Many communities hold annual (sometimes even seasonal) town festivals, and many of them are open to civic groups of all kinds. Use the day as an opportunity for your small group to serve and get to know others in your town.

Make arrangements with the festival coordinators (probably a few weeks in advance) to set up a table or booth for that day -- they're often free to civic groups, especially when nothing is being sold. Then, decide on how you want to serve those who stop by to say hello (or you can walk around and meet them, if you like).

Be as elaborate or simple in your planning as your group has the energy and manpower for. You could have some inexpensive but meaningful giveaways available, such as baked goods and coffee, or upgrade your food offerings to a lunch of sodas and sub sandwiches. (One group we know of actually took up a collection for the Girl Scouts selling similar foods at a nearby booth, to make up for "stolen business.")

You could also give away balloons or small gifts to kids who are walking around. You could even hire a clown to give out the balloons, and take Polaroids of the kids posing with him or her. This would require a little more financial investment from your group, but it would free up your group members to spend more time talking to visitors, and a larger small group could absorb this cost fairly easily.

Make a point of enjoying this time among the rest of your community. Don't only be generous with your resources but also your time and attention. Not only will your festival time be a good body-building exercise, but also an opportunity to show the community a different kind of "(church) family fun."

Afterward, reflect on the day and your interaction with the community:

• What insights did your gain into your community as you served them today?

• How do you think the way you see your town differs from the way God sees it?

• What’s another way you might be able to serve your community in the future, based on what you learned?