Making a strong community connection

Here’s a great story about a congregation making a huge impact on their community. Think what would happen if every church took on a project like this!

http://www.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=15661

Make the Winter Olympics outreach a local event

If you can’t make it to Vancouver, use the Games as a focus for congregational community outreach events!

Olympic “fever” will spread across Canada as the torch run begins the countdown to the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. The Olympics provides us with an excellent opportunity to connect with our communities and share the Good News of our Lord! 

How can the Olympic Games provide your congregation with local outreach opportunities in your own community?

• Host a sports outreach event (i.e. block party) at your local park or your gym.
• Host an open crowd and big screen community festival (e.g. the Opening Ceremonies and/or the Gold Medal hockey game might be projected on a large screen in your gym or fellowship hall)
• Organize a weekend sports camp for kids, similar to a VBS;
• Distribute sports specific Christian literature in your community.
• Buy and distribute copies of the sports-oriented DVD Struggle and Triumph (www.tobiascom.com/lcc )
• If the Olympic Torch is going through your area, think of ways you can serve those lining the torch route (http://tinyurl.com/n4rfds)

To help you organize local events, More Than Gold, a Christian church network focusing connecting with people at the Vancouver Olympics, has produced a helpful “How to” manual which you can download for free at: http://tinyurl.com/nkk5bx

More Than Gold (www.morethangold.ca  is looking for people to serve in the area of creative and performing arts or on mission teams, in Internet cafés, at sports camps or in social ministry initiatives. More Than Gold can also provide you with ideas/resources of how to organize and host local outreach events.Sign up on the More Than Gold (www.morethangold.ca/content/churches ) website as a participating church and then request information. More Than Gold has inexpensive outreach resources that you can purchase (E.g. a Gospel of Mark is $1; a copy of the New Testament is $2).

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Witness and serve at the Winter Olympics

VANCOUVER, B.C. More than 300,000 visitors from around the world will attend the Winter Olympic Games (February 12-28, 2010) and the Paralympics Games (March 12-21, 2010) in Vancouver. Many of the visitors, and a majority of people who live in Vancouver do not believe in Christ as their Saviour from sin, death and the devil. Would you like to volunteer to serve as a Christian witness for two, three, or four days or possibly a week or two while at the same time experiencing the Winter Olympics? What an opportunity for congregational outreach teams to participate in a short-term outreach trip and for Christian musicians and congregation worship teams to share the Gospel through concerts! 

 Trinity Lutheran Church, Richmond, and Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Vancouver are planning outreach events (e.g. Internet café; children’s sports camp; evening music concerts, etc.) throughout the Olympic Games (February 12-28, 2010) and need your help.

 To see the planned outreach activities and how you can be part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, visit the ABC District website at: http://www.lccabc.ca/vancouver2010. Some of the LCC congregations, in the Vancouver Metropolitan area, are providing lodging to volunteers either in their church building or with some fellow Lutherans who are billeting outreach volunteers. This information is also available at: http://www.lccabc.ca/vancouver2010. Volunteers need to fund their own expenses and arrange/reserve their own lodging.