June 2022

SUMMER MINISTRY CONNECTIONS

Summer is an exciting time for connecting with your students and their families. It’s a time for day camp, overnight camp, family style BBQs and so much more. We’ve got a few ideas to help you and your students and families to connect.

SUMMER 2022 PRAYER RUN (or walk!) – Last year hundreds across our territory earned medals by prayer walking for 5, 10 or 25k around their hometown. This summer, invite your young people and their families to join us! We’d like to encourage you to gather with your Sunday school class, after school club, youth group, music group, Messy Church families and get outside to pray in your communities. We’re also introducing a new 5K GOLD* medal for repeat runners who want a new medal for 2022 (*the 5K GOLD medal is not made of gold!). Be sure to register your corps, kids’ group, or family before the end of August. Prayer walking activities for multiple ages can be found on our webpage; check out the details here:

5K, 10k or 25K Prayer Run Resources

MOVIE NIGHTS – Provide an opportunity for families to connect by inviting your church and neighbouring community to join you for a movie night or two. Choose a family friendly movie, provide popcorn, candy, snacks, and cold drinks. Set up your church parking lot to be a theatre or if the air is too hot and humid move your movie night indoors so families can enjoy the air conditioning. Finish your time together with a short devotional thought and an invitation to join you for family worship on Sunday.

CHAT'N PLAY – A fun place to meet new families this summer is at local parks and splash pads. Invite your moms/dads and kids to meet you at the park, invite other parents at the park to join in for some coffee, conversation and connecting while their kids are enjoying the playground equipment. Consider bringing along simple craft ideas that you can lead the parents and kids through; plan a simple game or activity that all can do together; and provide a simple snack such as Tim Bits, Rice Krispie squares, juice, and coffee. Plan to do this on the same day and time each week and you might discover that parents and kids will be watching out for you and the chance to chat’n play together.