Summer of Service: Engaging Your Community in July
July 2024 - The height of summer is here! July brings long warm days, school holidays, and for many, a more relaxed pace. This mid-summer month is an ideal time for churches to turn outward with creative outreach and acts of service. While some regular routines pause, new opportunities arise to engage both your congregation and your wider community. By leveraging digital platforms and intentional planning, July can become a "summer of service" that invigorates your church's mission. Let's explore ways to make the most of this month.
Vacation Bible School and Kids' Outreach
July is prime time for Vacation Bible School (VBS) and children's outreach programs. Many churches run VBS in July when families are looking for enriching activities for kids. To maximize impact, get the word out far beyond your congregation. Forward-thinking churches see VBS as a powerful opportunity for community transformation and growth. Promote your VBS through every digital channel available:
- - Social Media Campaign: Create a series of fun, colorful posts counting down to VBS week. Use photos or videos from previous years (with permission) to show kids having a blast. Encourage church members to share these posts
- word-of-mouth on social media is huge for reaching friends who don't attend church.
- Online Registration: Simplify sign-ups with a clear, mobile-friendly online form. Many parents will find your VBS via Facebook or community websites; an easy sign-up link can be the difference in whether they commit.
- Local Community Pages: Post about your VBS in neighborhood Facebook groups, Nextdoor, and community event calendars. Highlight that it's open to all children, any cost (if free or scholarship available), and the unique benefits. For example: "Join our Space Adventure VBS
- crafts, games, and learning about God's love! All families welcome." The easier you make it for someone outside the church to envision their child there, the better. Missional Marketing notes innovative strategies to transform VBS from just a program into a true growth engine for the church
- so treat your promotion as seriously as you would Easter or Christmas outreach.
- Livestream or Recap Video: If feasible, livestream a portion of VBS each day (like the opening sing-along or the closing celebration). This allows curious parents or extended family to peek in, and it showcases the church's energy. At the very least, film a short highlights video and post it on social media after VBS. It not only celebrates what God did, but also subtly invites those who missed it to connect with other children's events or even come on Sunday to see the kids perform songs.
By the time VBS ends, you'll hopefully have dozens of new young faces who stepped into your church for the first time. Don't lose momentum - have a plan to follow up with families. Send a warm email thanking them for joining VBS, include a link to that recap video or photos, and invite them to an upcoming family event (maybe a back-to-school party in August or the children's ministry kickoff). Personal touches, like a printed postcard "We loved having Johnny at VBS!", go a long way in showing families that they weren't just a number, but are now part of your extended church family.
Community Festivals and Public Presence
July is often bustling with community events - fireworks displays, fairs, parades, outdoor concerts. Instead of seeing these as competition for people's time, see them as mission fields. How can your church serve and shine in those spaces? Here are some ideas:
- - Volunteer at Events: Rally a team from church to volunteer at a local July 4th celebration or summer festival. Wearing church T-shirts while handing out water or cleaning up trash after the event demonstrates love in action. It's not about self-promotion, but people will notice the spirit of service. Later on social media, you can share a few photos of your team serving with a caption like, "We had a blast helping at the City Festival
- loving our community because God loves us all!" This subtly lets the public know your church cares.
- Host a Free Family Fun Day: If there's no big community event, consider hosting your own simple one
- maybe a free "Family Fun Day in the Park" one Saturday with lawn games, face painting, and free popsicles. Use local event pages and Facebook to invite everyone. The goal is relationship-building, not recruitment. However, be ready
- have a welcome table with info about church programs and a big smile. Engaging in casual conversations at such events can often lead to someone saying, "So tell me more about your church...".
- Trunk-or-Treat Style Event (in Summer): Who says trunk-or-treat is only for October? Perhaps do a mid-summer "Christmas in July" drive-through giveaway or a community car wash where everything is free. It's unexpected and delightful for the community. The key is to capture some of these moments on video or camera and share them. Not to toot your horn, but to spread the positive energy and maybe inspire other churches/organizations to partner or do similar. Plus, those watching online might think, "That looks really kind
- maybe I'll check out this church that's doing good here."
