November 2005

Featured Event Idea - Narnia Event Ideas

Real Stories - Case Study: Anniversary Celebration

Performer Profile - Featuring Kurt Bruner

Special Promotions - Win a FREE Event For Your Church!

Effective Resources - Narnia Evangelistic Booklet

Event Planning Tip of the Month - Narnia Outreach Timeline

News & Updates - Team & Performer News, Outreach Road Show Dates, Outreach, Inc. move

Joke of the Month - Featuring Nick Arnette

Narnia Event

Invite Your Community to Discover the Inspirational Truths Found in Narnia.

The most anticipated movie of the year! “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” produced by Disney Pictures and Walden Media, will be released on December 9th. Powerful themes woven throughout this classic C.S. Lewis story make this an ideal outreach opportunity for your church.

The children and adults in your community will see this film – invite them to understand and explore the spiritual truths with you.

Narnia Outreach Ideas for Churches:

1. "Wardrobe” Preview

Take time during your weekend services to show the G-rated trailer of the movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (“Wardrobe”), to your congregation and then share with them how you will be providing resources for them to reach out to their friends and neighbors.

2. Narnia Personal Invitations

Equip your church members with Narnia invitations, tickets and/or postcards  for inviting their friends and family to a Narnia-related event with your church.

3. Purchase a Block of “Wardrobe” Tickets

Purchase a block of tickets or an entire showing of the movie at a local theater. Make tickets available for sale to church members, equipping them to invite others to the movie. Follow up with various opportunities to help attendees process what they’ve experienced after watching the movie.

4. Narnia Message Series

Plan a message series around one of the Narnia postcards from Outreach. Visit SermonCentral.com  for sermon outlines, and manuscripts.

5. Narnia Christmas Service

Connect your church’s Christmas celebration and outreach with the movie. Ask the question, “What if there were no Christmas (like in Narnia)?” and celebrate that there is indeed a Christmas.

6. Narnia Direct Mailing

Mail a Narnia ImpactCard to the selected carrier routes in driving range of your church. To reserve an official Narnia direct mail ImpactCard for your community contact an Outreach Specialist at 800-991-6011. Or consider a consortium mailing, whereby multiple churches can join together and cooperatively mail to every home in their community. Contact Outreach for more information.

7. Narnia Door Hanger Distribution

Distribute Narnia Door Hangers  to the homes surrounding your church. Invite neighbors both to see the movie and attend a Narnia-related event with your church. Pray for your neighbors as you leave Door Hangers at each home. This is a great way to engage youth in a Narnia outreach.

8. “Wardrobe” Q & A Session

Host a “Wardrobe” Q & A session at your church or at the theater addressing critical questions asked by skeptics and seekers. Identify and involve an expert in the Narnia series or on the writings of C.S. Lewis. Narnia speakers are available at OutreachEvents.com.

9. Children’s Outreach

Libraries, public schools, even McDonald’s will be talking about Narnia to your children this fall: what will your church say? Offer a “Wardrobe”-related children’s outreach event either as a special month of Sunday School, a one-day “Narnia” day-camp or Christmas mini-VBS. Download free curriculum and activities  and order Narnia activity books  in bulk from Outreach.

10. Narnia Read-Alouds for Children (and some adults!)

Kids love the Narnia books. Schedule Narnia read-alouds for kids in anticipation of the movie’s release. Then go see the movie together. (This can also make a great post-release outreach.)

11. Narnia Small Groups for Children, Youth and Adults and Devotional guides

Invite movie attendees to participate in a small group or Sunday school around the themes of Narnia or C.S. Lewis. Offer small groups during the week to discuss the topics presented in the message. Make it a family affair! Eighteen day devotionals  are also available in bulk through Outreach!

12. Narnia Book Giveaway

Give Narnia-related gifts to guests who come to your church. The Chronicles of Narnia book series and Narnia-related activity books  are available in bulk

13. Narnia Splash

Build energy into your Narnia family activities by putting up Narnia banners  inside and outside your church building 2-3 months before the movie is released.

