Braving suds and water at a car wash to support the cheer squad, student council, baseball team, etc. is part of the quintessential, American teenager experience. This summer, what if your youth group turned this common fundraiser on its head and used it to reach your community for Christ?
Josh Weatherspoonāa youth pastor from Virginia and one of Dare 2 Shareās Certified Trainersāput a new spin on the typical car wash to offer customers more than just a clean car. In fact, Josh and his students focused the whole event around sharing the gospel in a brilliant way. Hereās how Josh explains this outreach idea:
“We did an outreach event called the ā$1 Car Wash.ā As people pulled in to get their car washed, theyād try to give us money up front, to which weād tell them that weād get it all settled up after their car was clean.
“Once clean, we would then have them look their car over and we would give them $1 (or at least try to). This would lead into a somewhat natural transition based on this simple analogy about grace and God giving us what we didnāt deserve.”
Obviously, this event isnāt intended to raise funds for your youth group. The idea is to spend a little money to let students serve car wash customers and share the gospel. However, if your youth group budget looks a little restrictive for this kind of event, try approaching it like a mission trip where others Christians can financially sponsor you.
Have students visit adult Sunday school classes to explain the goal of the car wash, or send out support letters to get other Christians behind your cause. Who knows how God might provide as you work to get others on board with your gospel-sharing efforts!
Hosting a car wash is pretty self-explanatory, but hereās a list of the things youāll need:
Car Washing Supplies
- A big space to host the car wash, like your church parking lot
- Sponges or washing mitts
- Soap (dish soap works great!)
- Access to a water hose
- Buckets for soapy water
- Towels, maybe microfiber cloths for window cleaning
- Poster board, markers, and paper for fliers to advertise around town
- Students to wash cars (make sure they wear water-appropriate clothing!) and to hold signs
- Adult volunteers/supervisors
- $30-$50 worth of $1 bills
This gospelized take on a car wash fundraiser is a great way to get students serving and engaging in gospel conversationsāplus cooling off a little from the summer heat! If you need more tips on how to organize a car wash event, check outĀ this easy step-by-step guide from WikiHow.com.
The gospelized car wash is just one of five great ideas found in Dare 2 Shareās latest eBook, ā5 Outreach Ideas for Summer.ā Download a free copy of this eBook for more ideas to get students serving and sharing the gospel this summer!
Once summer is over, keep the outreach and gospel sharing momentum going by taking your youth group to an event like Dare 2 Share LIVE. This nation-wide evangelism-training event happening on October 13th will equip teenagers for gospel advancement in their own schools and community. Sign your group up today at one of Dare 2 Share LIVEās 95 satellite sites across the country!