Ideas for contact with baptism families through the summer

With longer daylight hours and school holidays, there are lots of opportunities for parents to get out and about and spend time with their children. The church can offer activities to help families discover new things, meet new people, have fun and make memories. Here are some ways to help:

Publicising what’s on

You may already have planned a whole programme of ideas such as a holiday club, a summer church fete, family fun days, toddler groups, a church picnic, but need to find ways of making sure your baptism contacts get to hear about them. These are simple ways to get the word out.

• E-newsletter – Families are used to receiving e-mail updates from organisations and other outlets to let them know the latest news, offers and activities. Families are open to hearing from their local church too and an e-newsletter is not as difficult to set up as you might think. You may already have an email list of contacts, and you can build on this with every baptism you take.
• Social media – Many churches have their own pages on popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Social-media-savvy people in your congregation might like to maintain your church account and post up-and-coming events, as well as making sure that families with recently baptized children are following you.
• Posters – Posters for your big events like summer fetes work well on community noticeboards. Include a bold statement on your poster that ‘All are welcome’. Use your own ‘real estate’ too – if you have a church noticeboard, place colourful, up to date events posters there for passers-by to see.
• What’s on web page – Keep your ‘What’s on’ or ‘Events’ information up to date. Parents will search online for things to do in their area, so keep the content on your parish website updated at least every week.
• Word of mouth – Remind those in your congregation to spread the word about forthcoming events.

Ideas

These are selection of church activities that can be offered at any time of year, but are great for mid-week events on any day throughout the summer months.

• Pudding and Pamper for pregnant mums.
• Sunday afternoon ‘Refresh’ – a great idea to get young children thinking about Bible stories.
• Encouraging grandparents – many grandparents look after their grandchildren over school holidays or during the week when parents are working. Think of ways to invite them and involve them at church. This could be a simple playgroup, or a tea party.