Happy Booth Day
Outreach Magazine Editors

When you’re brainstorming an outreach opportunity for your church, do snow cones and Ferris wheels come to mind? If not, you might just want to think again! Setting up a church booth at a farmer’s market, community festival or local fair is an excellent way to gain recognition for your church, large or small. During the course of a day or weekend, you’ll probably come in contact with hundreds-if not thousands-of people, and be able to interact with them in a friendly, low-key environment. And the visibility is very affordable; often you can rent a booth for as little as $50.

* Plan. Before you rent your booth space, consider the size and location. Besides information, hand-made crafts, baked goods, kid’s games and food sales are all great ways to make a connection. If your booth earns money, have it benefit a community charity instead of the church.

* Recruit. Enlist church members to staff the booth. Schedule teams of two to three people for each shift.

* Set Up. Display your booth with a large, eye-catching sign for the front including the name of your church and its location, if desired. Enlist artistic church members to make the sign or have one professionally made, but ensure that it’s attractive and big enough to read from a distance.

* Network. Meet the other exhibitors. Introduce yourself and take some time to learn about the services they offer. Give them an invitation card to your church.

* Offer Goodies. Candy or Popsicles, coffee, juice and free face painting for kids will draw visitors, especially families with children, to your booth, and you can then place invitation cards in their hands.

* Greet. Be alert and on your feet greeting visitors. Engage them in conversation but avoid being pushy. Be ready with good information about your church and its events, but more importantly, have a listening ear.

The above article, “Happy Booth Day,” is written by the Outreach magazine editors. The article was taken form part of “Keep the Change, Outreach on a Shoestring” which was published by the Outreach magazine in 2006.

The material is most likely copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study and research purposes.