{"id":260752,"date":"2024-11-06T09:52:37","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T16:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dare2share.org\/?p=260752"},"modified":"2024-11-06T09:52:53","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T16:52:53","slug":"how-to-gospelize-a-friendsgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dare2share.org\/outreach-ideas\/how-to-gospelize-a-friendsgiving\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Gospelize a Friendsgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you remember a time when all we had to celebrate in November was Thanksgiving? That wasn\u2019t nearly enough fun and feasting, so now we have Friendsgiving too! If you haven\u2019t heard, Friendsgiving refers to a large meal eaten with friends, usually before Thanksgiving Day. It appeared on the scene in 2007 and has grown in popularity ever since. Sometimes people plan it to follow a certain theme like desserts, salty food, all things pumpkin spice, or random favorite foods.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, it\u2019s a current trend that involves food, friends, fun, and possibly a theme\u2014sounds to me like a great idea for a youth fall outreach event! When I did this event with my students in the past, they absolutely loved it. It was simple to pull together, intuitive for volunteers to understand, and easy for students to invite friends. Here\u2019s how to really make it shine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Promote your event well.\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t underestimate the importance of this step. Communicate in multiple ways (email, text, social media, verbally) and with great clarity and enthusiasm. Make sure your students know this is a great opportunity to bring their friends (the word friend<\/em> is even in the title) and that they can expect there to be fun, food, testimonies, and a clear Gospel message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create an easy-to-share invitation (digital or physical) with the details for the night (don\u2019t forget the address and time) for your students to give out to their friends. You can make the event a potluck and include information on the invite about what food you want the participants to bring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Pray for the night.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition to praying for this event yourself, enlist volunteers and students to pray, and suggest that they set an alarm as a reminder.\u00a0Ask them to pray for the details to come together, for the students who will be giving testimonies, and for friends who don\u2019t have a relationship with Jesus to come to the event and be open to the Gospel<\/a>. Spend time in prayer for salvations and for the students to be clear and brave in their invitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Prepare a few students to deliver their testimonies.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Prayerfully pick a few students whom you think could confidently deliver their testimony at the event and invite them to do so. If they need help outlining their story, encourage them to use the Before\u2014Then\u2014After<\/em><\/a> resource and help them walk through the steps of writing out their testimony. Listen to them deliver it to see if there\u2019s an opportunity to bring in the idea of gratitude, specifically gratitude for Jesus\u2019s sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Plan the details of your night.\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n