It is an ugly, awful, terribly misguided myth that churches can’t grow during the summer. Don’t listen to it. Don’t buy into it. Don’t settle for it. Summer is the perfect time to try new things, change up each week, and be so invitational it makes your hospitality team wonder where you came from. You’ve got to intentionally plan for it.

It’s not just about VBS week, but the weekend after and every day until fall programming starts. I know of too many churches offering amazing Vacation Bible Schools as ‘outreaches’ yet plan nothing special to offer afterward to continue to build relationships, connections, and faith-formation experiences beyond a laid-back Sunday morning. We put in all that work, all those resources, and we’ve dropped the ball. We take a summer break. We think since most people are gone during the summer, we just can’t pull it off. I’m not gone. Are you gone? These are some of the holidays we’ll be celebrating intentionally the summer of 2020 in an effort for our church family to linger, build relationships, and invite our community to share.

5/31…5th Sunday/Pentecost Sunday – wear red to church (also the start of our VBS!)
6/7…National Chocolate Ice Cream Day – mini chocolate ice cream cones after 11am service
6/14…Flag Day – wear your Red, White, & Blue
6/21…Pops with Pops for Father’s Day…popsicles with Dad– photo booth in CLC
6/28…McPeachern…enjoy a BBQ lunch and all the peach fixins after all morning services during the height of our state’s peach season. This is the only McEachern Kids fundraiser of the year so the kids will be serving and we’ll all be wearing any McEachern Kids tshirt we’ve got in the closet.
We invite each age level to bring the following to the CLC kitchen first thing that morning:
Each Kindergartner & 1st grader: 3 huge bags of tortilla chips & 1 bottle of BBQ sauce
Each 2nd & 3rd grader: 3 large bags of rolls for BBQ sandwiches
Each 4th & 5th grader: 2 pans of homemade peach cobbler (we provide peach salsa, peach tea, and our fabulous men’s ministry prepares 140 pounds of BBQ pork)
7/5…National Graham Cracker Day (serve S’mores between services over Sterno in jars)
7/12…National Eat Your Jello Day (serve multicolored Jello cups)
7/19…National Ice Cream Sundae Day (7/20) – Ice Cream Truck Sunday. Other ministries get in on this one but giving tickets to each of their volunteers to get a free treat from the ice cream truck. Last year, we partnered with the adult education team and the nurture team of senior adult and counseling ministries, then split the cost three ways.
7/26…National Bagel Day – serve mini bagels & cream cheese in Welcome Center & 5th grade Parent breakfast – Next steps for rising 6th graders
8/2…National Ice Cream Sandwich Day – serve mini ice cream sandwiches; I Can Go To Sunday School Faith Milestone for all rising Kindergartners at 12:15-12:30pm
8/9…Promotion Sunday! Meet & Greet for Sunday school at 9:30am (Theme?)
8/16…Freeze pops with Parents after both services
8/23…Bubble Bash (fizzy drinks, soda, sparkling cider, Bubble gum, Bubble wands, foam pit, etc.)
8/30…5th Sunday – Everybody’s Birthday Party (Glee Club/Cherubs sing at 11am service); classic party games + cake & punch + party hats (decorate) + treat bags + Jesus message + balloon games + group games

Gather some of your leadership. Pull out a watermelon and some lemonade. Plan for some great summer Sundays!

“They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” Psalm 145:7