Getting Your Church Noticed: Sticker Shock, of a Good Kind!

Sticker shock at the gasoline pump is a subject on nearly everyone’s
mind these days. Ease a little bit of the burden in your own community
by lowering the price of gas at a chosen gas station for a few hours one
Saturday. You’ll see lines at the pump, but drivers will all have smiles on
their faces for a change!

Here’s how it would work: Your church would pledge and collect a
specific amount of money. Before your event, go to your congregation
to raise the necessary funds. Explain that your church would like to
offer a benefit to the community by helping people lower their gasoline
prices at the pump. That money would be used to allow customers at a
specific gas station in your town to pay less at the pump for a few hours
on a given day. For example, if the regular price of gas is $3.00, your
church could enable customers to buy the same gas at $2.75 from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. on a specified Saturday.

Next, find a local gas station at a prominent intersection. Ask the
owner if your church could take two hours on a Saturday to offer
gasoline at prices lower than the regular cost. Explain that your church
will make up the difference. Say that your church simply wants to do
something helpful for the community. (It wouldn’t hurt to point out that
the event will probably garner the gas station lots of free publicity!)
Ask the owner approximately how much gas the station sells during
the specified two hours on any given Saturday. This will give you an
idea of how much money your church needs to raise.

This event will likely result in long lines at the pump. For once, that’s
a good thing! So don’t be conservative in your fundraising estimations.
The more money you collect before the event, the more you can give
away!

Before the big day, make lots of signs that tell the “new” price of
gas and the hours it will be offered. Make sure your church’s name is
clearly displayed.

If you want to go the extra mile, have church volunteers offer
drivers soft drinks as they wait their turn at the pump. Kids from your
youth group could be available to wash windows as an added service.
And when anyone asks why your church is sponsoring such an event,
just say that you want to help people and spread the love of God
around town!