Publicity for Your Group

Remember that most people have to receive a piece of information five times before they absorb it. This means that a single announcement about your small group will not result in many responses. To be successful, a group must attract enough persons to sustain good discussions and variety in interaction, so give attention to publicity. Try to communicate about your group in as many ways as possible:

• in the church newsletter
• in the Sunday bulletin
• in personal conversations
• through announcements by the small-group leader in worship
• through announcements by the pastor in worship
• through announcements in adult Sunday school classes
• on posters in high-traffic areas of the church
• through e-mail announcements to your church's online members

All publicity should make it clear that the sessions build on daily use of The Upper Room. State that participants need to bring only their copy of the current issue of The Upper Room magazine and a Bible. They may also wish to bring a personal spiritual journal if they keep one.

Eight weeks before starting date:

• Reserve space in your church for the weekly small groups.
• Prepare (or recruit someone to prepare) posters to place inside the church. Posters should include information about days, dates, time, and content of sessions.
• Prepare written announcements for those who make announcements in church-school classes and in worship and for those who prepare the bulletins for worship services. Each announcement should include the name and telephone number or address of a contact person.
• If the announcement is to be published or distributed to individuals, include a registration form to be filled out. Each form should bear clear instructions about where to send it when it is completed.
• Prepare written announcements for use in your church newsletter and give them to whoever prepares the newsletter, specifying when the announcements should appear in the newsletter and worship bulletin.

Six weeks before starting date:

• Start making announcements about your small group in church settings. Each announcement should give the day, dates, place, content, and length of the sessions. Make it clear that the sessions build on daily use of The Upper Room.
• If you have a prayer chain or prayer circle in your church, ask them to begin praying for the leader(s) and for participants in the Lenten small groups.
• Check with libraries for any books you will mention in the weekly sessions. If the books are not available, order copies. (You may want to make them a gift to your church library after you use them.)
• Order extra copies of the January-February and March-April 2008 issues of The Upper Room if you will need them for group members. Call 1-800-972-0433 to order your copies.

Two weeks before starting date:

• Assemble all books and supplies for the weekly sessions.
• Prepare a book list to give to participants who want more information on the content of the sessions.
• Recruit persons to bring refreshments for a fellowship time at the end of the first session (if it will end with fellowship time).

One week before starting time:

• Send postcards to or telephone all registrants, welcoming them.
• Remind them of the place and time of the first meeting and that the session will be based on the meditations beginning on March 1.
• In preparation for the first session, ask them to pray for all the group members and for the leader.