OUTREACH: Neighborhood Easter Bag Invites

From Oriental Trading

If it's been a while since you've invited your church neighbors to worship with you, try putting some neighborhood Easter bags together for them.  Put a few simple things inside along with an invitation to worship.  If you're having an Easter Basket Silent Auction it would be a great time to let them know about that, an Easter Egg Hunt (if you have one) or any other festivities.  Don't forget to add the schedule of worship for Holy Week and have them RSVP if they'd like to participate in the Easter Egg Hunt as you'll need to know how many eggs to hide.

In order for it to be a congregational invitation, let everybody help put them together during the Education hour one week and walk through the neighborhood delivering them the next week.  Be sure to remind people not to put them in mailboxes.

Bag Content Ideas - try to get things that are inexpensive but relevant.

• Book Marks - make your own on cardstock or purchase them
• Church pens or pencils - you may already have them with church info
• Commercially Packaged Candy
• Invitation to visit church - make it funny, offer a free cup of coffee, ...
• Stickers for the kids
• Coloring page for the kids
• A short prayer for them printed on nice, good quality paper

If you need some ideas of where to get appropriate items other than candy at a good price, check out the PINTEREST tab on my home page and look at the Lent/Easter board.  I've pinned a bunch of items for reasonable prices there though most of them are from Oriental Trading as I found they had the best prices.

Invite the neighborhood and share the good news.  HE IS RISEN, INDEED!