11/15/2021

St. James Adult Fall Co-Ed Recreationally Competitive Church Volleyball

League runs: September 9th – October 21
8 teams per league
What: We offer one recreational league beginning in the Fall. Recreationally
Competitive Division.  This division is for teams that are new to the league or are looking for
more relaxed, recreational play
Eligibility: 16 years and over for Co-ed Church League.
Where/When: All games take place at the St. James Lutheran School gymnasium.
Church League games are held on Monday nights.
How: Team registrations only.

To register follow these guidelines:

Entry form filled out and returned to the administrative office along with the fee of $130.
Appropriate methods of payment are: correct cash or check.
Registrations are accepted from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday at the St.
James Church Office, or Mail to St. James Lutheran Church 900 South 17th Street Quincy, IL
62301

League Info:
1. Players are allowed to play on 1 team.
2. If you have any other questions, contact Renee Higgins, league coordinator.

Volleyball League Rules:

o No more than 3 men on the court at one time. Teams can play with as few as 2 players. 1
must be female.
o Games are won by the first team to score 25 points. Rally Scoring is in effect. Teams
must win by 2 points. Teams will play all 3 games as time allows (45 minutes), not the
best 2 out of 3.
o Players must rotate in at the Serving positions. An injured player may be replaced.
o Any questions regarding the officials ruling must be done by the Captain only.
o The official will call the plane of the net (both ground and above the net).
o Players conduct: Bad sportsmanship WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. The official has the
right to eject a player for bad sportsmanship.
o Teams cannot block or spike a serve.
o Teams are NOT ALLOWED to disturb the opposing team by yelling or any other
unsportsmanlike act.
o Forfeit time is game time for the first game. Then, after 15 minutes, the other two games
will be forfeited.
o If the ball is hit more than once on your side, a female must hit the ball.
o No body parts below the waist will be allowed to hit the ball.
o If games and/or are scheduled for weekdays and the St. James School is closed or
dismissed early due to inclement weather, games and/or practices are automatically
postponed.
o No food or drinks are allowed in the gym.
o Have Fun.
Evangelism Committee 11/15/2021
Evangelism Committee

January
February Invite a Friend (friendship February)
March
April
May Block Party
June Outdoor Movie
July Swim Party
August Neighborhood Foundation
Blues in the District (St. James “Section”)
September Volleyball League (sept-oct)
October Chili Cook Off (coordinate w/ Trunk or
Treat)
November College Care Packages
December Christmas Cantata

Lead and organize outreach programs

i.e. handing out water to joggers on warm days, handing out cookies or ice cream at troch
store, providing batteries to local residents for changing their smoke detectors

Invitational programs:
Bring a Friend Day
 Concerts (choir/organists)
Block Parties
Appreciation Banquets for community servants (teachers, police, fire, and rescue)
Preaching Evangelists
Random Acts of Kindness Days/Events

Remind people to look for conversational opportunities to talk about their faith.

Welcome center and guest gifts

Make sure the welcome center is staffed and visitor appreciation gifts are given
out.

Evangelism committees are interested in helping newcomers connect with the church.

After their first visit, plan …

A post church service reception
Contact steps after the first visit
A “meet the pastor’ social
New membership classes

Develop Community Outreach events

 Evangelism committees should always be thinking about how the church can reach its
community.
 Churches are not a fortress, but are the people of God on the mission of God.
 Evangelism committees brainstorm ways the church can bless its communityand ask the
question “How can we be the best church for the neighborhood?”
 You might do that through organized prayer walks, prayer stations, and prayer booths.
 You might do the community exegesis of visiting with local officials to learn about the
community.
 You might do the visitation of local non-profits that are serving in various needs to learn
more about what the church might be able to do.
 Evangelism committees would lead the research and project development and empower
volunteers to rise up and serve.

