If you want people in the church to take part in Joyfest… you have to

make it more than a notice!

The reality is, it’s not easy to do an Act of Joy. It requires some courage and takes emotional energy. There’s the possibility of rejection, it may be awkward…

Not everyone will worry about this – but a lot of people will. To get them involved requires envisioning and equipping them. Something that doesn’t happen in a notice.

You don’t need to do a month-long sermon series in the run up (although you can) but here are a few suggestions to cut through the busyness of life and church to encourage people to give it a go.

  • The vision to have everyone in your church reaching out to their family, friends, colleagues and neighbours is baked into the gospel and central to all our churches.

    Joyfest is a chance to lean into this and for people to put some energy into making it happen. It’s also a great way to celebrate the connections your church can make through individuals.

    Connecting Joyfest to your church’s vision is a win-win.

    And, for many Christians, working with other churches and being part of something bigger is really exciting!

  • The best way to highlight Joyfest and demonstrate what it’s like is for you and/or your leaders to do an Act of Joy and tell your church.

    This shows it’s important and allows you to teach vital elements.

    You could ask everyone preaching for the month before Joyfest to do an Act of Joy and tell the congregation about it by building it into their sermon. This will give opportunity to talk about planning, being ‘placed’, opening line, planting Kingdom seeds and so on.

    Just make sure people are honest about nerves and share it as something that is down-to-earth and achievable.

  • In the weeks leading up to Joyfest have a ‘Three Joyous Minute’ slot in the Sunday service - this makes a notice into a super-notice!

    Use the 3 minute slot to focus on a theological insight, skill or tool that will be helpful.

    This is best combined with ‘Do And Tell’, having the person giving the Three Joyous Minutes slot explain the principle using an actual experience.