One of our desires as a BCNet Evangelism Committee is to provide collegiate directors with ideas for evangelism on their campus. We have provided ideas in four categories: First Contact, Conversational Outreach, Community Integration, and Gospel Proclamation. We hope that the following Conversational Outreach event will be useful to you and your students!
MATERIALS
This is a pretty simple outreach event that takes minimal materials on your part. Basic materials needed include:
- students with Venmo or access to a Venmo account (BCM staff, director, etc)
- transportation to get to and from designated grocery supplier
- flyers to advertise on campus
- informational material about your ministry to hand out to students
- masks/gloves
- hand sanitizer/disinfecting wipes
- disinfecting spray, if needed
PRIOR TO THE EVENT
Before the event, get the word out: contact your Student Life, Res Life, and Admin contacts, campus radio, on your social media, etc. Also, post flyers near housing complexes of students. Generate some type of sign up platform you will use for students to sign up. One as a volunteer, the other as those ordering grocery delivery. On volunteer form include: name, contact information, neighborhood they live in, church name or ministry, if partnering, major, access to car, have Venmo set up, and availability. For the ordering student form, include: name, contact information, year and major, whether they are quarantining on or off campus, address of quarantine, whether or not they are with family or have family nearby, whether or not they are positive for COVID or just quarantining, how soon they need supplies, if they need grocery or non-grocery goods, do they have Venmo, and are they in need of financial assistance for the groceries. Prep your conversational prompt or have a plan for how you will engage students with a spiritual survey. Encourage students to set up a gospel appointment as a means of follow-up.
DURING THE EVENT
Match students based on availability, major, and area of student in need, include contact info for you both, so they can coordinate exactly what items they will purchase, and the time and date for delivering the items. The student will send you a shopping list form they filled out to help streamline the shopping process, or they can call and place their order at the store for volunteer to pick up. As student picks up groceries or supplies, have them pay for the items if they have not been pre-poid and send a copy of the receipt to requesting student as well as the BCM coordinator. The ordering student will reimburse any amounts to the volunteer as soon as the delivery is made. Remind volunteer to please abide by all State and CDC health guidelines – wear a mask and maintain a six-foot physical distance when shopping and delivering items. If they are not healthy, please encourage them to stay home and ask to be replaced. Encourage students to get to know engage with conversational prompts or use their plan for how you will engage students with a spiritual survey as well as encouraging your students to set up a gospel appointment as a means of follow-up.
A FEW MORE IDEAS
- We have organized a free grocery giveaway for students to come by the center and receive a bag of donated groceries. Get local churches involved in donating goods.
- Invite local church collegiate ministries to partner with you in these events as a way of outreach and support of your ministry.
- Do a random drawing, if budget allows, and bless selected students with free grocery delivery!
by