Marketing
 Your community needs to know your church exists.  Focus on areas like
 New Movers marketing
 Website
 Facebook Page for your Church
 Pastor’s Blog
 Member Videos
 Effective low cost marketing will assist your normal word of mouth efforts to increase
the number of first time visitors to your church.
Bring a Friend 11/15/2021
Invite a Friend
We’re not looking to boost numbers or show off our worship services to those from other churches.
Instead, we’re looking to invite our friends to worship with us who fit some of the following criteria:
Friends who are without a church home…
Friends who could benefit from being in community with others…
Friends who just need to hear that God loves them…

This is a day for us to be intentional about reaching out to people God has placed in our lives. We’re going to
reach out, invite, and worship alongside our friends who may benefit from being in a Christ-centered
community. 

On that Sunday we will begin a 3-week sermon series geared towards understanding what it means to be a
friend of God. How wonderful it is to know that we can be friends with God!

On top of inviting your friends for worship that day, we want to encourage you to think about ways that you can
engage them with our church community in the weeks that follow. Consider inviting them to join us for
_________________and other opportunities throughout the _______. 
Before we get to ____date____________ though, take time to pray. Take time to pray for who God is
leading you to invite. And once a name has been laid on your heart, pray for the courage to personally invite
that person. We look forward to worshiping with you and your friends this __________spring/fall! 

So here are 6 steps to a successful Invite a Friend to Church Sunday:

1.  Pray, Pray, Sleep, Pray
Six to eight weeks beforehand set your first date and passionately cast vision for it – give your reasons
for doing this. Help them catch the vision and jump on board.
Encourage people to start praying for the ‘Invite a Friend’ Sunday that people would come.
Then get more specific and have people write down a list of friends and family they have that they could
pray for daily.
Have your people pray for God to show them who to invite.
2.  Have a Big Build Up
Building momentum means increasing the faith level of your church members and getting them excited
about what your church is doing and where you’re going together. 
In other words: have a big build up to your Invite a Friend Sunday. 
Make an announcement every week leading up to the event.
Lead from the front: Use any opportunity to tell people about your conversations with people during
the week, illustrate your sermons with stories of how you are inviting people to church. 
 Growing Expectation in Your Church Using Momentum, Creativity and Language
3.  Get Your Welcome Team Ready
It would seem a great shame to put all your effort into the organisation and execution of Invite a Friend
Sunday if, when the visitors come they are given a poor first impression.
Visitors will come so be ready for them.
Ensure your welcoming team are trained. When you have confident and happy church greeters you’re
well on your way.
Look at your meeting place with fresh eyes, you’ve met there for years and might not notice the ripped
wallpaper, or the mop bucket in the entrance. Clean, repaint, get the place welcoming and presentable.
Make sure your welcoming team have a clear process of getting visitor contact information.
Have your Visitor Welcome Packs on hand.
Small churches have a great advantage when it comes to welcoming people – the key is to major on your
strengths.
If you’re small then you probably won’t have what I call the ‘wow’ factor, that is the 5,000 seater
auditorium, 12 electric guitarists and the Starbucks in the foyer.
So without the wow factor your major pull as a small church is relational – be personable, friendly, get
people connected and they’ll stay with you.
The churches I’ve seen do a great job at welcoming guests had welcome packs at the ready.
The pastor welcomed everyone from the front and got the service started. Promising not to embarrass
anyone, the pastor asked visitors to raise their hands and the ushers passed the welcome packs out.
4.  Make it Easy For People to Invite Friends
Have church flyers printed and distribute them to your church members.
This can be a great tool to equip your congregation as not all may be comfortable in sharing the gospel
but most are more than happy to invite their friends to church.
Create an event on your church’s Facebook page so your members can spread the word digitally and
don’t forget to update your church website with the upcoming sermon series.
5.  Start A Monthly Sermon Series
Why not set a sermon series or teaching theme for each month? 
If you’re having an invite a friend Sunday the first Sunday of every month, have the series start on that
day. 
Launch your sermon series around a life problem. Your message titles could start with “How to…” This
shows people that the Bible is relevant to real life and gives people a chance to respond to the Gospel message.
 January might be good to teach how to set goals, February is good to talk about relationships, Easter to
talk about new life, ‘Why did Jesus have to die?’ and so on…
Create an image for your month’s theme, create flyers and give them to your people so they can invite
people.
Get the church theme image on your Facebook page, tweet it, project it onto your screen and print it on
your newsletters.
Have your youth groups and children’s ministries and home groups talking on this same theme during
the month so your whole church is heading in the same direction together. 
Your monthly theme really helps people to invite others; your church members will feel safe because
they know what’s going to be talked about when their friends come and it gives them a reason, something to
invite their friends to. 
If you’re teaching about raising children for example, they have a hook when talking with the other
waiting mums at the school gates.  
Having a 4 weeks series also gives your visitor a reason to come back – they won’t want to miss the next
installment!
6.  Plan Your Follow-Up in Advance
Which leads us nicely to our sixth and final step in organising a successful ‘Invite a Friend to Church’
Sunday.
Don’t leave your follow up by chance.
Make it your priority to have your visitor return for a second week.
You could prepare a social event within a week or two of the first Sunday and have invites ready for
that. Tell people about your home groups to help them to get plugged in to the life of your church through
relationships and connections. Show off your church’s children’s work or activities in the community.
Chili Cook Off 11/15/2021

