April 2006

News & Updates - Team & Performer News: Outreach Events Welcomes New Performers: Ken Mansfield, Bill Butterworth and Vic Murphy; Specialty Acts and Music sites are now live; 2006 National Outreach Convention Super Early Bird Registration.

Featured Event Idea - Mother's Day Outreach

Real Stories - Case Study: Mother's Day Event at Mountain View Faith Community Church

Performer Profile - Featuring Comedian Pete McLeod

Special Promotions - 400 FREE Event Tickets

Effective Resources - Event Planning Guide

Joke of the Month - Featuring Pete McLeod

Welcome New Outreach Performers...

Ken Mansfield - Former U.S. Manager of the Beatles, Apple Records
Bill Butterworth - Motivational Speaker & Author
Vic Murphy - Action Sports

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Outreach Specialty Acts and Music sites are now available...

Visit the Specialty Acts site to view an array of unique performers that are available to perform at your church.

Visit the Music site to search bands and tours of different genres for your next event.

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Super Early Bird registration is now available for the 2006 National Outreach Convention...

Register by April 30th and save up to $80 per person!

Mother's Day Outreach

May 14, 2006

Mother's Day is the third most highly attended Sunday service of the year, so make the most of your opportunity to reach mom and the whole family... and keep them coming back! Show a live comedy "teaser" during Sunday services, then invite guests to return that evening for the full show! Treat mom to a "royal" evening complete with red carpet, fine refreshments and outstanding entertainment!

Target Audience

• Families in the community with special attention to Easter and Mother's Day attendees

Location

• Try your church auditorium, fireside room, or multi-purpose room at the local school.

Site Set-Up

• Table rounds of 8 or coffee tables with seating for 4-6 around each, all oriented toward the stage
• Visitor welcome and ticket booths
• Hospitality staging area for caterers/serving crew

Decorations

• Floral centerpieces, soft lighting and candles for ambiance
• Red carpet entrance
• Elegant tablecloths and actual serving ware (no paper plates or plastic ware!)

Event Activities & Schedule

• Time: Open the doors at 6:30, serve dinner/refreshments at 7pm and wrap it all up by 9pm to respect everyone's time
• Shuttle: If you need to shuttle guests from one area to another, rent a limo or horse-drawn carriages rather than a bus.

• Memories: As moms enter on the red carpet, offer to take a family photo - pictures can be made available after the evening, or mailed to guests (a GREAT way to capture guest information). Also mention that their contact slip will be entered into the door prize drawing for a spa day (see "Entertainment" below)
• Childcare Check-in: Have free childcare available for children under 5.
• Dining: Serve any refreshments before entertainment begins (see below under "Refreshments")
• Entertainment: After dessert is served, start off with your entertainment (see "Entertainment" below).
• Flowers: At the end of the Event, present each mom with the table's floral centerpiece (ensure you have enough), or pass out roses to each mom.

Refreshments

• Staff: Have the Event catered.
• Menu: Serve up either a full dinner, an appetizer/dessert duo, or several dessert options with hot beverages. Choose menu options that appeal to moms, but that men will also enjoy--or provide an array of options. Keep special diets or allergies in mind if at all possible.
• Style: If at all possible, serve refreshments in a "sit-down" fashion rather than buffet style to complete the Mother's Day royal treatment.

Entertainment

• Introduction: Have the emcee/host introduce the opening act
• Opening Act: You may choose a variety of opening acts... comedians, illusionists or variety acts, lively music (choose music and a band that unchurched guests will enjoy by avoiding songs meant for community worship), or other engaging entertainment.
• Introduction: Have the emcee/host introduce the headlining act
• Headlining Act: Host a hilarious Outreach Comedy performer to leave your guests with some extremely positive memories of your Event!
• Close: Have the emcee/host giveaway a door prize to one lucky mom. We recommend a day of pampering at the spa. Thank guests for coming, mention the visitor information booth (and any specifically interesting activities various ministries are doing), and invite them to return!

Visitor Welcome Table & Ticket Sales

• Contact Info: If selling tickets for entry or a raffle, collect contact information on back of tickets for follow up, or have sign up sheets available to collect visitor information for follow-up
• Greet & Escort: Equip a hospitality crew to greet guests with information on the church or ministry and escort them to their seats
• Inform: Have ministry information available to visitors at a welcome booth
• Welcome: Have visitor welcome gifts available with special gifts for moms (i.e. a home relaxation kit, gardening kit, etc.)

