No amount of hard work will take the place of diligent, specific prayer!
- Organize a prayer group(s) to start praying for the program 6-8 weeks before the actual program date. Meet at least weekly and pray for:
- many people who don't know the Lord to come; Pray for specific people by name
- for Christians to come and to bring non-Christian friends
- for the salvation of those that will hear the Gospel
- that those who make decisions for the Lord will be followed-up and integrated into a local church
- for the Lord to be in control of everything that takes place the whole day of the program
- for travel safety for the Leventhals and logistical details for the equipment
- Print & distribute the Prayer Cards from the sample sent to you. Encourage individuals and families to fill out a card and to pray daily for their friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers that they will invite to the program. They should keep the cards in a place that they will most likely to see daily. Suggested places include, kitchen cabinets, Bibles, refrigerator doors, bathroom mirrors, etc.
- Enlist those who will pray on the day(s) of the actual program, before, during and after the outreach. Ask other ministries and churches to remember the program in prayer.
- Pray regularly for the Illusions & Reality outreach as a part of your weekly worship services.
When promoting Illusions & Reality, think in terms of saturation. Hanging a few posters up will not draw a crowd! Posters, the promotional video, bulletin inserts, radio and television ads and ticket tables all work together to generate enthusiasm and a sense of expectancy. Make sure that everything done to promote your Illusions & Reality outreach conveys the sense of professionalism and fun this program will include.
- Use the posters that we have provided and put them up in strategic places such as malls, restaurants, school cafeterias, churches, bookstores, hallways, popular businesses, Christian bookstores, eating places, etc. Always get permission before you hang a poster anywhere! When including the information on the bottom of the poster, DO NOT HAND LETTER!!! It is much better to have the information (time, place, etc.) either typeset or done on computer on a smaller sheet of paper, cut to size and glued to the bottom of the poster. Assuring that all promotional material looks attractive will help bring more people to the event.
- Use the bulletin inserts (of course you will have to customize the press release portion) in church bulletins 4-6 weeks before the actual program.
- Show the promotional video-tape as part of your Sunday morning service (if appropriate), or wherever crowds gather.
- If possible, purchase ad space in the local newspaper as well as in school newspapers. Advertise in the "entertainment" section of the paper. The entertainment section will reach more non-churched people than if you were to advertise in the "religion" section. If you can't afford advertising space, see if you can get the program listed in the Community Program section of the paper. Whenever possible, use the publicity pictures w/enclosed PRESS RELEASE.
- Try to have the program announced over the radio, school P.A. systems, or on local television stations. Sometimes radio stations will make community interest announcements for no charge. Give away free tickets on the air.
- Use other creative ideas to get the word out as much as possible. (examples: billboards, balloons, banners in your foyer, church signs, etc.)
Make sure that your people understand that this is a first class, award winning production that has been seen from coast to coast and abroad. Encourage them to bring friends. Let your people know that they won't be embarrassed that they brought their friends to this program!
The personal invitation is the strongest promotional tool. At least 75% of those that attend a special event do so because someone invited them!!! Challenge your people to invite friends, neighbors, business associates, employees, inactive church members, family, etc.
Contact other churches and ministries in your city, county or association. Many times other ministries don't find out about this type of special ministry event until after the fact. Let them know that decision/interest cards from people they brought will be sent to them for follow-up after the program.
- Decide on a ticket price, and have tickets printed and numbered. (Feel free to use the enclosed ticket samples.) Some churches or ministries choose to have a family rate, to make the program more affordable for families. Single ticket prices should be anywhere from $5 to $10. Family rates can run $20-$25 (these are suggestions only.)
- It is best for Christians to buy tickets for their non-churched friends. Some churches will give a free ticket for every 4 purchased. This makes it more affordable for your people purchase tickets to invite their friends.
- Challenge each person in the church or ministry to invite and buy tickets for at least two other people.
- You may want to offer a discounted ticket price for advance ticket sales. (Example: $8 at the door, $7 in advance.)
- Encourage business people in your church to buy a quantity of tickets to give to employees. Many business owners and managers have found this a great, non-threatening way to share the Gospel with their employees.
- Set up a table in the church foyer to sell tickets after services or other special events.
- If you can dedicate a phone line for tickets after office hours, do so. Have people leave contact information on the answering machine and contact them the following day.
- Serving complimentary refreshments in a fellowship hall after the program is a great way to get people to stay and visit. Churches have used everything from cheesecake and coffee to ice cream sundaes. You can advertise this on the posters, and it is an excellent "value-added" attraction. Make sure that your people tell their friends about the refreshments after the program when they invite them to Illusions & Reality. This will allow them to make appropriate plans to stay afterward.
- Brainstorm with your people and solicit their ideas to make this a wonderful outreach event. The more people that you actively involve with the preparation and promotion of this event, the more likely the event will be a greater success.
Note: The more of these suggestions that you utilize, the greater your attendance will be. Consistent prayer and effectively planned promotional strategy will make a powerful difference in the impact of your program. The extra effort will be rewarded!