 |
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Development of
an Intentional School Note: For convenience, throughout this document “Zion” is used as the name of the congregation. Purpose: To bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to those within our school system and to those who do no know or practice Christ as their Savior. To encourage all families in their walk with Christ and offer them help from the church as they raise their children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord.Background: Zion, Marengo is a pre-school to grade 8 Lutheran school with approximately 350 students. We are considered a far western suburb of Chicago and are located in western McHenry County. Our community is experiencing growth and our school has been blessed with a parallel increase in enrollment during the past decade. Our rural roots have been stretched!Our School Mission: Zion Lutheran School serves as an extension of the ministry of Zion Lutheran Church by offering the best possible Christian education for as many students as we can through God’s grace.Our School Goal: Everyone at Zion Lutheran School will be confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ every day.Our Church’s Mission Statement: Reaching, Preaching, and Teaching.A Brief History of Zion’s School Outreach Program: With the stated mission and goal of our school in mind, our teachers requested a more formal approach to outreach. We began a program the fall of 2004 with teacher evangelism seminars and home visits to all willing preschool families. In the fall of 2005, we visited new three-year-old families and all families new to Zion in any grade level. We were also a visible presence at fall registration and pre-school open house. We contacted visited families during the school year.Facilitators: Our teachers work with the Board of Evangelism which is in charge of outreach and assimilation. Several teachers joined this board formally. The director of the Evangelism board and its members organize the program. A member of our pastoral staff, currently our vicar, attends all meetings and guides the process.Outline of this Program:
I. Outreach Seminars for the Purpose of New Family Visits Zion held training seminars for any congregational members interested in school outreach. This could be held during a Sunday morning or evening session. Teachers have an incredible opportunity in formal outreach. They have a knowledge about and relationship with their families. This puts them in the unique position to speak boldly about Christ. The following is a list of possible topics for teacher seminars. This could be done in the fall, during teacher workshop days or as an in-service. Possible leaders for this may be a pastor, member of the outreach/evangelism board, or a concerned teacher. Seminar Outline: 1. Begin with prayer
2. Goals
3. Be well informed
4. Cautions
5. Review of “ New School Family Home Visits Outline” (see VI.)6. Various Situations: Role playing and discussion
7. Wrap up: as we began, with prayer
II. New Family Contacts After training and discussion, new family parents are contacted. New families may be members of Zion, members of another congregation, or un-churched families. This could be done in a variety of ways. We found that contact with new families can begin at fall school registration. This seemed easy and natural. It was an opportunity for the church to welcome these families, ask them if they had a church family, and make them aware of the congregation beyond the school doors.We have also tracked visitors by using pew registration information from Saturday, Sunday, and Monday services (see table below). This information was shared with the evangelism committee and teachers on a weekly basis. Teachers were made aware of the visiting families from their classroom and could encourage them informally or, more formally, with a welcoming phone call or note.
We have included a letter in our school communication (the Weekly Blue Notes) from the evangelism committee. This letter explains the purpose of our group and offers an open invitation to any school family for a visit or conversation. III. New Family Home Visits Call families to arrange for home visits during the first quarter of school. A typical call:Hello, I’m John Smith, fourth grade teacher at Zion. I’m part of a group that visits new Zion school families. We would like to welcome you to Zion, answer any question that you may have, and encourage each other in our faith in Christ. Could we visit you some time? Offer the chance to meet on “neutral” ground—at school or church—at a convenient time. For example, this may be when a parent picks up the child from school, on Saturday afternoon, etc. Once names are collected and visits are scheduled, teams are assigned. We try to have one teacher and one congregational member not necessarily connected to the school. The team has two roles: one person is designated Prayer Leader and begins and ends with prayer. That person also offers to pray for any concerns the family may have on an ongoing basis. The second person is the Facilitator. That individual leads the conversation. Both members share their own experiences as the conversation dictates. The New School Family Home Visits Outline (VI.) could be adapted to your congregation’s unique situation. We developed this form during a congregational workshop led by Martha Windelborn during the fall of 2004. This ensured input from a variety of perspectives.Before each visit, fill out a Visit Assignment and Report Form (VII.) Attach directions to the home. Confirm the visit with a phone call the day before. If