What Do You Use Your Church For?
As I travel this Conference, I see churches being used for many things. It is a joy to see God’s House being used in many ways. There are many ways to advertise your church. Is your church in the middle of the city or is it out in the country? The location of your church requires different modes of advertisement.
City churches have people walking by them. This is compared to suburban churches and rural churches where people generally only drive by. Here’s a great example from one of our Richmond churches: They put three theater seats on their front lawn where people walking by could sit and rest.
I’ve seen suburban and country churches put up big signs so people driving by could see them. In Colonial Heights I pastored a church where we changed the saying on the sign several times a week. People called to tell us they like the sign. In Manassas we installed an electronic sign which displayed the temperature and date. We advertised events and had sayings that changed. People there often responded to the signs.
Trunk-or-Treat drew large crowds. Coming to the church on Halloween was safe and drew many families. In Manassas we always invited the fire department and the rescue squad, had bouncy houses and a hay wagon to take families on rides around the neighborhood. Churches often have living nativity scenes to invite the community to come by at Christmas.
Today I’m seeing more and more churches place a small, covered weatherproof structure to house books or food with a sign “Take what you need.” These say in very real ways, “We care.” The exciting thing is that once constructed, people also stop by and bring books or food to keep the display case stocked. So this is a way to involve the community as well as help those in need.
Some churches with sufficient acreage are putting in soccer or baseball fields and inviting the community to come and use them. Picnic shelters could have a sign saying, “Call this number if you want to have a family gathering and reserve a date.” Some churches have inside gyms (aka family life centers) with basketball, volleyball, pickleball and even indoor tennis. This allows the community to see the church and feel comfortable when attending on Sunday. Many areas have jazzercize and other exercise programs, and people are looking for this type of group. Some churches have walking groups who meet regularly to walk outside in good weather and inside in bad weather.
Many churches have invited different musical groups to use their facilities for rehearsals. Other churches have musical concerts every Friday or Saturday night which encourage amateur groups to practice and perform. One church I know has a bluegrass group perform in their church every Saturday night. I’ve had churches where we allow piano, violin and organ teachers to use our facilities for classes and lessons. This often creates a steady stream of visitors.
Food banks have been created in many of our churches. This involves volunteers from all over the community to come and help, and food bank clients realize that this is a friendly place. In one of my churches, we invited all our friends who come to the food bank to a Thanksgiving meal donated by our church. Many churches are preparing backpacks with food for children who don’t have enough to eat during the weekend.
There are many ways our facilities can be used and shared. God’s House and God’s acreage are for everyone, and there is no limit to the creative ways to share them with others.
By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images by “The Future,” Antoine Schibler & Alex Shaw, courtesy of Unsplash