Tips for Running a Ministry Fair

Goal: The purpose of a Ministry Fair is to augment the stewardship effort by increasing levels of

participation, involvement, and awareness of ministries within the parish community.

The Ministry Fair is Multi-Purposed:

 A celebration of the work of the Church

 A thank you to all those who carry out the mission of the parish

 A time to highlight the services available within the parish

 An occasion for those already involved to develop a greater sense of who they are and

what their mission is.

After all Masses during a weekend in the Social Hall or outside under tents, with food and

beverage. You may want to consider a parish picnic, cookout, or coffee and donuts. It is important

to have events that will capture the attention of children and offer multiple reasons for adults to

linger.

Hosting a Ministry Fair requires much time and preparation. Take the time to plan your fair well

and start early. Developing teams of people who are responsible for specific aspects of the Fair

can lighten the workload for you, the parish staff, and the Stewardship Council. Also, the more

people involved in the event fosters a stronger sense of ownership and contributes to its success.

The following are a list of teams that can aid with you in these efforts:

 In consultation with the pastoral leadership, plan a date and reserve a site (usually the

 Determine which ministries or individuals should provide lay witness talks.

 Contact all organizations/ministries/programs/activities by a letter to invite to participate

in the Ministry Fair. Be careful not to exclude anyone, even a group that may do

something only once a year. If you want the ministry to provide a lay witness talk, please

extend the invitation in the letter. If the organization chooses not to participate in the

fair, request that they still turn in the Ministry Descriptions Form or request an updated

description to include in the brochure. Give deadlines to RSVP for participation and for

their updated information to be returned to the Stewardship Council.

 Begin to develop a brochure outlining ministries, descriptions, and contact names.

 Plan layout configurations for all participating parish groups.

 Prepare (or utilize provided) bulletin announcements, and give to parish secretary.

 Post information on the parish website and social media platforms.

 Design signs/posters for parish and local community to advertise.

 Design special flyers to school, religious education classes, and other organizations.

Set Up/Decorations:

 Signs for all organizations.

 Tables - does the parish have enough or do you need to borrow/rent?

 Tables cloths and/or banners.

 Balloons.

 Name Tags.

 Use one or a combination of homily, lay witness talks to promote time and talent

opportunities in the parish.

The Day of the Ministry Fair:

 Pastors/pastoral administrators should make announcements at all of the Masses.

 The day before or that Saturday, organize tables, signs, and set-up for food/beverage.

 Have a sign-in sheet with names, phone numbers, and email addresses for all parishioners

who attend the fair.

 Have the team to help with the clean-up of the hall/site. This is also a great time to tap

into confirmation students who are completing service hours.

Ministry Commitment Sunday (the weekend after the fair):

information is collected. One suggestion is to have the Stewardship Council send an

acknowledgement/thank you note, telling them that they will be notified by a specific

date from the ministry chair. The parishioner is to be encouraged to contact the

Stewardship Council (provide contact information) if they have NOT heard from the

ministry chair by that date. This allows a good follow-up plan to be implemented and

centralized, and reduces the frustration or people who sign up and then feel ignored.

 Make a listing available of all new volunteers to all ministries.

Additional Ideas:

 Have a picture collage of ministries.

 Have a contest between the ministries for the best or most creative display.

throughout the year.