Preparing for Easter

By Cass Brannan

It is that time of year again.

It just might be one of the busiest times of the whole year for your ministry.
It just might be one of the most fun time of the whole year for your ministry too.

Easter is just a few short weeks away. You will have more guests than usual. You will have families who haven’t been in weeks (or months) returning to your church. You will have families who have never stepped foot in a church before.

Easter Sunday, or weekend, cannot be treated like a regular Sunday. It probably is going to take more volunteers than your average Sunday because you will most likely have more kids coming than normal.

It is a busy and full day, and for some a busy and full weekend. But, if you are prepared and ready then you can maximize your connection with each family that comes through the doors of your church.

 Here are THREE things that will make Easter a better Sunday, not just for you but for your guests as well.

PLAN AHEAD and RECRUIT
By planning ahead, you set yourself and your ministry up to win. So, begin this week making extra phone calls. Sending out extra emails. And, my favorite, encouraging your current volunteers to bring a friend, a family member, or someone from their small group to serve alongside them. Empower your volunteers to help you recruit. When you have more volunteers the increase in the number of children won’t be felt because you planned ahead. Volunteers are a huge part of your win on Sundays and can make the experience on Easter Sunday that much better. So begin planning now.

BE READY
Curriculum :: You will most likely need more supplies than a normal Sunday. With the increase in the number of children, you will need more things cut out, more supplies in the rooms, more snack, more crayons, more, more, more. SO BE READY. Don’t catch yourself scrambling on Sunday morning looking for extra supplies, making more copies, etc. Make sure the curriculum is ready and clear for the volunteers that will be using it. Being ready will allow your volunteers the chance to share the greatest story ever without having to worry if they have enough of something.

Volunteers :: You might have new volunteers on Easter Sunday that are filling in, so be ready for them. Make sure that you have sent them the curriculum so they can be ready. Make sure that they have a nametag so that others can know who they are. Because you planned ahead and recruited, be ready when they show up on Easter morning and have them assigned to a room. Their experience serving on Easter might lead to, or steer them away from, serving regularly. Give them an awesome experience serving in your ministry. Maybe even have a special gift for those who are filling in to serve to make sure that they know they are appreciated.

THE GUEST EXPERIENCE
You want to put your best foot forward for your guests. SO, plan ahead and be ready for each one of them. This might be the very first time those guests have stepped inside a church. You want those children to beg to come back because of their experience inside your preschool classrooms. You want the parents leaving with the feeling that this is a great place, a safe place, a loving place, and somewhere I would come back to. You probably already have a process for guests, but with the increase of guests on Easter, this needs to be a priority for your ministry!

You want your guests to not only experience a great Sunday, but you want them to learn as much as they can about your ministry, the vision, and purpose of not only what you do, but why you do it too. At my church, we are having Frisbees made that have our logo on top, and then on the inside, a calendar of summer family events the church has planned. It’s a fun, creative way to communicate to each family what is happening in our church. Maybe in your church it’s a postcard, a handout or a gift bag. Whatever method you choose, it needs to communicate that you were glad that they were your guests and give information about your ministry and your church.

Easter is coming.

Make a plan.

Be ready.

It’s going to be great!!!

Cass Brannan is a long-time First Look Friend who currently leads the preschool ministry at Cross Pointe Church in the norther suburbs of Atlanta. A father of 4 (with one on the way) boys, Cass knows all about preschoolers.