(Coordinate with School Fall Festival)

Pre-Chili Cook-Off Planning

Invite guests (Limit to 10 entries) to bring their best chili in a slow cooker, hot and ready to serve.
Encourage a variety - meatless, spicy, white, or surprise ingredient. 

BYO-Crockpots. invest in couple of power strips and encourage your entrants to bring their own
equipment.

Borrow bowls and spoons or buy disposables so everyone can have a

separate bowl for each chili.

Make Chili Name Tags with the name of each chili and a rating for heat level.

Make enough ballots so each guest has a ballot for each chili.

Chili-Tasting Set-Up
Just before the guests arrive, set up a Chili Toppings Bar—offer a variety of chili toppings and “go-
withs “. Include shredded cheese, chopped onions, tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, sliced jalapenos and sour
cream for toppings. You can get these ready the day before. Just cover and refrigerate until needed. Great go-
withs include crackers, corn bread, tortillas and corn chips.

You may need to spread the slow cookers out among several outlets, so you don’t blow a fuse.

Offer a variety of drinks and a tossed green salad to round out the meal. A pan of Betty Crocker® brownies
adds a special touch too.

Define the party, but not the chili. If you name it (something awesome), they will come.

Invent a hashtag for the affair. #

Stay hydrated. Water (for the spicy chili) and beer (because beer) are a must. Maybe a signature
cocktail like our Bourbon Chai Fizz or The Bootleg. Or toss a BYOB note on the invite and leave it to fate.
 Charge - $5 per person for entry, tasting

Ideas – have other food vendors that provide samplings (good pairings w/ chili) Charge a minimal booth
fee.
Have all of the fun. All of it. Then do it again next year.
Welcome Packets 11/15/2021
Gift Bags or Folders????

Only you know your local context and what would be best, but here are some ideas to get you going…
A letter from the pastor with a warm welcome and an invitation to return the following week.
A brief outline of your church’s vision and dream.
An audio sermon or introductory DVD from the pastor.
A brief overview of the different ministries of your church.
Flyers of upcoming events such as Christmas prom, men’s breakfast, youth football tournament etc.
Next Steps: Clarify the discipleship process. steps he can take. (Join a house group, opportunities to
serve, baptism etc)
A voucher for a free coffee at your coffee shop or a some kind of free welcome gift.
A flyer describing your current sermon series.
Contact details for your church, your website address, Facebook page, YouTube channel if you have
one.
Maybe include a quick survey for first time visitors. This would be valuable feedback for you.
A tract or leaflet brochure that explains the gospel simply and clearly.
A connect card: the visitor can complete his contact details/prayer request and drop it in your offering
bucket.