Volunteers Needed

• Hospitality: Visitor/welcome table, refreshments, ushers, greeters
• Logistics: Set-up and tear-down, cleaning, parking and security
• Promotions: Media coordination, printed materials assembly, distribution and communication
• Technical: Sound and lighting, stage hands & manager, production assistant
• Audience Materials: Create tickets, contact cards/raffle tickets, programs, door prizes
• Financial: Coordinate ticket sales, donations/sponsorships, fundraising, purchasing
• Hosting: Emcees the Event from stage, hosting of each particular activity, booth, and game
• Childcare: Needed for children under 5

Ideas & Tools to Get the Word Out

• Sunday Services: At minimum, announce your Mother's Day Event at both Easter and Mother's Day Sunday services - these announcements will hit two of the largest Sunday service crowds in the year, allowing a great platform for your invitation. Note: Senior pastor announcements on Sunday morning are the BEST proven way to incite church members to action.
• Door Hangers: Canvass local neighborhoods with Outreach Door Hangers
• Direct Mail: Send a postcard mailer or Outreach ImpactCard to the community and specifically to your Easter guests
• Personal Invitations: Equip church members with Outreach InviteCards for to hand out to their friends
• Banners: Hang an Outreach ImpactBanner across a main road or pathway
• Publicity: Send a press release to local newspapers
• Radio Ads: Take out airtime on local radio stations
• Cross-Promote: Hand out flyers, make announcements, or purchase ad space at other Events, movies, concerts, etc.
• Flyers: Leave flyers at local businesses
• Calendars: Get listed on newspaper, Internet and radio community calendars
• Word of Mouth: Utilize word of mouth whenever possible. Pass the excitement along to your congregation at Sunday services, etc.
  

Budget Booster Ideas

• Donations: Have church members donate any door prizes or sponsor welcome baskets.
• Program Ads: Sell out ad space to local businesses in your Event program.
• Ministries: Put each church ministry or club in charge of preparing welcome gift baskets or food preparation.
• Tickets: Attach a cover charge for the Event. $15 per adult, $8 per students and seniors, and free or half-price for mothers. Increase ticket prices to accommodate elaborate food or other offerings. Sell tickets in advance and at the door. To sell-out in advance, offer tickets at a discounted price if purchased by a certain deadline.
• Serving Crew: Enlist the help of the youth group to serve tables. Communicate a dress code for service crew.

Added Outreach Impact

• Visitor Gifts: Assemble visitor gift baskets and have them available at the visitor booth when people sign up. Include a church pamphlet, Bible, and other fun miscellaneous items in your baskets.
• Prize Tags: Create prize tags or ribbons for contest winners with church information.
• Photographer: Take portraits of guests as they enter on the red carpet. Then take their contact information to send a free photograph (and personal welcome note) later on. Be sure to match up negatives with the appropriate contact info.
• Invitations: Pass out invitations or ministry activity calendars to your next Event (or Father's Day activities), or Sunday services as guests leave.

Family Outreach on Mother's Day

Here's an outline for a simple and effective Mother's Day Event that can reach the extended unchurched relatives of your Church Family! Mountainview Community Church of Rancho Cucamonga had such success with this Event, that they plan on hosting an even larger version of it this year! Here's a few tips on how you can too.

Event Basics

Customer Interviewed: Pastor's wife, Dody DeYoung

Organization Name: Mountainview Faith Community Church

Event Name: "Comedy Night "

Event Type: Mother's Day Outreach

Event Dates & Time: Mother's Day @ 7pm

Event Location: Church building (previously an Edwards Movie Theater complex), Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Location Profile: In a suburb of Los Angeles

Attendee Type: Church members and outreach to extended family (mothers, mothers-in-law, etc.)

Price per Attendee: $10

Total Attendees: 180 (expecting only 150 - they had to add additional chairs!)

Behind the Scenes Efforts:

Publicity Tools Used:

• Sunday Announcements: Announcements were made on Sunday morning with a bulletin insert and PowerPoint slides including Event information, etc. Note: Senior pastor announcements on Sunday morning are the BEST proven way to incite church members to action.

Cutting Costs:

• Ticket Sales: Sold at $10 each. Tickets were sold after Sunday services in the lobby.
• Catering Help: The Women's Ministry sponsored the Event and each participant cooked 2 pounds of spaghetti and a crock pot of spaghetti sauce. The spaghetti was reheated once on-site.

Team Efforts Included:

• Approximately 10 women's ministry members participated.
• Team ministries included the hospitality functions of greeting, hosting and food service.

About the Event

Event Purpose:

• The Event was held in honor of mothers, as an opportunity for church members to invite their mothers and mothers-in-law, and to keep families together on this day (in the past they'd held women-only Events to honor mothers).

Event Content:

• The evening's schedule of events included... homemade spaghetti served in the Champion Center (their onsite gym and multi-purpose room), and an evening of light comedy with Kerri Pomarolli.

Site Set-Up: 

• The dining area was setup with tables, chairs and a food service area. The Event moved to a different room with theater seating for the comedy portion of the evening.

Decorations:

• Decorations included floral centerpieces and linen tablecloths.

