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"Use Your Home" Christmas Gatherings

Christmas is a wonderful season to share Christ's message in a meaningful way. People's hearts are unusually open and warm to spiritual thoughts and to being together.

A Christmas Gathering is a gathering of friends or neighbours in an individual's home. The party features delicious holiday food, some spontaneous sharing of Christmas traditions, a brief, non-threatening talk on the meaning of Christmas and an opportunity to receive Christ.

Since I first spoke at a party in 1981, these gatherings have brought exciting changes in people's lives through a relationship with Jesus Christ. They also foster incomparable growth opportunities for Christians who want to reach out and share their faith with others.

There are many benefits to hosting an evangelistic holiday celebration:

• Utilizes the holiday season to present the good news of Jesus Christ.
• Uses our homes as a nonthreatening environment to glorify God.
• Builds relationships.
• Counteracts the trend of isolation. Many people are never invited into someone's home and they are honoured to be included.
• Requires only two people to initiate.
• Guests may experience the joy of trusting God.

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).

Prepare
God does not care as much about our ability as our availability. Allow Him to work in your heart as you consider preparations for a gathering in your home.

• Just as God calls you to witness for Him, He also prepares you and empowers you as you surrender yourself to Him. He asks that we serve Him "not by might, not by power, but by His Spirit" (Zechariah 4:6).
• Our eyes should not be on ourselves or the results of our gatherings.
• Our eyes should be fixed on God's power, His sufficiency and His ability to accomplish His purpose in our lives and in the lives of others. Successful witnessing is sharing Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.

"The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Responsibilities of Host/Hostess
Before planning your gathering, prayerfully consider the group you would like to reach. Select an appropriate day and time for this group. Some good times may be weekday evenings, Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons. Although most gatherings are for neighbours (women or couples), you could also invite co-workers, clubs, sports groups, mothers and daughters, extended families, baby-sitting co-ops or teens.

Your party can be as formal or as informal as your neighbourhood or workplace. You may use holiday paper plates or your best china and silver! Use your home or apartment, or in some cases, a party room might be more satisfactory.

Selecting a speaker for your gathering is an important part of your plans. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• It is best that you do not speak at your own gathering.
• If your party is part of a coordinated effort in a church or city, a trained speaker should be provided.
• If you are selecting your own speaker, read the material found in the speaker's section of this manual. Prayerfully choose an appropriate speaker and make sure you remind your speaker to follow the guidelines in the speaker's section.
• It is best to use a male speaker for couples' gatherings.

The number of guests you invite will vary. As a general rule, invite three times the number of people you desire to attend. Begin with a minimum of thirty invitations; it is best to have at least eight to ten guests at a party, although many gatherings include more guests. You may wish to include a close Christian friend or relative to help you in the serving of food so that you are able to focus on your guests. Include the date, time (beginning and ending), your name, place and phone number where you can be reached on your invitations. Indicate clearly that a friend will be sharing some inspiring thoughts about Christmas.

Plan your menu according to the type of gathering you desire for your guests. Foods can range from simple Christmas cookies or dessert to a brunch or a nice dinner. Decorate your home cheerfully for the holidays - you may want to borrow decorations from friends - and arrange your room so people can best view the speaker, have easy conversation and enter or leave with little distraction.

"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

Your Party
Sample time schedule:
Evening Gathering from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

7:00 - 7:30 Arrival, Conversation, Refreshments
7:30 - 8:00 Sharing of Traditions
8:00 - 8:30 Speaker and Comment Cards
8:30 - 9:00 More Refreshments and Visiting

It is recommended that gatherings be held the first two weeks of December. The later it is, the harder it is to get people to come. Parties should be two hours in length.

Welcome Your Speaker
Your speaker will likely arrive 30 minutes before your gathering begins - for prayer, to get oriented to the setting and to assist you for a relaxed beginning. Introduce your speaker individually to the guests as they arrive, treating your speaker as one of your guests. Simply identify your speaker as, "______, who will be sharing with us later."

