about some on-ramp events or programs you can invite people to with a seventh email after a few weeks have passed (maybe in January). Financial Peace University or a Family Life Marriage event or something similar is a great option.

Final Pro Tips:

• Make sure your church’s web address is in the footer of the email in case someone wants to find out more about you on their own. Don’t make it gaudy or overbearing, but don’t neglect the opportunity to provide someone an opportunity to get more info.
• Speaking of the website, make sure your website is stocked up with everything a newcomer would need to get the information they want. See this post about what to include on your website to help first-time guests.
• In the final email you send (sixth, seventh, or eighth email), include a single line at the end that says “This is the last Trunk-or-Treat follow-up email we’ll be sending you. If you’ve enjoyed this valuable content and would like to add your name to our main church email list, click here [with a link to join your main list].”
• Use an email system, such as MailChimp, that helps you follow the CAN-SPAM laws.
• Please don’t go cheap on your candy quantity, the quality of your soft drinks (don’t buy cheap discount store off-brand sodas), etc. Nothing is worse than a family taking the risk to bring their children to your event and them going home disappointed that they got less candy than their friends did by going door-to-door.

My prayer is that God would send many, many people to your event and that He would give you wisdom in how to best follow up with folks to eventually grow your church.

This article originally appeared on GregAtkinson.com.

Read more from Greg Atkinson »

Pumpkin Pie Tasting Contest: This is a great way to get the adults involved in the party. Select three judges, have them taste all the pies, and declare a winner. Serve the rest of the pies to the kids for a snack. You could even make mini pumpkin pies in muffin tins so each kid can have their own pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin-Themed Coloring Pages: Set up a table or two with coloring pages. It’s a great activity for early arrivers and makes a good alternative activity if a kid needs a break or doesn’t want to participate in a more boisterous game.

Pass the Pumpkin: This game is played like hot potato—but with a pumpkin.

Pumpkin-Themed Books: If you’re running your party like an open house or festival-type event, set up a cozy reading corner for parents to read to their kids. Stock it with lots of pumpkin-themed books (The Pumpkin Parable, Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin, Pumpkin Town, etc.) and have orange bean bags for them to sit on.

Pumpkin Vine Mayhem: String several pieces of green yarn through a room, over furniture, under chairs, under a book, etc. Kids start at one end of the room and follow their vine (don’t let go!) until they reach the end (best for a room with two doors). Need to make it tougher? Blindfolds!

Bobbing for Pumpkins: Use those little gourd pumpkins and get the camera ready!

Guess the Pumpkin’s Weight: Weigh a few different-sized pumpkins and have kids try to guess the measurements. Closest guess takes the pumpkin home. You could also have kids guess candy corn in a jar.

Hide-and-Seek Pumpkins: You can hide pumpkins ahead of time. Release the kids and watch the chaos ensue. Whoever finds the pumpkin first gets to hide it next. You could play this game with three or four small pumpkins (or those pumpkin-looking gourds) if you have a larger group.

Pin the Smile on the Pumpkin: This game never seems to get old. Draw a giant pumpkin on a piece of poster board and let the kids make him the happiest pumpkin in town.

Lindsey Whitney is the children’s ministry director at East Lake Road Alliance Church in Erie, Pennsylvania, and the founder of GrowingKidsMinistry.com.

1. Host a back-to-school clothes sale.

Host a kids’ consignment sale, selling gently used clothes to your community. Give proceeds to your nearest schools.

2. During the first weeks of school, encourage teachers and faculty at local schools.

Drop by the school offices with coffee, donuts and notes that say, “[Church name] loves the faculty and staff at [school name].”

3. Start an after-school ministry.

Serve children outside the church, as well as congregants’ kids, with a structured, low-cost program. Separate kids by age and schedule homework time, snacks and outdoor and indoor play.

4. Tutor local students.

Each Saturday during the school year, open your church building for students to come and receive free, one-on-one tutoring from high school students and adults. Include refreshments.

5. Before local high school football games, host tailgating parties in your church parking lot for fans.

Consider holding a raffle for football-themed prizes.

6. Feed the football team.

Connect with athletes in your community and their families by providing a meal and gathering place after games.

7. Empower your volunteers by sending them to local football games to run the concessions.

Or, when the weather gets cold, have them set up a table and hand out hot chocolate and coffee to fans entering the stadium.

8. Serve local Pee Wee league families.

If you’re near a field where youth sports teams play, open up your building and allow athletes, parents and other fans to use the restrooms. In colder weather, serve free hot chocolate and coffee.

9. Send teams of three or four people to rake lawns and gather up leaves free of charge.

Deliver baked goods and invite residents to church.

10. Grab some ladders, trash bags and gloves, and send volunteers to clean their neighbors’ rain gutters.

It’s messy work, but homeowners appreciate it.

11. Provide college-application assistance.

Host workshops to help high school seniors with their college applications, including essays.

12. Consider a harvest event.

Such as a pumpkin patch, carnival, hayride or other activity designed for family fun.

13. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Invite someone who has battled breast cancer to speak at your church. She can share her story and testimony of how God worked through the situation.

Important Information to Know (From the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention):

• Sept. 10-16: Suicide Prevention Week
• Sept. 10: World Suicide Prevention Day
• Number of Americans who die each year by suicide: 44,193
• Number of suicides each day: 121
• For every person who dies by suicide, 20 or more attempt it.

Trinity Lutheran Church in Mason City, Iowa, hosted suicide-prevention training—free and open to the public—exploring myths surrounding suicide and learning how to talk about it.

Rock Church in San Diego, California, has a ministry for family and friends who have lost a loved one to suicide. “Aftershock” is designed to be a place for people to share their grief openly and see God’s light in the darkness.

