Several great list of Summer Outreach Ideas have passed around. I liked this list from Diana Davis. Here’s a few other low cost ideas that have proved fruitful for meeting people:

• Water Bottles for front yard lawn mowers

  Fill a few ice chest full of ice cold water or gatorade, then head out on Saturday morning & watch for people working in their front yard. Interrupt them by giving them a bottle & a small connection card to your church. I promise they won’t mind.

• Face Painting or Balloon Animals at local festivals

  Every Louisiana community has a festival, car show, farmers market or something. Add to the gathering by offering something fun for kids. Face Painting is easy for almost anyone. Poll your team for other talents that might be unique & entertaining. Don’t forget to have invite cards to your church or Bible Study.

• Fun for kids at Multi-Housing complexes

  If you haven’t already, you should get to know the managers at local apartment complexes. They’re often required by upper management to provide events for the park & in my experience they are stressed about that! Offer to help by extending a VBS activity or showing up with a snow cone machine or bounce house.

• Snow cones at local daycares

  Private daycares are usually very open to engagement with churches. Especially if you offer free snow cones for every child in the afternoon! Snow cone machines rent for $100 or so, check around to see if another local church has one, or if you’re part of a Baptist Association, they probably have a block party trailer equipped with a snow cone machine plus. Ask the daycare if they’ll send home an invite card or event invite from your church in backpacks in return.

• Outdoor Movie Nights

  Pick an area park, backyard, subdivision common space, & a short movie. Outdoor movie screens can be purchased for around $200. Projectors are available from partner churches or your local association.

• Hurricane Prep for local Mobile Home Parks

  Great men’s group project. Connect with a local trailer park & offer to cut low hanging limbs back away from trailers in the run up to Hurricane season. This is a great service to residents & management that will never be forgotten. Pole saws rent for $125 or so & probably at least one guy in your group has a chainsaw.

• Free Movie Day for Stay at Home Moms with Kids

  Turn your church or a local meeting hall into a free cinema for the afternoon. Show a favorite kid movie with popcorn & box drinks. There’s probably a local mom’s facebook group that you can spread the word through.

• Outdoor Summer Concert

  If your church or community has a nice green space, find a local musician or band (no shortage of those in Louisiana) & throw a free sunset concert. Offer free drinks & invite cards to your churches gathering.

Got other ideas for summer outreach? Don’t be stingy. Please share.