Guiding the Sharing Time
After your guests have been served refreshments, put them at ease with a guided sharing time to help them know one another better and create a comfortable atmosphere for the speaker's message. It is best to allow spontaneous sharing rather than going around the circle. This makes it easier to introduce your speaker. You may begin the sharing time as follows:

"One of the things I find enjoyable and interesting is learning about other people's Christmas traditions. Why don't we take a few moments to share some of our traditions with one another, such as foods you eat, customs, special things you do in your family, or perhaps you would like to share your Christmas plans this year. In order to give you a moment or two to think of what you might share, I'll share first."
(Caution: Please select a nonreligious tradition.)

Be sure to end the sharing time on schedule to give your speaker enough time. Be prepared to cut off the sharing at the approximate time as follows:

"This has been such fun hearing your various traditions. I feel we have just started. Maybe we can share more of them a little later."

Continue by Introducing Your Speaker

"Christmas is such a special time of year, isn't it? I wanted to add to the specialness of my Christmas this year by having you in my home. I hope being together is equally enjoyable for you. As I said on my invitation, a friend of mine will be sharing with us today. I don't know about you, but it is easy for me to get caught up in a whirlwind of activities at Christmas time and not take the time to really remember its significance. I am eager to hear what our speaker will share with us."

Closing Your Party
Graciously thank your speaker and invite guests to enjoy more refreshments. Remember, from the moment your first guest arrives, your focus is to be on welcoming and enjoying your guests.

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace" (Acts 20:24).

Follow Up
Use the comment cards the speaker has provided to determine what kind of follow-up is needed. Following the party, the speaker and host can pray together and discuss what the Lord would have them do (individually or together). If there are a few people interested in a Bible study, plan a four to six week study to begin in January. (Information is available on "How to Begin an Evangelistic Bible Study.")

Responses
There are generally three types of responses. After determining the nature of the response, pray about your next step. The following are suggestions you could consider.

Spiritual Response: (response to message and prayer)

• If possible, start a follow-up Bible study or take them to another basic Bible study.
• If they have received Christ, explain what took place and help them be assured of their salvation.
• Get together for coffee and share your personal testimony and the gospel with them. (You could use a small booklet such as The Four Spiritual Laws.)
• Invite them to another Christian activity.

Social Response: (response to you and being in your home)

• Take a personal interest in them and their activities (hobbies, shopping).
• Purpose to not talk about spiritual things unless they initiate the conversation.

No Response/ Negative Response:
When there is no apparent response, concentrate on those who seemed open to the gospel and you. When there is negative response, diffuse their resentment by personally apologizing if you offended them by including them in your gathering. Explain that you purposefully stated that a friend would be sharing some thought about Christmas, so they would not be taken by surprise. Remember, you are not apologizing for the gospel.

Ask God what He wants you to do in the lives of people as a result of your gathering!

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Jesus Christ, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 15:5).

Checklist

• Set a definite date/place for gathering.
• Notify coordinator of date/place (if applicable).
• Deliver invitations to your guests at least 7 - 10 days prior to your gathering. Send three times as many as you hope will attend. Aim for 10+ guests (do invitations). Hand deliver invitations, if possible.
• Arrange child care for daytime gathering.
• Prepare food ahead of time.
• Decorate home cheerfully.
• Make follow-up calls to guests if necessary.
• Use name tags.
• Call speaker with information about appropriate dress, directions to home, prayer.
• Remove phone from hook/eliminate music.
• Find one or two people to pray for your gathering.

Through Christmas Gatherings, hundreds have indicated that they have received Jesus Christ, and numerous follow-up Bible studies have been started. Many Christians have been excited by the ease of sharing the gospel with friends and neighbours in such an informal atmosphere.

It is my hope and prayer that this information will be used to encourage and equip you to help reach your world with His powerful gospel. May you experience, as I have, God's enabling power and delight.

Related Reading:
The True Story of Christmas
Purposeful Living
Need Prayer? Share With Us.

Joyce Bademan is the Founder and National Director of Christmas Gatherings. Extensive resource manuals are available - please contact Joyce by email or write to:
Christmas Gatherings
24904 Logan Avenue
Lakeville, MN 55044 USA