This September I spoke at a women’s retreat at Ganderbrook Christian Camp on discipleship and evangelism. While there, I was blessed to hear about the struggles and successes experienced by churches in New England. I heard a strong desire to reach out to the community, to grow, and to find creative solutions. One of the topics that generated quite a bit of interest was outreach events, or “bridge events.” These events are designed to be a place where it’s easy to invite neighbors, colleagues, and community members, giving them a chance to come through our doors and meet our congregations. Bridge events focus on a topic or activity of interest, creating a fun and casual event that connects us with our community. The fall and winter seasons are great times to plan some of these events.

Many churches hold a fall festival for the children of the community. Hot dogs, candy, games, hay rides, and even trunk-or-treat give our members a chance to interact with people they would not normally have a chance to meet. When inviting people from other outreach efforts, this gives an additional way for members to get to know those who we are trying to reach. Whether or not your church celebrates Halloween, having a fall festival creates a safe and fun activity to help community members who are thinking about and wanting to attend a fall activity.

Thanksgiving is a holiday where family takes center stage. Unfortunately, not everyone has family with which to celebrate, and some may not have the energy to make the traditional foods. Additionally, with traditional foods becoming increasingly expensive, cooking for just one or two may not make financial sense. Churches have the opportunity to invite people to share a meal—not to mention experience, acceptance, and conversation—with our members. While some churches may have families that choose to cook and celebrate with the community on Thanksgiving, others have a Thanksgiving meal a few days prior. Either way, this is a great opportunity to provide not only a meal and fellowship but also share some reflections about what we are grateful for as Christians. During the holiday season, people who may not normally be open to talking about faith are sometimes more open. The idea of a spiritual family may bring comfort during times of year that are more reflective.

Christmas, when our own culture opens the door for us to share our own reflections on Christ and what the holiday means to us, is an ideal time of year for bridge events. It also often surfaces financial and family concerns in our communities. We can show care to those who are concerned about their children’s experiences on Christmas morning by providing gifts of toys, clothing, and food. There are many options at Christmas to help others. An event could be hosted for the parents of children where they have the opportunity to choose gifts for their children. A system needs to be in place that allows the parents to retain dignity and ownership in the process. Consider vouchers or some other method to keep the distribution fair. Instead of wrapping the gifts, you might provide wrapping paper, tape, and scissors. If you choose to provide food baskets, be sure to keep it simple and include instructions so that even those who do not have experience cooking a holiday meal, or perhaps the equipment to do so, can enjoy it.

Another idea that has been enjoyed by women’s ministries are Christmas teas. Teas can be set up at round tables, allowing for easy conversation between the women. The food at an event like this can be as traditional to English practices as you would like, or you could just incorporate some regular American baked goods. The purpose of the event is conversation between the women and to give members an opportunity to invite others into their space. Another fun twist to this could be a Christmas tea specifically focused on a group in your community, such as nurses, teachers, first responders, or others. It can give the women a chance to serve those who are always serving.

Another fun event that may be interesting and novel to colleagues and neighbors is a cookie exchange. While this event does require some work on the part of the attendees, the trade-off is only having to make one type of cookie but receiving multiple types in return. To keep it fun, make sure you think through if only homemade will be allowed or if creatively decorated store-bought cookies are acceptable. Also, be sure to specify the quantities. You can look up ways to draw numbers and distribute cookies in a way that will be fair. Any extra cookies may be used as part of the refreshments or delivered to shut ins, widows, or widowers.

If you decide to do a bridge event, be ready to invite women to other activities and services of the church. The purpose behind this is to build a bridge, to help people feel comfortable with our members and in our churches. It’s just an initial step and the beginning of a conversation. Make sure you are honoring the hard work behind the event by being ready to continue to follow up, have conversation, and invite those attending to be a part of church activities and services in the future. Building bridges is not just good for our communities, but it’s also good for our members to spend time with one another in a casual setting.