About the Comedy Performance

Performer: Kerri Pomarolli

Performance Type: 45 minutes of stand-up comedy

Message: No message was given as the purpose of the Event was to provide a fun, non-threatening environment for mother's to enjoy themselves and be introduced to the church.

Results

Response to Performer: "Everyone enjoyed Kerri. She was funny and had a good sense of humor."

Response to the Event in General: "We received very positive feedback on the Event. Everyone loved it and we're planning to host another one this year! This time we're adding a magician for a children's show so that more people will feel free to bring children."

Additional Comments

Biggest Concerns Heading into the Event: "Food wasn't in the original budget, so we had to brainstorm a way to provide dinner at a reasonable cost."

How These Concerns Were Addressed & Resolved: "We had each women's ministry member (10 total) cook two pounds of spaghetti and a crock pot full of spaghetti sauce."

How This Compares with Past Events: "This has been a popular event, especially for us to do it again and this time even bigger."

Would You Do This Event Again? "Definitely! We are planning one this year already."

What Would You Do Differently Next Time? "This year we plan on bringing a magician in for children. We would also like to bring in an opening comedian for the main show eventually."

What Would You Say to People Planning a Similar Event? "I think it's a great community outreach. It's something light with a great community draw that gives us the opportunity to have at least one touch point with them. And our church has a great advantage as well, since most of the community has been in our building before when it was a movie theater."

Meet Comedian Pete McLeod...

1. WHERE ARE YOU FROM, AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP THERE?

I was born (twice) in Kalamazoo Michigan. My parents and my two sisters lived on a quiet lake for much of my life. Some of my greatest memories were spent swimming in the summer and ice-skating in the winter. It was a fabulous place to grow up.

2.WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN BEING A STANDUP COMEDIAN?

Genetics play a huge part in who I am and what I do. My mother was a very gregarious person who was a terrific storyteller. My dad (who is 87) has a fabulous sense of humor… perfect comedic timing… So I certainly came by it naturally. I just sort of see life in a comedic way. When I think about the Bible analogy of being “members of the body of Christ” I’ve thought that I am probably “the funny bone”.

3. HOW DID YOU BECOME A CHRISTIAN?

There is no doubt in my mind that God was wooing me my entire life. His Spirit was softening my heart and drawing me to Him. I was 18 yrs. old when I met a man that spoke to me about Jesus in a way I had never heard before. He was so full of joy and confidence in his relationship with Jesus that I prayed for the first time and said, “God, I want to have what he has.” And God answered that simple, humble prayer. My life has never been the same since. In actuality, that is when my life began!

4. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING A COMEDIAN?

This might sound like a punch line… but seriously… it is the laughter of the audience. To see people genuinely having a good time… to see the stress lifted and to watch them laughing and enjoying themselves… it is truly rewarding.

5. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR CURRENT STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS?

An on going challenge for me is BALANCE. Trying to know how much to work, play, worship, and relax without overdoing any one of those areas…. Any suggestions?

6. HOW DO YOU SEE THE LORD MOVING THROUGH YOUR COMEDY?

I sincerely feel honored to be able to use my simple little gifts for God. To be able to tell a funny story, sing a silly song, or do magic trick that demonstrates how God has worked in my life. Regardless of whether I am performing at a church or some other arena… to watch people respond to the Lord’s working in my life is truly remarkable.

7. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS?

If Jesus hasn’t returned… I see myself continuing to hone my craft and continue sharing the Good News of Jesus’ love through music, magic, and merriment!

8. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BIBLE VERSE AND WHY?

Without a doubt - Romans 8:38, 39 is my favorite passage. To me, it says it all. God through Jesus has shown us that He absolutely, positively loves us! And that His love is deeper, higher, and wider than any of us could possibly imagine… His love is the greatest reality!

9. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING IN YOUR FREE TIME?

I love to read. I love music…writing and playing and singing… There was a time- a LONG time ago when I used to enjoy watching a team called the LA Lakers… but, that was a looooooooooong time ago!

10. WHAT’S YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE GIG?

That is such a difficult question… I thoroughly enjoy family audiences… and yet all children or all adult audiences are equally fun… just in different ways. I just feel blessed to be able to perform for such wide age ranges.

11. ANYTHING ELSE?

This may sound like a broken record (or, to be more current, a broken IPOD) but I feel so incredibly honored to be able to go to churches all over the country and be a part of their outreach ministry. To know that there are people in the audience that may have NEVER been inside a church… but they are coming to see a comedian… it is an honor. And… I don’t take this responsibility lightly… My constant prayer is that Jesus will shine through me in each and every one of my performances and that people might see what He has done in my life… and that they will realize He can do the same for them!

To book Pete McLeod for your next event call 866-400-2036 or click here for more info.

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Featured Tool

The Outreach Event Planning Guide gives you everything you need to organize an effective outreach event. The 96 page guide features planning schedule, discussion guides, budget and fundraising ideas, preparation checklists, follow-up guidelines and more!