So I hear it's hot out. I won't mention, then, that it's currently 65 degrees where I am because that would not be nice. No, instead I shall limit myself to saying, Man, it's hot outside!, and make some suggestions about things you can do within the comfort of your air conditioned office that will give you a head start on your fall programming.
1) Create a calendar This is a big one. Having a full calendar in place will be hugely helpful to you as you try and do everything else. I don't know about you, but at our church the youth come from several different schools with different school calendars. It's a real mental exercise to try to find dates that work with all of them.
Even if you only sketch in dates for your lessons, retreat, field trips, iConfirm service, and confirmation itself, you will be way ahead of the game. I learned early on that families need to get dates on calendars sooner rather than later if you want youth to be able to attend. Planning your calendar now gives you a better chance of full participation.
An iced tea would go nicely with this activity, don't you think?
2) Plan an informational meeting This also needs to be on your calendar, but I put it separately because you might also want to sit quietly in your air conditioned office reading through the Getting Started Guide which gives you more information on the information night. (OK, that was kind of redundant.)
Now might be a good time for some lemonade.
3) Reserve a time and place for a retreat So you've sketched in a weekend that looks like it will work for a retreat. Do you have a place to go? Check in with your local retreat center, another local parish, or wherever you think would work for you. Find out about cost, space, food, and what would be available or off-limits to you. If you're going to a retreat center, you might want to ask what other groups are being hosted that weekend to see that you are not going to be stepping on one another's toes.
After that, you'll need an Arnold Palmer.
4) Look around for interesting places for a field trip Using your strong Googling fingers, search around to see if there are some good candidates for field trips nearby. This can include other places of worship (as different from your own as possible), social service agencies, speakers, events--use your imagination. You might want to be flexible with the calendar you worked so hard to build if you find, for example, that Karen Armstrong or Desmond Tutu is giving a lecture near you (check out local lecture series). Ask friends who work or volunteer at interesting places if they offer tours. Be creative and let your mind wander. Just make sure you stay sitting down at all times.
Although by now you probably have to visit the restroom.
5) Watch the movie Millions After which, you'll want to settle in to a comfy chair to watch Millions or one of the other movies used during the course of CnC. What's your pleasure? SciFi? Then The Matrix will be your choice. Family drama? You can go with Millions or perhaps Field of Dreams. Maybe you're more in the mood for adventure; then you'll want to watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. If you're going to be offering CnC Adult, then maybe you'll want to watch the comedy Calendar Girls.
Whichever one you choose, you can rest secure in the knowledge that you are hard at work preparing for the fall. With all that hard work, you should probably have a large soda and the movie treat of your choice.
Stay cool!