MISSOURI UNITED METHODIST MEN

EVENT/ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS

Latest update 10-03-25 REW

Event/Activities should have one or more of the following purposes:

1. Faith Development, Education and/or Skill Development.

2. Fund Raising

3. Ministry/Missions

4. Community Building

They should be designed to actively seek to include non-members and to bring them into contact with members on a regular basis.  A special emphasis should be placed on attracting people under the age of 40.  Events are not intended to attract everyone – different events for different folks.  To add depth to an event, add a personal testimonial from a  member.  Assign someone the responsibility of “fun” manager. For small groups, tag onto already scheduled events to do the heavy lifting.  Let others do much of the preparation so that you maximize your team’s hours. The parenthesis following a description indicates an enhanced description of the activity is described in detail at the end of the list under the specified number.

Alumni Parties

Amateur Hour Program

Antique Car Show

Apple Butter Days

Art Dispay

Auction of Slave Services (9)

Awards Dinners

Bakery Sale

Ballroom Dance

Barbeques

Bed Building

Bicycle Rehab Events

Bingo Party

Blue Grass Music & Food

Bocce Ball Challenge

Bowlathon

Brainstorming Event

Bridge Bread Promotions

Bridge Nights

Bring a Pet Party

Build a “PET” Road Trip  (2)

Build Props for Youth Event

Campground Clean-up Workdays

Camping Out

Canoe Trips

Car Wash

Card Parties

Carneval Nights

Carroling to Limited Access Folks

Casino Night

Challenge Events

Christmas Tree Lot

Computer Assistance Days

Computer Rehab

Costume Ball

Crafts Fair

Crazy Bowl Night

Decathlon Contest (7)

Disaster Kit Building

Disaster Response Activities

Duplicate Bridge

Duplicate Cribbage

Early Response Events

Educational Programs

Family Movie Night

Family Retreat

Fantasy Sports Competition

Father Child Banquet

Fireworks Party

First Responder Recognition

Fish Fry

Fishing Party/Tournament

Float Trips

Food Stand Activities

Fruit Picking Party

Garage Sale

Get out of Jail Fees

Gift Wrapping Service

Gleaning Party

Go as You Come Party (4)

Golf Tournament

Greenhouse Rescue & Construction (11)

Greenhouse Usage Ministry (12)

Group Attendance @ School/College Events

Habitat Builds

Hiking Parties

Highway Policing

Horse Team Contest (Basketball)

Host a Scouting Activity/Entity

Ice Cream Social

Karaoke Night

Lego Nights

Lending Library (8)

Lenten/Advent Breakfasts

Methodist Day @ the Ballpark – Kansas City

Methodist Day @ the Ballpark – St. Louis (3)

Methodist Man of Year Recognition

Miniature Golf Challenge

Mission Road Trips

Model Railroading Event

Mom’s Night Out (1)

Mother Child Banquet

Packaging Party

Pancake Breakfast

Photography Show

Physical Fitness Events

Pickleball Party

Picnic in the Park

Pizza & Football Parties

Pool Party

Potato Drops

Recognition Events

Recycling Activity

Road Trips

Scavenger Hunts

Six Flags Day

Skating Event

Skill/Interest Interviews

Skill/Interest Potluck Dinner (10)

Skill Development Sessions

Softball Place Hitting Competition (13)

Soup Buffet

Soup Off (6)

Sports Team Sponsorship

Square Dance

State/County Fair Attendance

Sweetheart Banquet

Talent Show

Team Challenge Night (New Marrieds)

Tennis Mixer

Treasure Hunt

Trivia Night

Unmatched Singles Nights by Invitation (5)

Wild Game Dinner

Work Days (Couple with a “fun” event)

Youth Auction

Youth Mentoring Events

Zoom Bible Study

Zoom Book Study

Zoom Enablement Ministry (14)

1. Mom’s Night Out is a quarterly event designed around a hot dog type meal and a movie night, game night, Lego night or similar activity for Dad-child bonding.  A free will offering can be used to defray expenses.  The moms will control their side of the event for timing, cost, transportation and facilities.  For maximum effectiveness, each member mom should invite a non-member mom to join her.   Non-members are encouraged to attend.  Single moms are encouraged to adopt a  grampa to stand in as a dad for her kids.  Child care for very young children is recommended.  This is an event with an under age 40 focus.

2. A Build a “PET” Road Trip is a trip to Columbia for a volunteer work day at the Mobility Worldwide facility. Check out their web site for particulars and let them know how many will come and hours of work.