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Minnesota, has a page on its website dedicated to suicide prevention and resources including risk factors, warning signs and hotlines.

For more resources and ideas on how to get involved, visit:

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP.org)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI.org/SuicideAwarenessMonth)
• You Can NOT Be Replaced (YouCanNotBeReplaced.com)

1. Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, hosted a three-day back-to-school carnival that included games, school-supply giveaways and live music. On Sunday, the church encouraged parents and kids alike to wear their school colors.

2. Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church in Salisbury, North Carolina (GMBC-Online.org), gave away donated shoes, clothing and underwear, along with backpacks stuffed with school supplies to community children.

3. Wesleyan at Redemption Hill Church in Macon, Georgia, threw a Back-to-School Splash Bash. Kids had fun playing on an inflatable waterslide and then enjoyed free hot dogs and hamburgers.

4. Keefeton Free Will Baptist Church in Muskogee, Oklahoma, provided free back-to-school haircuts and eye exams, along with a barbecue dinner and gospel concert.

5. Princeton United Pentecostal Church in Princeton, Illinois, hosted a 30-minute back-to-school prayer service on a Monday evening for its community.

6. Purchase $5 gift cards to the nearest coffee shop. Pass out to your schools’ teachers and administration.

7. Purchase coffee and doughnuts and deliver them to the school’s office on one of the first few days of class.

8. Talk to your local coffee shop and start a tab. Then let area schools know about it. During the first week of school, if a teacher provides identification, coffee’s on your church.

9. Take a six-hour workshop through the National Church Adopt-A-School and learn the building blocks for offering social services to urban youth and their families, along with the process for adopting public schools and creating programs such as school-based mentoring. To sign up or learn more, visit ChurchAdoptASchool.org.

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Check out more “Try This” idea starters »

2. Get contact information. Just ask for basic info. Keep it simple and quick.

3. Have a box they can check to receive more info. It’s polite to ask people’s permission—if you don’t, it will feel like a bait and switch.

4. Have a table or booth set up with church information, brochures, etc. Staff it with friendly volunteers who can answer questions.

5. Have a drawing for some large prizes like a bike, family meal certificate to a local restaurant, movie tickets, etc. Ask people to register for the drawing. Pick the winners the day after the festival and then notify them. Have them pick up their prize after a church service. Be sure to tell people when they sign up when the winners will be notified and where they will pick up their prizes.

6. Have a free photo spot with a professional photographer. Offer to email the picture.

7. Have people register for a free gift that they receive right on the spot. It might be something as simple as a full-size candy bar for the kids.

8. Follow up as quickly as possible. If you follow up within 48 hours, the likelihood of them returning to your church goes up.

9. Send them an email thanking them for coming. Include information about weekend services and other upcoming events. Keep it short and simple. If they had their picture taken per above, attach it to the email.

10. Send them a handwritten note on church stationary. Include a coupon that they can redeem for a free gift the next time they attend the church. It might be a drink for the parents or a small toy for the kids.

11. Put them on a mailing list of people you invite to special church events, programs, etc. (with their permission).

BONUS: Let them know up front that you are not going to show up on their doorstep the next week. People will be hesitant to give you their information if they think you are going to show up at their house unannounced.

How do you know if your follow-up was effective? A good measuring stick is to find out how many of those families are part of your church a year later. Can you write any names down? The ultimate purpose is to see families reached and discipled.

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1. Pink Ribbon Sunday. The Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Women’s Health launched the Pink Ribbon Sunday Mammography Awareness Program to educate African-American and Hispanic women about detecting breast cancer early with mammograms. Visit FDA.gov for more ideas and free resources.

2. Guest Speaker. Invite someone who has battled breast cancer to speak. She can share her story and testimony of how God worked through the situation, giving hope to others.

3. Passionately Pink. From silent auctions and bake sales to wine parties and pedicure spa days, your church or ministry can host a Passionately Pink event to raise money for breast cancer research. Visit PassionatelyPink.org for more ideas and free resources.

4. Prayer Event. Invite people to corporately pray together for those who are researching breast cancer, doctors and nurses treating people with breast cancer and families currently battling breast cancer or mourning the loss of someone who had breast cancer.

5. Worship in Pink Sunday. Raise awareness by encouraging everyone to wear pink one Sunday, give away free informational packets, invite women to fill out a pledge card committing to annual mammograms and more. For free resources and a planning kit, visit Komen.org.

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1. Encourage teachers and administration with gift bags and coffee. On the first day or during the first few weeks of school, make a special delivery to your nearest elementary, middle and high school. Hit the main offices with coffee from a local coffee shop or goody bags filled with chocolates, pens, USB flash drives with your church’s name and logo on them, etc. Let teachers and administration know you’re grateful for them and are available to help and/or partner with them in any way you can.

80 percent of new teachers say they need the help of parents to be effective.
—Family First

2. Start a weekly breakfast club for stay-at-home moms. Select a comfy location in your church where moms can connect over coffee and pastries for an hour. Provide childcare. The hour immediately following kid drop-off at local schools works well.

29 percent of mothers are stay-at-home moms.
—Bureau of Labor Statistics

3. Host a Friday night parenting seminar focused on a hot topic, such as discipline, raising kids in a social media world or teaching kids about sex. At the end, let parents know about the various ministries and programs you offer for kids of all ages (in addition to your adult opportunities).

33 percent of parents say they have concerns with their child’s technology use.
—Pew Research Center

4. Tutor parents of refugee/immigrant children. Offer short evening classes during which volunteers work with the parents of refugee/immigrant children on English skills so they can better help their school-aged children with homework and school issues.

The U.S. will admit 85,000 refugees in 2016.
—American Immigration Council

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