Increasing Attendance on the Weekend or Day Away

Thank you to Kirk Wulf at Christ Church, Overland Park, KS 

The best way to talk about the Weekend is to share your own experiences.  We don’t want the Weekend to be mysterious or overwhelming.  Keep it light. Talk about what you learned and why you found it valuable (save the mountain-top prayer experiences to share later in the course!).  It’s helpful if you can share what you did to rearrange your own calendar to attend, and how it was so worth it!

Acknowledge and address common objections:

• Taking time away from family:  Sometimes the best gift you can give your family is to attend to your “spiritual health”. (If possible arrange childcare providers so the guests can bring their children and have a GREAT time themselves.)

• Taking time away from spouse / significant other:  Bring them!  It is really a great time to spend together.  Even if your spouse is not attending the course, they are welcome on the Weekend or Day Away.  And if they can’t attend, remember that one of the things that strengthens any relationship is to take care of your relationship with God.

• Activities that interfere:  The Weekend is something you won’t want to miss!  We wouldn’t say that if we didn’t believe it.  It is worth rearranging your schedule, or even missing an activity!

Make sure that the Weekend or Day Away does not interfere with school vacations or major holidays. 

Here are a few other tips in inviting people to the Weekend or Day Away

• Talk to the most enthusiastic person and personally ask if they are planning to come.  Begin by stating the Leader and Helpers names (but do not refer to them as Leaders of Helpers) and that they are coming on the Weekend. If she says yes, then approach the next most likely person.  Continue to add the names of  those that  have decided come to the Weekend. Keep doing this until you have talked to each guest.

• Use testimonies from previous Alpha guests 2 or 3 weeks before the Weekend. Click here for a suggested questions to ask.