Reach Young Families with FIRST CONTACT Ministry

 FIRST CONTACT is a ministry designed to provide an ongoing emphasis for outreach and ministry through the Preschool Sunday School division by:

• Helping your church discover, locate, and minister to young adult prospects
• Discovering expectant parents and families with babies up to 12 months of age
• Making contacts (visits, phone calls, written notes) on a regular basis

A volunteer visitor for FIRST CONTACT has a significant opportunity to make a positive impression on expectant parents or parents of a newborn. It is a wonderful way to show your church’s concern for preschoolers and their families. The following steps will help you get your FIRST CONTACT ministry off to a great start.

Step One - Plan the Ministry
Responsibility for coordinating the FIRST CONTACT ministry includes several options. A church staff member or Sunday School director may oversee the ministry. If your church has a Preschool Division director, he or she may assume the leadership role or assign the responsibility to the preschool outreach leader.

• Develop a plan for ongoing prospect discovery and ministry.
• Develop a calendar. Review church calendar to avoid conflicts with church-wide events.
• Assign workgroups to help plan events, fellowships, meals to new parents, and prospect-discovery events.

Step Two -  Prepare a Budget
Prepare a budget for the Preschool Division director to give the budget committee. Include needed resources and supplies for visitation, outreach events, and publicity. Consider taking a small gift for the baby or mother when you make your first home visit.

Read more in: Best Gifts for a New Mom

Additional gift ideas include:
• Copy of BabyLife
• Quarterly parent newsletters with helpful articles
• Diaper bag tag with church imprint
• Laminated or framed birth announcement for a keepsake
• Adult Bible
• Child development and Christian parenting books
• Teething bib with church’s imprint
• Carnation or rose in a visible location during a worship service

Step Three - Communicate the Need
Use the church newsletter, leaflets, or bulletin boards to communicate the ministry to the church and to heighten awareness of the needs of young families.

Step Four - Enlist Volunteer Visitors
Enlist a core group of people who will visit prospects. Each volunteer visitor is enlisted to visit one family. Meet on a regular basis (monthly) with volunteer visitors to make assignments, review visits made during the month and make plans for prospect-discovery projects. Use these meetings to encourage and motivate volunteers.

Step Five - Train Volunteer Visitors
Train volunteers to make contacts. Help them develop witnessing and caring skills. Ask your pastor or church/evangelism leader to lead a witnessing training event. Training may coincide with a Sunday School leadership training event.

Step Six - Discover Prospects
Enlist a committee made up of preschool outreach leader, preschool department directors, teachers, parents, or someone involved in the outreach/evangelism ministry of your church. This group will gather names of prospects, plan prospect-discovery projects, and assign prospect names for visitation.

Read about more ideas for finding prospects in: 
FIRST CONTACT Prospects Discovery Ideas

Step Seven - Build Relationships
Build relationships with prospects with ongoing contacts. Opportunities include:

• Bible studies for new parents
• Sunday School fellowships
• Parent dedication services
• Parents night out
• Family play days
• Gift for mother or dad