Outreach Idea: Welcome to the Neighbourhood

On realestate.com.au, you can search not only for properties to buy and rent, but also see what properties have recently sold.  In the suburb where my church is situated, 14 properties have sold in the last 6 weeks. This presents a great outreach opportunity that churches are making the most of (thanks for reminding me about this Gerard!).  

How does it work?

There's lots of ways to go about this, but here's one simple suggestion:

 
1. Create a list of properties that have sold in the last X weeks.
 
2. Write a card for each property, welcome the new people to the neighbourhood.
 
3. Include with the card a small gift (coffee card for a local cafe?), and some useful information about the neighbourhood. You might also like to include some information about the church (meeting times, playgroups, etc).
 
4. Knock on their door, introduce yourself and and give them the gift and information.

Very few people object to being welcomed and given a gift. Many people are actually quite stoked to be the recipient of kindness and generosity.  Not only is this an act of neighbourly kindness, it's also an opportunity for meeting people and sharing lives and the gospel.