Getting Your Welcome Packs into the Hands of Visitors

There’s a few different ways you can do it. 
You could leave them somewhere prominent and announce from the front.
You could ask members who have brought friends with them to make sure they get one.
If your church is small enough, have the greeters hand them out to people they recognise as
visitors. Told to get one from the Welcome Center on the way out.
 Ask visitors to raise their hands in the service so ushers can hand them out.

The Key to Effective Follow Up of Church Visitors

As obvious as this might sound – you need your guest’s contact details!
Some people may be hesitant in giving you their contact info until there’s a certain level of trust built
and if this is the case then that’s fine, just give them space.
If you have at least a name and number however, this gives you the opportunity to take the initiative.
There are certain points within your church service where contact details can be given:
The Welcome Team ask for details as guests walk through the door
Have a guest book on the welcoming table
Have newcomer cards that can be put into the offering plate
Offering envelopes
Children’s church/nursery registration
Bookstore/table giveaway
However the contact information is obtained, a reliable system of follow up must be ready and in place.
At the very least the visitor should receive a letter from the pastor within a couple of days.
How to spot visitors in a large church?
In a small church it’s easy to sport the first-timers, in a bigger church though this could become an issue.
A genius way round this is by having church welcome packs ready.
During the service, ask visitors to raise their hands so ushers can hand them out.
This makes visitors really easy to spot and it hopefully encourages the leadership team to make an effort
to speak to that person.
6 Ideas to Follow Up Church Visitors Effectively
Note: I’m not suggesting for a second you do all of these! My main purpose here is to offer some
suggestion on how you can follow up in your church. Find what works best for you and tweak it to your local
church setting.
1. Sunday Afternoon – Phone Call
Try having a children’s worker call the parents and introduce themselves, or a youth worker as
appropriate.
Try to determine what kind of person the visitor is (their age, occupation, interests etc.) and have
someone with a similar profile call them and invite them to a church event or activity.
2. Monday Morning – Pastor’s Follow Up Letter Sent
Nothing beats the personal touch, especially from the pastor himself. This gives a great personal touch and
helps make the visitor feel valued. For sample church visitor follow up letters and other document templates
check out our Docs and Forms church resource.
3. Monday Afternoon – Send the Welcome Squad
I’m not suggesting you ambush your poor unsuspecting one-time visitor in their own home, just a brief
and informal visit offering some kind of baked goods or other welcoming present.
A few years ago Thom Rainer interviewed hundreds of unchurched people who had, at one point,
visited a church.
One of the points that came was that they didn’t like unexpected or ‘cold’ visits. It feels like an invasion.
Rather, agree a time and let them now in advance and again, keep the visit short and sweet.
4. Wednesday – Contact by a Group Leader
This could be a friendly invitation from a home group leader, specific class leader or outreach staff
member to a home group in their area, a relevant course or social event.
5. Thursday – Follow up All Visitors Within Last 12 Weeks
Contact and catch up with all the guests who have visited your church in the last 12 weeks and find out
where they’re at.
Are they in church, joined another church? Do they have a prayer need?
(If someone has become a member of another church, wish them well and remove them from your list.)
6. Saturday – Contact Guests by Phone
The pastors and staff contact guests by phone asking if they have any prayer need and if you’ll be seeing
them tomorrow in the church service.
When all the above has been done, place the people on your general church mailing list.
 These are just ideas for your church to use – you might be uncomfortable in following every step and
might only want to have a pastor’s follow up letter sent out with a phone call on the Saturday and that’s fine.
Instead of calling directly for example, you could try a Facebook message or some other social media
which can be seen as less confrontational.
It always come down to what you think would work best in your local church setting.
I honestly believe that having an organised and effective system of following up your church visitors
will have a powerful effect on the ‘visiting for a second time’ percentage rate.
Though not every person will come back a second time, you will definitely find a higher percentage rate
will if you follow up as opposed to no follow up at all.
From the different church growth statistics I’ve looked at, all of them show just how important follow up
is:
Your church visitor retention rate is highest when you follow-up with visitors within 48 hours.
Retention rates of a first time visitor is 34%, 2nd time visitors 51% and 3rd time is 78% in fast growing
churches.
Herb Miller gives the following statistics for following up church visitors:
85% of guests return if visited in 36 hours
60% of guests return if visited in 72 hours
15% of guests return if visited in 7 days.
I hope these are helpful and maybe even trigger your own ideas.
The most important thing is being intentional about following up with guests and having a systematic
approach to growing your church.
All of your follow up activities should be highly relational and focused on the guest.
Christmas Cantata 11/15/2021
Tentative Date : 1st Sunday evening in December

