LDS ACTIVITY IDEAS: Progressive Picnic Potluck

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Progressive Picnic Potluck

Who: All Adults 18+
Objective: Mingle, Fellowship, Missionary efforts, Fun! etc.
Budget: $40 for paper products
Flyer:

Set-Up: I had arranged for a few houses to host a dinner course in their backyard. "Appetizers/Salads", "Casseroles/Main Dish/Rolls" and "Dessert". (If you don't have enough homes with a big backyard, you can always meet back at the church for dessert.) I had sign up sheets for potluck items circulating 2-3 weeks ahead of time.

Special Instructions:The plan was to meet at the church and then to go together to the various homes for each meal course. However....

Turn-Out:...It ended up raining. So, we had everyone bring their dishes to the church, and we had an indoor picnic. We did not set up tables. We set up chairs for those that did not bring blankets or camp chairs. The rain kept people away, as there was some confusion as to whether or not we were still going to have it. But it was fun to have a small group. It felt like a dinner group and we were able to have some great conversation.

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Best-Practices

1)Always attend Ward Correlation/Ward Counsel so that you can get the support of the entire Bishopric as well as all of the auxilliaries.

2) If you have a committee, USE them. Nothing is worse than feeling like you're unappreciated. Delegating can be hard; trust me, I've learned the hard way. ASK your committee members how much they would like to be involved. Some would like to oversee an activity on their own. Others like to plan and prepare the food, some enjoy the decorating while yet others simply want to show up and set up. Find out their strengths and utilize them.

3) Advertise! Advertise! Advertise! I can't say enough about advertisement. Something I learned from a previous chairperson was to have a YEARLY refrigerator calendar. This is a half-sheet that outlines the dates of the activities, whether it is for the entire family or just adults, and the name of the activity. I place a magnet on the back, and each family receives one in the beginning of the year. The members love it, as they can see it all year long, and they have often made comments such as, "I can't wait until ______". It builds anticipation and gets them excited. Of course, make sure the activity shows up in any ward calendar or bulletin as well, and have the Bishopric announce it when possible. I personally don't do posters, because I haven't needed to. But I know other wards that do. I have a half-sheet flyer that gets copied onto the back of the program and is on EVERY week until the event, and then the next flyer goes on.

4) Ask for a Commitment! Anyone who has ever served a mission for the church, or even worked in sales knows the importance of asking for a commitment. The simplest way to do this is to circulate sign-up sheets ahead of time. I have found that if I pass around a sign-up sheet, "just to get a head-count", I get a better turn-out than when I do not. And it doesn't even matter what type of activity it is, or whether or not there is food to prepare. When someone "signs up" to attend an event, in their mind, they have made a commitment to be there; the decision is done. When they are not asked to make a commitment, I find they usually won't.

5) Keep them in Mind! Make sure to consider the needs/wants of the ward when planning your activity. If your ward is mostly elderly couples perhaps a night of Sock Hockey would not be enjoyable. If you want to have an adult dinner and there are a number of couples with small children, then provide a nursery.

6) Be Consistent When you say you're going to have an activity, do not cancel unless extreme circumstances require it, as you will NEVER be able to get a hold of EVERYONE, and there is always the few that may show up. Once you decide with your bishop how often you will have your activities, BE CONSISTENT. I have had activities planned, and then something else will get planned after the fact, like a town carnival. I figure, even if only 10 people come, we will have fun with those 10 people. It is more important to be consistent.

7) Be Flexible & Have Fun! Don't sweat the small stuff. Learn to improvise. Even though this calling will seem exhausting on numerous occassions, don't add to it by letting things get to you. Remember, that if anyone has come and enjoyed it, it was a success.

LDS ACTIVITY IDEAS

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Progressive Picnic Potluck

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