Below are several ideas for welcome week, shared by fellow college ministers. Borrow their ideas, and if you need more details, feel free to contact them!
Baggo Tournament
Table throughout the day and promote/register people for a Baggo tournament at night! Have a great prize for the winning team. Average attendance: 75-100. Cost: $100
- Ryan Scantling, Arkansas BSM, [email protected]
First Day of School Photobooth
Simply set up a good camera on a tripod facing an iconic location on campus. Create a few fun chalkboard signs like, “First Day of College 2023”, “Making Mama Proud!”, etc. Students will line up to have their photo taken, then ask them to input their phone number into a quick google survey and say, “Share your number with us and we’ll text you the link to the album this afternoon.” This event allows you to gather several hundred names & numbers for follow ups. Average attendance: 200. Cost: $0
- Gary Stidham, Director of Training for TX BSM, [email protected]
Cookout on Front Lawn of BCM Building
Time for students to connect with one another over a hamburger and hotdog. This is an event where we invite local churches to come and be a part of, so they can hang out with students and make connections. Average attendance: 300 plus. Cost: 500- 600
Scavenger Hunt around Town
An “Amazing Race”/Scavenger Hunt to help students see the campus and town. It is all done on foot with challenges along the way. Average attendance: 50 plus. Cost: Max $100
-Keith Wade, North Georgia BSM, [email protected]
Speed Friending
Like speed dating, but not weird! Getting to meet new people with questions that help you get to know them! From silly to serious, questions that hopefully open up opportunities for friendship and the Gospel. Average attendance: 80. Cost: $50-60
- Ricky Carrion, TAMU Kingsville BSM, [email protected]
Photo Scavenger Hunt (On Campus/Add your hashtag!)
We meet at the BCM at 7PM, I give a list of Photo OPS with points attached (Double Points for Stranger/Students & Creativity). First one back gets a prize. End with Pizza. Photos are amazing for promo events! Ask them to hashtag your event. Cost: Free, or plus pizza
Food Truck Event
Ask a bunch of food trucks to come to your location. Ask each of them for a $3 dollar smaller special. Add 9 Square, Corn hole, and Free Water bottles. Average attendance: 150. Cost: Free, unless you pre-pay food trucks so students are free. Get a church to donate water bottles or sponsor a truck.
- LaDonna Wilkin, BSM Co-Director in Indiana, [email protected]
Maverick Adventure Night
Maverick Adventure Night is a new student social to help new students at UT Arlington connect with current students for a heart-pounding adventure to familiarize themselves with their new campus. Two to three student leaders lead a group of 6-10 freshmen/new students on a wild scavenger hunt across campus to complete as many items on their list before the time limit. Afterward, we hand out generous rewards, eat pizza and ice cream, then get as many new student numbers for Gospel appointments as possible. Average attendance: 80-100 Cost: $350 for Little Ceasers and Ice Cream
Retro Skate Social
We print out Retro Skate Social cards and hand them out over several days on campus before the event to hype it up the best we can. Students arrive, fill out a waiver for the skating rink, then fill out a separate 30-second survey that incorporates spiritual background questions: if they would be interested in a 5-minute gospel presentation sometime, and permission to share upcoming events with them. After the event, we have a calling party with student leaders to make Gospel Appointments, and many have come to know the Lord through the Retro Skate Social. Average attendance: 200-300. Cost: $1200 plus
- UT Arlington BSM, TX, [email protected]
Dodgeball Tournament
We meet in a gym, do 4v4 coed teams and give a gift card to winner. Average attendance: 30. Cost: $100
Tye Dye
We make tye dye shirts. Average attendance: 20-40. Cost: $250-350
- FL BSM
Open Field or Dorm Quad Area Movie, with Popcorn, Water, Giveaways, and Promo
We set up a large screen between two large step ladders, and project a movie like “Shrek” for one of the nights during “Weeks of Welcome.” We cooperated and co-opted with the University, while sponsoring the event. We provided popcorn, drinks, and info packs about the BCM. Average attendance: 600 Cost: $200
Color Wars
We took over a field that was in the middle of campus behind our BCM center. We made black and white T-shirts to give away and then had various relays and activities in which students were pelted with either color powder or colored water guns, etc. baby pools, water slides, buckets, balloons full of colored water or colored powder. It was so messy and so fun. We divided the various groups with two of our family group leaders over each of the groups. Average attendance: 450 Cost: $300
- Jerry Johnson, University of Georgia BCM (retired), and currently at Transylvania University BCM in Lexington, KY, [email protected]
Howdy Party
Welcome Party with Square Dance Caller. Average attendance: 100 plus. Cost: $500
Pass Out Breakfast Bars
We pass out 1600 breakfast bars the first two days (combined) with our welcome week schedule. Average attendance: A lot of students! Cost: $600
- Shannon Lambert, University of Houston, TX, [email protected]
Freshmen Survival
An intro to BCM while meeting current leaders & connecting with other freshmen! This 2-3 hour event allows students to meet ministry leaders, find out information about connecting with local churches, small groups or what’s coming up at BCM and also laugh/play games together! We also have held spike ball/9-square tournaments, had line dancing & game nights and worked together with other campus ministries to provide food on campus with a picnic style feel. Average attendance: 80-130 Cost: The students are sometimes charged $10 to cover lunch and the newest BCM shirt. BCM cost is whatever food we provide.
