Fun and Faith in Summer Ministry

Spring has been truly glorious, and lazy summer days are starting to beckon. About now, you're thinking of warm breezes, hammock naps, and extra-long novels. You're ready to hang up the leader's hat and slip into your beachwear. And yet, ministry isn't something you can put away until fall, like winter clothes. As overscheduled wintry days give way to more free time, you will want to change your ministry focus a bit, especially in regard to your volunteers. You want them to know you're thinking about them and acknowledge that they need a break too!

God wants us to enjoy all the special pleasures of the summer season. He also wants us to keep him in mind, even when we're slathering on the sunscreen. Switching from overdrive to a relaxed pace might be a little tricky for those who thrive in fifth gear. Your volunteers are important no matter the time of year, so how do you keep in touch while at the same time enjoying some down time? Below are a few pointers I have learned to make the best use of your more-relaxed summer ministry.

Send them off with a smile
First, understand that although summer brings change, change can be good! You can slow down without dropping the ball in regard to your volunteers. Take care of details now that need your attention before everyone disappears. Distribute program evaluations in plenty of time before the end of the year. Ask each individual, personally and within the body of the evaluation, what his or her intentions are for working in the program when it starts again in the fall. Listen to comments and suggestions that come up. Make a list of the suggestions you get and look into them as the summer progresses.

Present each volunteer with a personal note of thanks on his or her last day of service before summer break. Add something that communicates, "Have a good summer, but don't forget us." This doesn't have to break your piggy bank either. Send your team off with small books of prayer or meditations, and include a prayer card in each as a bookmark. Other possibilities are religious key rings or bracelets, Testamint candies (sweet treats with special Bible messages), and booklets of religious games and activities for children.

Stay in touch
Serve as a hub of information for your volunteers this summer without overloading them with correspondence. Email and digital cameras make the process practically seamless. Encourage long-distance community and team connections by publishing a summer newsletter. Include creative VBS updates in the form of trivia questions to keep your readers' interest, and post pictures of things such as building of sets for the kids, along with volunteers working hard to make it all come together.

For some, summer is the only free time they have to minister to themselves. So use the newsletter to circulate information on summer retreats, renewals, parish events, and activities. Offer to sign them up. When you're ready to assemble the newsletter, send everyone an email reminder and ask for vacation tidbits and entertaining pictures you can include in your publication. Summer communication can be informative and fun for everyone with little effort on your part.

Practice makes perfect
Use your church Web site to encourage team members to practice their faith through the summer. Post outreach suggestions, such as donating fans for those without air conditioning and dropping food off to local pantries (which are often low on supplies during the summer). Update the site throughout the summer with ideas to appreciate God's creations and promote earth-friendly family activities, such as hiking and biking. Suggest they make a game of trash pickup. Who can find the most items or the most interesting ones? Post prayers that can be used at mealtimes and bedtimes, in restaurants or around campfires. Include possible prayer intentions for others, such as for those who can't afford luxuries we take for granted, who don't have families to share special times with, or who travel in search of jobs or a better way of life rather than pleasure. If you have access to locations and church service times in areas your volunteers are traveling, offer these as well.

Remember that, like everyone else, you deserve a break this time of year. But like starting a new sport, it might take time to discover your own unique balance between continuing the crazy schedule you keep most of the year and enjoying the rest you have earned. When you get the hang of it, summer will truly be a blessing, for you and your volunteers, and fall will commence with a team rested and ready to go once again!

Molly Wright has served as director of religious education at St. Thomas More Newman Center in Columbia, Missouri, for 10 years, and is a member of the Church Volunteer Central Advisory Council.

Copyright © 2006, Group Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.