August seems so quiet. Dollars to donuts, people in your parish are wondering what you are doing with your time. But if you are in the middle of it, you know that August is the month when everything ramps up. The things that get planned in August are going to make it more likely whether your year runs smoothly (or at least smooth-er) or whether you hobble your way to June.
So if you haven’t already got your act together, or don’t know where to start, here are my suggestions for your August Planning Extravaganza.
1. Create your 12-month calendar Getting your calendar set, even if it’s just in pencil, as far in advance as you can is going to help you immensely. I still like to do mine in hardcopy, but there are lots of online calendars you can use as well.
Start with all the known and immovable elements, like Holy Week and Easter, school vacation times, parish retreat dates, diocesan events, the bishop’s visitation date, etc. Put in the regular events, like youth group meetings, CnC classes, newsletter deadlines. Then sketch in the one-off things you know happen at roughly the same time each year: the Halloween overnight, the annual meeting, the Spring Fling—the things that are unique to your environment and voila! Feel overwhelmed before you even start! Truly, though, this is going to help you in so many ways, starting with--
2. Get people informed The more of your events you get on people’s calendars now, the more likely people will attend. This is your chance to call dibs on people’s time. If you are doing an info night for CnC, or for all your programs, have a calendar of events to distribute. Send out a mailing or email blast. (Your church might want to consider Constant Contact or another email service that allows you to keep track of who looks at your messages.) Include information in the newsletter or bulletin. If your church has a fall kick-off, be sure to have a visible presence with attractive handouts. Include enthusiastic youth among your recruitment tools!
3. Rest up OK, so this sounds antithetical to everything I said before that’s all “strive, do, plan!” But do be sure to take some time to think, dream, and rest. Read that book that’s been on your bedside all this time. Go for walks and savor the beauty of creation. Take a nap or two. Renew your baptismal vows by going for a swim. Reflect on what you loved and hated about last year and offer them to God. Tell God about your hopes for the year to come. Share those hopes with others.
And remember that even if nothing goes according to plan, God is still there and you are still loved.
Good luck and every blessing as you begin another year.