And importantly, collect connections appropriately. For example, at a free car wash, you could have a "Stay in touch" card for drivers to fill if they want (maybe entering them in a raffle for a small gift card). This opt-in allows you to follow up with a friendly "Thanks for coming, how can we pray for you?" message. As Outreach Magazine advises for trunk-or-treat events, collecting info and following up thoughtfully is key to moving people from one-time events to Sunday visits.
Mission Trips and Global Awareness
Many youth and adult mission trips happen in July. Even if only a small portion of your church goes, involve the entire body through digital means. Set up a team blog or Facebook group for the mission trip where updates and prayer requests are posted daily while they're out in the field. Encourage the congregation to join digitally - commenting, praying, sending encouragements. Possibly do a one-time live video call during a Sunday service between the home church and the mission team abroad - it's a powerful way to collapse distance and keep everyone engaged in the Great Commission.
When the team returns, consider having a "Missions Sunday" in late July or August. And don't let the sharing be confined to the sanctuary: record testimonies from team members and create short videos for social media. Show how the experience impacted them and the people they served. This not only celebrates God's work globally, but might spark others to serve locally or go on the next trip. It's also a gentle witness to non-church friends who see the videos that faith in action is alive and exciting.
Keep Feeding the Flock Spiritually
Amidst all the outward activity, ensure your congregation is still being spiritually fed and connected in July. Summer can be spiritually dry for some if they fall out of routine. Continue any online groups or start a short-term summer life group with a fun twist - perhaps a "Theology on Thursdays" where people meet in a park or on Zoom to discuss faith questions. Or use technology for an Ask Me Anything (AMA) with Pastor on Instagram Live, where the pastor takes any theological or practical questions in real-time once a week. ChurchSpring suggests that summer is a great time for informal, engaging content like Pastor Q&A sessions or behind-the-scenes videos. These can maintain a sense of community learning together even when attendance is scattered.
Also, as July often has people in and out, harness your sermon archive. Create a "Best of Last Year" playlist or post on your website/app some recommended past sermons or series that people might have missed. For example: "On vacation? Catch up on our popular 'Relationships Matter' series from last fall!" Often newer members haven't heard those, and summer downtime could be when they finally watch or listen. It's like providing an on-demand spiritual buffet.
Encourage Generosity and Gratitude
One challenge in summer is that giving can dip as attendance does. July is a good time to gently encourage continued generosity. Highlight the impact of giving by telling fresh stories - like "Because of your giving, 50 kids heard about Jesus at VBS" or "Our food pantry served record numbers in this heat wave." People give when they see the mission moving. And make online giving super easy, as many will be doing it from wherever they vacation. If you haven't already, point out your text-to-give number or app giving option. By now a large portion of giving is done digitally; one study even found recurring online givers donate twice as much annually as one-time givers. So perhaps July is a great time to invite members to set up a recurring gift (maybe in response to a mid-year vision update you share). Not as a cold financial plea, but framed as sustaining ministry during the summer and beyond.
Lastly, infuse gratitude. Summer is a midpoint of the year - thank your volunteers, staff, and congregation for all that's happened so far. Shout-outs on social media to volunteers ("Meet Jane - she has led our online prayer team all year, thank you Jane!") or a simple thank-you email to the whole church for being faithful through the first half of the year can lift spirits. The community will feel the love.
July doesn't have to be a laid-back lull for your church - it can be a season of vibrant outreach and service. By focusing on community engagement (through VBS, events, and missions) and keeping the church family spiritually nourished (through creative online content and connection), you'll find July to be deeply rewarding. It's a time when seeds are planted that could bear fruit in the fall and long after.
July doesn't have to be a laid-back lull for your church - it can be a season of vibrant outreach and service. By focusing on community engagement (through VBS, events, and missions) and keeping the church family spiritually nourished (through creative online content and connection), you'll find July to be deeply rewarding. It's a time when seeds are planted that could bear fruit in the fall and long after.
Ready to strengthen your digital ministry?
At Intent, we love to see churches thrive in every season. If you're looking for ways to boost your digital outreach or need tools to manage summer events smoothly, we're here to help. From effective event promotion to online engagement tracking, our team can equip you with strategies to make your summer ministry impactful. Let's make this July a true "summer of service" that blesses your community and energizes your congregation, all for God's glory.