Carol-based Cantata

I. Opening Message (Pastor)

Adding Variety:
Choose some pieces of music for your choir(s), and add in a few instrumental pieces,
solos, a piece for handbells, congregational singing etc. If your church is small with limited
resources, consider using orchestral accompaniment tracks for an added special effect. If you
have a capable instrumentalist (or several!) - flute, trumpet, saxophone, violin, oboe, etc. -
consider adding an instrumental obbligato on a few familiar carols. Choose an anthem for the
women of your choir to sing alone and one for the men to sing alone.

Ideas/Needs
Program
3pm – 6pm(?) (150 minute program/20 minute intermission)

Christmas Cookies/Desserts – Intermission

15 choirs (musicians) for 10 minutes each?

 St. James
 St. Johns
 Our Redeemer
 Matthew
 Instrumental
o Handbells
 Quincy Senior High Vespers
 QND Choral
 Quincy Area Youth Chorus (all the Quincy Symphony office, 217-222-2856,
College Care Packages 11/15/2021

Put an announcement in August Sunday bulletin, such as this:

 HEADING BACK TO COLLEGE - whether you’re staying in the dorms, have an

apartment, living at home; we want your address. St. James college students returning
or beginning college. Please send your mailing address
to ChurchOffice@stjamesquincy.org or drop it off at the church office. 
 Dollar tree has some great finds to fill a gift basket for college students including
large baskets to use as containers! I was able to spot some things that’d be useful for
college students right away. I was able to get everything pictured below for about
$13!

Here are some fun ideas:

 flip flops for shower shoes
 ear plugs and sleeping masks
 laundry detergent/dryer sheets
 laundry basket/laundry bags
 hangers
 food items like Ramen noodles & microwave popcorn
 shower gel and loofah
 coffee mugs/cups and instant coffee
 hand soap/hand sanitizer
 personal care items like deodorant, toothpaste, etc.

Identify a few times a year to send care packages with letter from Pastor, include:
 Any upcoming events
 Prior to any breaks, holiday/summer, let them know we are looking forward to seeing
them back in the pews
Blessing of the Backpacks 11/15/2021
Backpack prayer Sunday prior to school
Both services
Pre-K- high school (emphasize high school)
Google backpack praye

Promotion:
It’s that time of year… They’re going BACK! Back to school, that is. During both
services on Sunday, August 11th Blessing of the Backpacks will take place. This is a time to
honor and bless students Pre-K to High School. Students should bring their backpack/book bag
with them to either service. When the blessing time comes, the students will be brought forward
and offered a prayer. This would be a great time to invite your school friends to attend service
and Blessings of the Backpacks.

