What do you think?

Okay, so here's what we're going to try to accomplish "next" (as if there wasn't enough going on already, right?! :-) Basically, we're really strong on operating teams in the Life Mission Department right now. As each of you run your various ministry teams, you are doing a fantastic job coordinating numerous volunteers for numerous ongoing and ad hoc events and programs. However, some of the feedback that we're getting from "the field" suggests that while a lot of people would like to engage in ministry, service and outreach, the concept of joining a team straight out of the proverbial "shoot" is a little intimidating for them. As a result, we are looking at needing to find easier, less-committal opportunities for people to engage in missions/outreach without having any expectations attached on the other end.

So... recently, Rob spent some significant time with the Extensions Ministries (i.e. Missions) Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church (Alvin Bibbs), who said that what they do is what they call "Second Saturday". Second Saturday is simply something that they do every month where they bring school buses to the parking lot at Willow and then just send those buses out to the community to work with existing partnerships on a "one time" project for a few hours (usually like 9 - 1 or something like that). People come to the parking lot and just hop on a bus, go where the bus goes, serve where the bus ends up, and then come back. Mission accomplished.

The benefit, according to Alvin, is that a) people are able to be introduced to a variety of teams in a fun and non-committal way before actually picking one, and b) some people actually just connect with that "as their ministry" (i.e. they never actually move to a particular team, but just come and serve every "second saturday"). In fact, some people deliberately only engage on Second Saturdays because they like the variety and can not come on one weekend (if they're on vacation or whatever) without feeling like they're letting someone down if they're not there.

So here's what we're wondering (and would like to see what you think about it):

1) Do you think it would be possible to create "one time" opportunities for 50 - 60 people within your ministry? At this point, it wouldn't need to be every month or anything (we're thinking we would rotate... like you'd end up hosting people 3 x per year or something like that).

2) Do you think it would be possible to create "one time" opportunities that did not require any/much training ahead of time? Rather, just something that someone could show up and do easily without knowing anything about your ministry prior to the event?

3) Do you think it would be possible to make such events capable of hosting families or parents who wanted to bring their children? How about if those children were small or younger?

4) How much of an additional strain would it be on you and your teams to coordinate such an event a couple of times per year, OR how hard do you think it would be to incorporate 50 - 60 "outside people" into something you're already doing?

5) Do you think that it's a good idea at all? Why or why not?

Again, we're very intersted to know what you guys have to say, so please post away on the comments section and we'll go from there! You guys ROCK!!! -sj