14. Kids Invite Mobilization

Unleash the kids in your congregation as a dynamic team of inviters. Offer a gift copy of the Narnia book or activity book to your guests and the children that invited them. Bulk copies  are available from Outreach of both books.

15. Joint Service for Children and Adults

Host a Narnia-related service where children are encouraged to stay in church with their parents and to participate in a Narnia-themed gathering. Show the “Wardrobe” trailer and have a Narnia message appropriate for children and adults alike.

16. Evangelistic Booklet Distribution

Purchase Evangelistic Booklets  from Outreach and distribute them to your members to give to friends and family who have questions about the moral lessons in the movie. Make sure you include your church information, service times and phone number in the inside front cover so guests can attend a service.

17. Turkish Delight

Get a recipe of Turkish Delight - the recipe is available in the Children's Curriculum  download. Make the candy, share it with children and adults, and use the opportunity to discuss the themes around the delicacy—addiction, temptation, overcoming, prudence, etc. (Note - make sure the ingredients list is available to avoid food allergy problems.)

Case Study: Anniversary Celebration

Rev up your church members to participate in Outreach efforts! Oasis Church celebrates their 5th anniversary AND provides intense incentive for member outreach at their next Outreach Event!

Event Basics

Customer Interviewed: Pastor Steve McNary

Organization Name: Oasis Church

Event Name: "Oasis Rewind"

Event Type: Anniversary Celebration

Event Dates & Time: Sunday, January 23, 2005 - 7pm

Event Location: Coconuts night club in Victorville, CA

Location Profile: Victorville is a "inland empire" desert community--60 miles outside of Los Angeles. See "Site Set-Up" for more about the Event location.

Attendee Type: Members of the church family

Price per Attendee: $10

Total Attendees: 250+

Behind the Scenes Efforts:

Publicity Tools Used:

• ImpactCards: They sent a postcard mailer to their church family inviting them to come.
• Sunday Announcements: Announcements were made on Sunday morning, along with PowerPoint slides including the performer's picture, Event information, etc. Note: Senior pastor announcements on Sunday morning are the BEST proven way to incite church members to action.
• Word of Mouth: Told other members verbally about the Event.

Cutting Costs:

• Ticket Sales: Sold at $10 each. Tickets were sold before and after Sunday services and were made available at the church office.
• Member Donations: Some church members donated additional funds toward this Event.
• Decoration Donations: The local movie theater donated and loaned many of the decorations (the owner of the local theater is now a church member).

Team Efforts Included:

• Approximately 25 staff & volunteers participated. Volunteers made up 80% of the Event team.
• Team ministries included decorations, site set-up, audio/video, hospitality, and hosts.

About the Event

Event Purpose:

The Event was a celebration of the church's 5th anniversary. The goal was to re-ignite, encourage, inspire, and refocus church members to the goals of the church and outreach. One of the goals was to rev members up for future Outreach Events. At the end of the Event, the pastor announced that they would be holding a similar Outreach Event soon--only this time, if members wanted to come they had to bring an unchurched friend!

Event Content:

The evening's schedule of events included a gourmet Asian meal served family style, a slide show of videos and photos from major church Events, personal church member testimonies about the ministry, and comedy with a message from Thor Ramsey.

Theme:

The Event had a movie theater theme because when the church originally began, they'd been renting space from a local movie theater. They've since moved to a new building, but wanted to go back to their roots for this Event.

Site Set-Up: 

They rented out space from a local night club and walled off the bar area. Banquet tables were set up around the professional stage.

Decorations:

Decorations included tons of movie theater props, posters, banners, popcorn boxes on each table, church member "family" photos placed inside film-edged frames as centerpieces, 4"x4" gold stars on tables, sections of theater seats, and a 6ft tall popcorn box filled with yellow balloons (decorated by dedicated volunteers).

About the Comedy Performance

Performer: Thor Ramsey

Performance Type: 55 minutes of stand-up performance and a 5 minute message.

Message: Thor discussed a themed message with the pastor beforehand. He reminded the church family that 5 years didn't mean they've "arrived," or that their work is done. He encouraged members to keep reaching out to their community for Christ.