Churches And The School Year

It’s that time of year… They’re going BACK! Back to school, that is. Around the
country, some students return to classrooms in August, while other start in late August, or the
first week of September.
Churches should absolutely honor and bless students and teachers at this important time.
One popular method is a “Blessing of the Backpacks” ceremony. This is a very simple event
which can make a HUGE impact. Here are our tips and suggestions:
1. Include The Blessing In Your Worship Service
Embracing children and youth is the role of the entire worshipping body. So the Blessing
of the Backpacks should be done in front of as many people as possible.  If your church has
multiple services, consider having the event at all of them.
As for timing. Don’t put the blessing at the very beginning of the service, in case a family
runs late and misses it all together. However, DO invite children to bring their bags up front
before the service beings. First, this prevents kids (and parents) from having to juggle bags in
their seats during worship. Second, the pile of colorful packs makes a wonderful visual in front,
reminding everyone how much your congregation cares for children.

2. Invite The Neighborhood

 If you have enough lead time, DO encourage your congregants to bring their friends.
People will find it easy to say, “Hey, my church is blessing backpacks this Sunday – would you
like to come?” This could be one of the best evangelism opportunities of the year! Also, if your
church has a connection with a local school or after-school center, invite them too. You might
even take out an ad in the local paper. At the very least, publicize the event on facebook and
through email. You will be surprised how many people turn out.

3. Use A Prayer Or Liturgy For The Blessing

When the blessing time comes, the celebrant can simply call students forward and offer a
prayer. Have the students hold up the packs during the prayer. If you are looking for a good
prayer, see Blessing Backpacks Prayer by Wendy Barrie. For a short liturgy from a service held
at Virginia Seminary, see Blessing of the Backpacks at VTS.

4. Make Bag Tags

Make sure that your students remember the blessing event and how much God loves
them. Making “bag tags” is easy, and you can personalize them exactly as you want. Simply
print out tags on colored paper or cardstock, and then laminate them with ‘luggage tag’
laminating pouches.
What to write on the tag? Try a prayer for students. Or a scripture verse. WWJD works
great too. Also, include your church name on the tag so the students know how much your
community values them. “From your friends at ______ Church” is perfect.

5. Remember Teachers And Adults

Blessing the backpacks is not just for the kiddos. College students, come on down!
Adults headed back to school, you too! Teachers, YES! Make this invitation clear in the pre-
event publicity, and encourage adults to bring their bags or briefcases. Of course, even if some
folks, or kids, forget their bags, still invite them up front during the blessing. After all, it is really
a blessing of people – you don’t need a bag to get blessed =)
A quick note, we do not recommend this as a time to bless and commission Sunday
School teachers. That special moment should be separate and distinct, and probably on a
different Sunday.

6. Incorporate Outreach
Some churches have programs of buying backpacks for needy students and filling them
with school supplies. If possible, bless those bags during the event as well. Who knows, this
might even blossom into an opportunity to invite and welcome those students to church.
Enjoy, have fun, invite, and let those students know how much Jesus loves them!
 11/15/2021
Evangelism Committee Agenda

Purpose

 Ideas/Areas
 Welcome Center
o Interior Decorator
o Welcome Packets/Gift Bags/Guest Follow Up
o Greeters
o “The Walk”
o Coffee Spot

 Marketing
o Facebook
 VBall League/Open Gym
 Blues in the District
 Chili Cook Off
 Christmas Musical
 Bring a Friend
 Block Party (last one 8/23)
 College Care Packages
 Summer Swim Party
 11/15/2021
Move kids bags into nursery
 Remove the floral sign and replace with verbage about bags

 Get racks for bulletins or holders and put on “welcome” table

 Put the mission tower’s by the communication station or back behind where mail
boxes are being moved

 Mew members bulletin board – get rid of and on that wall put “stickers” with church
logo, “welcome” and possibly times of services
 Put a nice planter under the sign

 Move flags into church – up on alter by chairs?

 Coffee area with tall tables & chairs

 Get rid of couch and replace with barrel chairs w/ table and lamp between – Chairs no
more than 11’ total area

 Coffee Cabinet
 137 3/8 “ length
 48” height top of cabinet no higher than 50:
 No more than 25” deep (16” – 25”)

 Move tapestry on wall behind couch now, onto wall where white board is

 Move white board by bulletin board and move both up; put table underneath

Find another location for book check out