Gather Your Congregation for a Homecoming Reunion
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Some of the closest relationships we form besides those we have with our families are
those with members of our church. Maybe it is time to gather your congregation for a
reunion.
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Locate Former Members
In order to include former members in your homecoming reunion plans, take a look
back through your historical membership records and see how many clues you can find
among them that would let you know where your former members have gone. Many
churches still use the process of "letters" to introduce members in good standing to a
new church. Knowing where a former member transferred is a good step to locating
where that member is now. Ask your congregation to contact any former members they
are still in touch with. And, go to the internet. There are hundreds of sources for people
searches online.
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Evaluate Your Location
Do you have a space large enough to accommodate a much greater than normal crowd
for a homecoming reunion service? Even if you do not have enough space in the
sanctuary, it may be possible to expand your space for the weekend by using remote
broadcasting into other areas of the church or outside to a large tent.
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Get the Word Out
Put the word out through the media in your area and with any publications that are
read church-wide. Members who have moved to other communities in the area may
hear about the reunion this way. Send an announcement to the other churches in your
region and ask that they make an announcement for you.
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Make Your Church's History the Theme
See how much memorabilia you can locate from throughout the history of your church
such as photographs, movies or videos, bulletins, or special holiday service programs.
Once you have located former members, ask for memorabilia contributions. Ask
former members to make copies of their photographs, scrapbooks, movies or videos so
that the originals can remain safe and secure at home. Then, plan an after-the-service
event around celebrating and remembering your church's history. Cover a meeting
place such as the dining hall in as much memorabilia as you can find and ask a
computer whiz (probably one of your teenagers) to put together a multimedia program
for everyone to watch during the event.
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Line up the Volunteers
You may need volunteers to help you with the search for former members, to act as
greeters during the homecoming reunion, photography or videography, or to provide
food for an after-service potluck. Line up your volunteers early to make sure that you
will have enough help during the reunion.
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Negotiate with Vendors
You may find that you need to negotiate with the businesses you have hired to help you host
your homecoming reunion if you do not have enough volunteers or if you are expecting
a crowd bigger than what you can handle for a potluck, for example. The best advice I
can give you about negotiating with vendors is to negotiate value over price. For
example, you may not be able to get a caterer to negotiate downward much on the price
of the meal because they have costs and they need to make a certain amount to stay in
business, but you may be able to negotiate a better salad or dessert or an additional side
dish with the entree. Consider everything negotiable from the level of service to the
quality and quantity of the product you are purchasing from a vendor before you settle
on a final deal. Then, get it in writing!
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Make Your Communications Effective
Half of the battle in getting people to attend reunions is in planning an event that your
group members cannot wait to attend. The other half of the battle is in how you
communicate what you are planning. Give your current and former members as much
information as they need to attend including the date, the time, and the place, but also a
vivid and enthusiastic description of what a great time they will have and how much
they will be missed if they do not attend. Make a special invitation to former members
letting them know that they will be your special guests of honor.
Some of the closest relationships we make in life are those we make with members of
the church. We worship and pray together, share the grief at the loss of dear friends and
the joy of welcoming new members into the congregation. What are you waiting for?
Gather up your members, new and old, a homecoming reunion celebration.
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By Dina C. Carson
Dina C. Carson is the author of Reunion Solutions: Everything You Need to
Plan an Extraordinary Family, School, Military, Corporate or Association
Reunion, available at your local bookstore or at www.ReunionSolutions.com |
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