Let’s be honest, most church staff dread missions week. [ Not to diss the very important, vital work of missions… it’s important… but missions week can be kind of a drag.]
Having grown up in a church that had a map of the world and pushpins to show every missionary we supported, missions was always a big part of my upbringing in church.
Every year we’d do a missions week where we’d have church every single night of the week.
On the opening Sunday we’d have flags from countries all over the world adorning the stage of the church, guest speakers would typically wear native garb, and show a slide show with “Thank You for Giving to the Lord” playing in the background;. Then, there was always the international potluck meal, where taco salad was considered to be foreign cuisine. And us kids, we were given plastic banks to put change in to help buy Bibles for kids in foreign countries.
And that was missions week.
When the team at Park announced they wanted to do a missions week I nearly fainted.
However, with some creativity and innovation, this Sunday we’re kicking off something I think is going to be pretty sweet.
We took a traditional idea and made it more relevant for our crowd.
It’s all in a Name
Instead of calling it “Missions Week,”, we’re calling it Global Impact Week [part of our vision is to impact the world, so it fit our already existing language]. We found a cool image to use as a logo… a thumbprint that looks like a globe. Part of the challenge for the week will be to “leave your mark.”
Taking Missionaries to Them
Instead of having a service every night [let’s be honest, who would come?] we’re offering three webinars throughout the week that people can tune into during their lunch hours. So, instead of having to come to the church for a service, they can just tune in during their lunch hour from their office.
Cultural Tours
Chicago has some incredibly diverse neighborhoods, so instead of talking about foreign cultures, we’re going to experience them. We have three different tours that are going to different neighborhoods in the city to experience the food, culture, and customs of different ethnic neighborhoods in the city.
Getting to Know Our Neighborhood
One of the professors from Moody Bible Institute who teaches social justice is going to host a bus tour through some of Chicago’s roughest neighborhoods (including our own) to trace the story of thewww.timschraeder.comthe city.
Texting Reminders
We’re going to offer people the opportunity to sign up for a daily text message update with a verse or reminder of something to pray for throughout the week. This will also be another way we can remind them about activities they can engage in during the week.
The thing I love about this whole idea is that it’s all happening outside of our church. We’re going to be out in the city, out in different neighborhoods we might not normally go to, and getting a first-hand look at how “the world” is really right in our own backyard.
I think I might miss the overweight, Caucasian missionary in a traditional African headdress with his slideshow, but I think Missions Week, 2.0 is pretty cool.
I’ll keep you posted and let you know how it goes.