Results

Response to Performer:

"Everyone loved Thor. There was a woman who'd just celebrated her 88th birthday that thought he was so funny, and my 4-year old daughter couldn't stop talking about the "funny man" the whole evening. Some of the younger kids also had fun afterwards collecting the stars off the tables and asking Thor to sign them. He was definitely our 'celebrity' of the evening!"

Response to the Event in General:

"Why don't we do this more often?!"

Additional Comments

Biggest Concerns Heading into the Event:
"Making sure we could get the place decorated in time, and people who wanted to come last-minute."

How These Concerns Were Addressed & Resolved:

"The volunteers really pitched in quickly and were able to turn the club into a movie theater experience in just and hour and a half. Unfortunately we had to turn away those who wanted to attend last-minute, but gave them the incentive if they wanted to attend the next event, they had to bring an unchurched friend along."

How This Compares with Past Events:
"One of the top-most definitely."

Would You Do This Event Again?

"Yes. The way Thor connected with our crowd was so effective-people left feeling so comfortable with the church and connected to each other. It was just so obvious that God brought all these things together."

What Would You Do Differently Next Time?

"We told all of those attending that the next event we have like this will be a pure outreach. The only way they'll be able to come next time is if they bring unchurched guests. It'll be a great incentive and opportunity for outreach that our congregation can participate in."

What Would You Say to People Planning a Similar Event?

"It's obviously well-worth it. We'd do it again in a second. Definitely money well spent. God was definitely involved in the whole thing and made it happen."

    Speaker: Kurt Bruner

KURT BRUNER has spent twenty years with Focus on the Family where he has led the creation of books, films, magazines, and radio drama, including the popular Adventures in Odyssey series and Radio Theatre adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia.  He is co-founder of the Heritage Builders Association, a network of parents and churched committed to passing a strong spiritual heritage to the next generation.  A graduate of Talbot Seminary, Kurt has authored such best-selling books as Finding God in the Lord of the Rings and the recent release Finding God in the Land of Narnia.

INTERVIEW WITH KURT BRUNER

1. When did you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus?

• As a child of seven years old in my Baptist church – probably during the third verse of “Just As I Am” or some such invitation hymn.

2. Tell us about your church experiences, how you grew up, and what you are currently involved with ministry-wise?

• I was raised the middle (of seven) child of a Baptist deacon in suburban Detroit.  When I was a young teen my family helped launch a start-up church where I taught the younger kids because there was no adult to do it.  I went to a Christian college where I met my lovely wife and speaking/writing partner Olivia.  She was a school teacher while I attended Seminary and began working for Focus on the Family.  I graduated from Talbot Seminary and have spent the past two decades serving in various non-denominational churches while on the executive team at Focus – most recently as Group Vice President over Media and Communications, including leading the teams that produce films, books and radio drama such as Adventures in Odyssey and the entire Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis.  I also co-founded the Heritage Builders Association, a ministry dedicated to helping parents pass a strong spiritual legacy to the next generation. 

3. What is your Mission Statement as a writer and Christian?

• I have two passions as a writer.  First, to help readers discover our beautiful God of redemption in unexpected places – as evidenced in books such as The Divine Drama, Inklings of God, Finding God in the Lord of the Rings and Finding God in the Land of Narnia.  Second, to help families experience the wonderful possibilities of marriage and parenting – as seen in books like Your Heritage, The Family Night Tool Chest, and The Marriage Masterpiece.

4. What books have influenced your work?

• There are far too many to list.  But probably more than any other writer, the works of C.S. Lewis including my favorites The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia, and A Grief Observed.  I also love Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables as powerful pictures of fallen man in need of redemption. 

5. What kind of testimony to your faith are you demonstrating in:  Finding God in the Land of Narnia?

• I believe in the power of art over argument to win hearts and minds to Christian faith.  C.S. Lewis demonstrated the ability to take ideas we ought to process with our intellect and make us want to experience them in the depths of our souls.  He did more than describe Christian theology and redemption.  He depicted them by creating other worlds – and as a result surprises us with truths that might have become routine.