your visit includes young children, it helps to have simple Jesus pictures or coloring books and crayons to give them at the beginning of each visit. You can leave a bag of materials/gifts with each family. Non-members and member bags have different emphasis. The non-member bag includes information about our church and school and a special invitation to specific upcoming services. Also included is a Moms in Touch schedule, Moms United information, and “Who is Christ” and “Belonging to a Church” pamphlets. Also included are devotional materials (My Devotions, Lutheran Digest, Portals of Prayer, etc.). We also leave a coffee mug, pencils, and magnetic notepad with a crayoned, child-made message about Christ. IV. Follow Up If there were any concerns expressed during a visit, the visiting team tries to address them as soon as possible. Any interests are also noted and followed up or directed to the appropriate contact person. For example, a father may be interested in joining the church volleyball league or mom may want to attend the next Moms United meeting. Anyone interested in new member class is directed to Pastor. All steps in follow up are noted in the Visit Assignment and Report Form. Any subsequent contact is also tracked. Report forms are kept in a notebook so that there is no duplication. These could easily be put on a spreadsheet. Within two days of each visit we send a note signed by the team members who made the visit. This is a simple thank-you for allowing us to visit and a number to contact if you have any questions or need any help. Within two months, the same team members contact the family they visited. We have sent a family devotion book, Little Visits with God, along with a note of encouragement. However, this contact could take a variety of forms. The most important follow up action is prayer! V. Other Ideas “Ask Me” Buttons: Faculty members and Board of Evangelism members wear Ask Me buttons at church services. We have a supply in the narthex for any member to wear. We include a note in the bulletin to all visitors to watch for people with Ask Me buttons if they have any question or need any help. This is a good way to encourage everyone in the congregation to be aware of visitors.Group to Visit: Choose an objective group of people for home visits. No one feels threatened and we all need to be encouraged as we walk with Christ. For example, you may decide to begin visits to all kindergarten families. This group may be members of your church, members of another church, have no church affiliation, etc. Open House: As a church outreach committee, be a presence at school events which are parents’ first contacts with the school or church environment. This may be registration events, open houses, or preschool singing at a church service. “School and church are one entity, and we are here in Christ with you” become the unspoken message. The Aim Is Not Recruitment: The goal of intentional school outreach is to bring the saving news of Jesus’ love to our school families. This may include the offer of a welcoming church home. However, that is not the purpose of contact. Support members pray. We try to assign two visits each evening. If possible before visits, meet with other members to pray. We found that the chapel or sanctuary are very welcoming places for this. A possible prayer:Lord, we’re here, together in one place, as Christians have done in so many times and locations, to confront the mission You have given us. You’re here, too, and Your presence enlivens and empowers us to our shared task. Send Your Spirit to us that we may discover, dare and do those things pleasing to You. In the Name of our Savior and leader, Jesus Christ. Amen Many people have a heart for outreach. It’s a blessing to see congregational members helping in this program. Many have had children who graduated from Zion in the past. They understand the struggles families are going through. They are a great resource.In the Beginning. The term intentional is just that. Teachers, pastors, board members should all participate in the development of a program of outreach. Planning and discussion help the focus of any program. How can we best share Christ’s work and word with our school? VI. New School Family Home Visits Outline Lord, we're here, together in one place, as Christians have done in so many times and locations, to confront the mission You have given us. You're here, too, and Your presence enlivens and empowers us for our shared task. Send Your Spirit to us that we may discover, dare and do those things pleasing to You. In the Name of our Savior and Leader, Jesus Christ. Amen1. Home Visit Process:
Purpose statement: The people of Zion, Marengo, as Christians, have an obligation to the Lord to care for the Spiritual well being of their church family. Since you have elected to send your child to Zion Lutheran School, we want you to be aware of the other opportunities that Zion's church family has to offer. We care for your child and for you. We pray for you, and we are dedicated to assist everyone we can in knowing Christ as their personal Savior.
C. After Visit:
II. Follow up after Home Visits: A. Teams meet to talk about the visit, establish future contact, if appropriate or requested by family. B. Within 2 weeks after visit, phone call to be made to those visited to ask about needs of the family. III. Visit Assignment and Report Form (see sample). VII. Visit Assignment and Report Form
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2301 South Wolf Road • Hillside, Illinois • 60162
• 708-449-3020 • Fax 708-449-3026 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