Luau
Hosted with 5 local churches, we offer live music, an 8-12 team volleyball tournament, lots of food and also inside games! Outside, students can spread out and get to know each other, cheer on their favorite team or float from station to station. Each church and BCM have leaders out to connect and welcome students, and there is often a visit from the school mascot! Average attendance: 500-800. Cost: Students come for free. Local churches provide food of choice within luau theme, BCM provides water, outside lighting and sometimes Snocone or popcorn machine.
- Angelle Campbell, LA Tech BCM, [email protected]
Progressive Dinner
We take students to 4 churches for them to see the church, meet people in the church and learn how to plug in. The churches serve a different portion of the meal (appetizer, salad, entree, dessert). Average attendance: 130 Cost: $0-churches fund it
Ice Cream Social
We host students late night after the 2nd day of class. We do giveaways and intro our Dgroup leaders. It is a come and go, all you can eat ice cream hangout. Average attendance: 250 Cost: $300
- Matt Daniels, North Alabama BCM, [email protected]
LA Tech Luau
Five churches and BCM provide food, games, sand volleyball tourney, giveaways, and live music outdoors/indoors for a festival vibe. Lots of conversations by leaders. Everyone registers so we can follow up. Average attendance: 500-800. Cost: $300
Survival For Freshmen
BCM in house freshmen orientation. Food, games, “how to” seminars, ice breakers/mixers, ministry/small group sign ups, church intros, t shirts. Average attendance: 200. Cost: $1,000, charge $10
- Kevin inman, LA Tech BSM, [email protected]
Snow and Glow
A Welcome Week event on the campus quad with free snow cones and glow in the dark games. We give out free snow cones, connect with students, and have various games going on like glow in the dark capture the flag, volleyball, 9-square, etc. Average attendance: 150. Cost $200
- Stacy Murphree, Austen Peay State, TN, [email protected]
Survival
Freshmen meet other freshmen and upperclassmen and BCM staff and local church staff. Freshmen find out how to survive and thrive spiritually and socially in college. Average attendance: $150. Cost: Free
Glow Night
A line dance party. Average attendance: 125. Cost: Free
- Steve Masters, BCM at LSU, [email protected]
Speed Friending
This event helps Freshman find friends with the intention that they also get connected to a student leader. Have each student leader have a handful of questions and have freshman students rotate to a new group of three students every 5-10 minutes. Train leaders to be intentional with their interaction and follow up with gospel appointments. Average attendance: 50-60. Cost: $0
Glow Games
We have glow in the dark ultimate frisbee and at 11pm we take out the material to play capture the flag throughout the campus. We give students glow in the dark wristbands and have glow in the dark cones, markers, and flags. Before starting the capture the flag we have one of our pastors share an invitation to follow Christ and be the light in the campus. Average attendance: 100. Cost: One time cost of $200 and then purchasing wristbands the following years.
- Stephen Galarza, Corpus Christi BSM, TX, [email protected]
Campus Wide Worship
This is an outdoor public worship gathering. It is a partnering event with as many as possible of the Christian student organizations on campus. In a high traffic area of campus on a busy evening to let freshmen know that it is okay to publicly worship Jesus. Average attendance: 100. Cost: $4,000 (but that is because the university outsources the A/V and pays for it. Could be done for much cheaper.)
Find a Church
Usually a Sunday morning gathering at 9 AM where returning upperclassmen represent the local congregations that they attend and facilitate transportation to and from the church for new students. Average attendance: 75. Cost: 0
- Brian Musser, Drexel University, PA, [email protected]
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