Community Events – Brunswick UMC, Crystal

Of the many outreach opportunities we have here at Brunswick, we decided to submit the one that we believe is most unique to us. Brunswick UMC offers free outdoor movie nights to our community. Last year we first launched our ministry to our community providing two nights in which we offered free outdoor movies to the community. The first night we brought in about 50 non-Brunswick UMC people as well as about 30 of our own members. At the events we also provide popcorn for free to those in attendance. We were lead to this outreach opportunity because we noticed there are A LOT of kids that were just hanging out outside during the hot summer evenings, so we wanted to provide a safe place for these people to go to.

In our community we have a lot of young families. However, these younger families are of the demographics that live with very little to no disposable income. So we decided to find a way to provide a safe place, with snacks and entertainment, to help these families find an evening of peace and comfort. All of our movies are G or PG rated so that we don’t offend anyone. Last year we had a showing of the Disney Movie “Frozen” which was a huge hit. The other film we showed was the “Berenstain Bears Halloween Special” at our Trunk or Treat event the night of Halloween. We are reaching the community through hospitality and loving our neighbors. We don’t ask for money or anything of these people who come to the events. We do however, go above and beyond to make sure they have a great experience while they are here. We also have members who are good at sparking up conversations with strangers and tell them about the other great things we do at Brunswick.

First steps:

  1. Figuring out the demographics of those who are walking distance to the church. We walked/drove around the neighborhood and discovered we had a lot of kids playing outside on Friday and Saturday nights and wanted to do something to accommodate them with something that was safe and welcoming.
  2. Get a video license.
  3. We purchased a large inflatable movie screen and projector.
  4. Marketing. We held a “Drive-thru Breakfast” where we gave out coffee and doughnuts to the community along with information about our upcoming movie night. We also gave information to people who attend our weekly Loaves and Fishes meal.

For information contact: Garrett Johnson, Invite Minister, , Cell Phone Number: 651-274-5353 Office Number: 763-533-3933