6. Who are your mentors?

• My father as a man who modeled heroic self sacrifice providing for his seven children and taking us to church despite being exhausted from working two jobs our entire upbringing. Pastor and my co-author J. Otis Ledbetter who modeled how one creates a home filled with love, fun and spiritual intentionality. Dr. James Dobson for whom I’ve worked most of my professional life.  He models integrity as well as creative excellence and passion.

7. What are your favorite family traditions?

• I’m glad you asked.  Our family loves listening to Radio Theatre together in the car (especially The Chronicles of Narnia) and we love doing family night activities together as a fun, intentional way to pass our faith to the kids.

Monthly Website Promotion

Win a FREE event for your church!

Click here to enter the drawing

*Up to a $2,000 value. Travel not included. Entries must be received by November 30, 2005. Drawing will be held on December 1, 2005.

Narnia Evangelistic Booklet

Discover the Wonder

Use this 8-page evangelistic booklet to equip your members to be inviters or as a visitor follow-up gift. Also makes a great invitation to your church by including a place for your service times and a map. ORDER NOW.

Click here to read the Evangelistic Booklet.    

Narnia Outreach Timeline

It's not too late to begin planning your Narnia outreach. Use the following timeline to discuss options and outreach ideas with your church staff to decide how you want to use the film to reach out to your community.

November

November 14

Last day to reserve your Narnia-themed Personalized ImpactCards to send out as a direct mail invitation for an event around the movie release on December 9.

November 15

Download the FREE Children’s Curriculum  and get your teachers ready to discuss the topics and themes of the movie. Purchase Narnia children’s  activity books to use in your children’s ministry and as visitor gifts.

Dress up your children’s area and/or lobby to reflect the themes of Narnia. Put up indoor banners, wall banners  and other promotional items to keep the excitement building.

November 17

Plan your sermon or sermon series now. Visit SermonCentral.com/narnia for ideas and outlines. You may want to re-read the book.

Order indoor and outdoor banners promoting your sermon or special event and begin building excitement in your church and in the community.

November 20

Show the Narnia Trailer in your weekend services and talk about your plans. Empower your congregation with additional invitations for the adults and children. The Trailer is available on the Narnia Resource DVD available in Mid October. CAll if you haven't received one.

November 21

Encourage your whole church to being reading the book. Order bulk copies of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” from Outreach, to make available for your church members to purchase. They also make great visitor gifts. Start a book club discussing the spiritual themes.

December

December 1

Consider taking your church and small groups through an 18 day Narnia devotional during the month of December. Purchase bulk copies  of the devotional from Outreach to make available to your congregation.

December 3

Make any last minute preparations for your Narnia outreach. Be sure you have follow-up plans and small groups ready to go when the visitors arrive. Begin your Narnia 18 day devotional.

December 3/4

Use a Narnia-related sermon message at your weekend service. Visit SermonCentral.com  to get FREE Narnia sermons. Show the trailer and encourage members to invite a friend to the movie and a small group or discussion group on the themes.

December 9

Movie opens in theaters across the country. Plan to attend with a group from your church and their friends. 

December 10/11

Begin your post-release sermon series and outreach events leading up to Christmas. Connect visitors to small groups for additional discussion time. Be sure to invite visitors to your Christmas and New Years  events as well.

December 24

Welcome your Christmas visitors with a Narnia-themed Evangelistic Booklet, 18-day Devotional, or Children's Activity book. These visitor gifts will help your new friends see the spiritual side of the movie and may encourage them to return to your church to learn more.

January

January 8

If the holidays prevented you from discussing the Narnia movie before Christmas, now is a great time to launch a Narnia Sermon series. Use the theme of redemption and tie it into the New Years resolutions that many people make at this time of the year. Visit SermonCentral.com to get FREE Narnia sermons.

January 15

Continue the Narnia excitement in your church by beginning small group book clubs based on the works of CS Lewis. Order bulk copies of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” from Outreach, to make available for your church members to purchase.

Featuring:

Nick Arnette

What did the Yogi say when he walked into the Zen Pizza Parlor?

"Make me one with everything."

When the Yogi got the pizza, he gave the proprietor a $20 bill. The proprietor pocketed the bill. The Yogi said "Don't I get change?"

The proprietor said, "Change must come from within."