Would anyone like to share their fab "Mission Event" ideas for church please?

[Milliways]

We need some new ideas for a whole church, family fun event that focuses on Mission. In previous years we have run a "Feast or Famine" food night, which was good but has now been done twice.

Anything with food is normally a winner

So if any of you have been to or run a good event, please share how it worked

Very many thanks in advance. :)

hi, our church recently did a talent evening and even really small kids joined in, although by the end of the evening they were a bit 'beyond'! I couldnt go but everyone who went loved it and had a great time - it was talked about for ages and raised loads of money. you had to buy a ticket to go and people made cakes, etc for afterwards. there was a rehearsal a few days before and everyone was 'registered' and allocated a time slot so small kids could go on first. i wish i had gone and hope they do another so would highly recommend it - it really brought the whole church family together for a fun time as well as raising money. hope this helps

Thanks - that is a great social idea :) Could see a lot of our kids would love the chance to show off too!

I have just been looking for ideas on the TEARfund & Christian Aid sites, as we want the event to have some sort of link to Mission. (In feast or famine it was pot luck if you got one of the 10% of tickets to a feast, or a ticket to standard stew+rice, or a famine! made them think) It doesn't have to raise money, we want to raise awareness of what some families give up etc to live as missionaries, or to appreciate how other cultures live in this world etc. But we have to have fun etc to get families along.

Maybe we could use talents and think what talents would be good in Africa/Asia etc??

Bumping for any more ideas. :)

Hi Milliways, is the purpose of the event to raise money or awareness? In either case, does the church have links with any missionaries or mission organisations? If so then is there something that they're doing that you could tie it in with?

In terms of ideas, one that we've done as a fundraiser is a talent auction. People offer a service (a cake a month, a dinner party, ironing, tickets to an event etc) and others bid on them. If you've got a talented/connected few people you can make some good money! Not sure how you could tie it in with mission (something about God using all our talents whatever they are....).

Doh! Just read your second post properly - sorry!

How about getting some personal stories from missionaries around the world - maybe including the perspective of their kids? Not sure how you turn that in to a fun evening though!

This website might be useful oscar.

I don't think this is what you're looking for but if your church is thinking about mission then maybe this Serving as Senders would be helpful.

If I can be of any help (I'm a missionary in E Europe) then let me know

Thank you ThanksaMillion :) That Oscar site has some good stuff.

Our church does get regular updates from some of the families we support, in fact we are getting a visit from a family soon who are home for the summer. This is good as our church has grown a lot over the past few years so many people will not have met many/any of those we do support who serve abroad.

We just try to keep the idea of mission high on the radar, and fun family events that get people talking are brilliant, but finding fresh ideas of angles to take is hard.

Where are you based? We support the messianic testamony that covers a lot of Europe.

Glad you found Oscar helpful
We're in Moldova. I just looked at the messianic testamony website (hadn't come across them before ) but I don't think they work here. I don't think there are many Jewish people left here unfortunately (mostly sent to Siberia).

It's good to hear that you church is actively supporting mission and interested! Can I ask what type of church it is (just being nosey!).

Its a Free church, but we are affiliated to the FIEC (Fellowship of Independant Evangelical Churches).