3. Methodist Day @ the Ballpark is a scheduled conference event on June 22nd at 1:15 pm at Busch Stadium where the Cardinals host the San Francisco Giants. Tickets cost $30 for admission. This event can be used as a fund raiser by committing to a number of tickets by April 1 which reduces the cost of tickets to $25. Anyone is welcome to join us, thus small groups can sell tickets throughout there community. Manchester UMC often provides bus service from their parking lot. This event includes both Illinois and Missouri churches.  Special scoreboard recognition is possible with sufficient notice.  Special privileges like singing the National Anthem, on field for batting practice, or throwing out a “first pitch” are available with adequate volume of tickets.

4. A “Go as you Come Party” is an evening of entertainment paid for by purchase of a ticket.  One individual will ultimately be declared the “winner” of  two all-expense paid cruise tickets to a specified resort for a week or similar time period.  All potential winners must have their travel bags packed and with them, as they will be whisked away with their companion of choice in a limousine.  During the evening, announcements of ticket numbers that didn’t win will be announced along with the award of selected lesser prizes.  Are you serious about attracting younger folks?  This is a significant fundraiser.

5. Unmatched Singles Nights by Invitation are programmed activities of equal numbers of unpaired men and women that attend an event as a group.  The activity is designed for allowing singles to get to know each other without dating pressures.  Potential participants are registered by an endorsement from a member of the opposite sex and can then request attendance at any scheduled event.  Applicants are accepted as sufficient offsetting applicants are realized.  Some degree of age appropriateness is also a factor.

6. A Soup Off can be a fund raiser where men provide their specialty soup and attendees purchase an empty bowl and spoon for sampling.  A ticket is provided for scoring 1-10.  Recipe copies are provided as a handout.  This activity can be attached to a subsequent activity to encourage attendance and is enhanced if some ladies do their dessert thing.

7. A decathlon contest involves competition over 10 specially selected and scored events.  The events may have some physical activity involved or they may be a Sudoku puzzle or a trivia set.  A “Crazy Bowl” mentality adds interest.  The competitive parameters make the event special.

8. In most churches 6 people receive a monthly copy of The Missouri Methodist magazine and most other members don’t know it exists.  Borrow old copies or get 10 copies per month per year for $100.  Start a lending library with archive copies.  Seek used books from Sunday School classes for loan.  Make copies of new  UMMen’s newsletter  “Streams”.  Attach a visible tag that shows the Men’s logo and provides contact data for  men’s activities on all materials for loan.  This is a great way to be seen.

9. Slave services are a commitment for a specified time period (usually 1-4 hours) where you are at the direction and discretion of the auction winner.  Flogging is generally not recommended for poor work habits.  This can be used as a funds generator for volunteer workers or as a drawing at an event to add some spice.  A name is drawn from the events attendees with a pre-set value for buying a replacement if the drawee doesn’t want to work.

10. This version of a potluck dinner involves everyone inviting a member or     guest who is not yet in your skill/interest data base.  Prepared forms are provided to lend conformity and sample questions are included with scoring directions (1-10 scale for both  ability and interest).  Sample forms are available free from the conference.

11. Greenhouse rescue and construction is a ministry which refurbishes or builds new greenhouses for individuals or churches.

12. Greenhouse usage is a ministry that grows food for sale in churches and for distribution to the needy.

13. A softball place-hitting event is a competition for individuals and teams that can be used as a fund-raiser.  Five target poles with flags are placed at various points in the outfield.  Batters may provide their own pitcher.  Each batter is allowed 10 swings, the first 5 are at the targets in sequence from left to right.  The batter receives a score of 300 less the distance from the target to the point where the ball first touches ground or a target pole in full feet.  Target poles have a measuring tape attached.  Swinging stikes and infield ground balls score 0 points and no score can be less than 0.  The last five swings are each at batter specified targets with the option for the batter to upgrade his previous score if the new one is greater.  A batter’s total score will be the sum of his five highest scores at each target.  Church youth can be used as spotters.  Teams are composed of nine players with the team score being the sum of the individual scores of the first three batters in the lineup times 2 plus the sum of the individual scores of the second three batters in the lineup times 3 plus the sum of the individual scores of the final three batters in the lineup times 4.  In direct team competitions, batters alternate between teams in their lineup sequence.

14. Zoom enablement is a ministry which works with the computer rehab ministry to provide a zoom capability and instruction to folks that need it.  This is intended to enable everyone the ability to enjoy bible and book studies and other ”Zoom” based presentations.