Promotions for Your Bus Route

by Brad Braudis, Managing Editor, The Church Bus News

 

NOTE: New promotions will now be listed at the beginning of this section!

 

NEW - Snowball Fight Sunday

Make snowballs out of old newspaper and masking tape or old socks.  Give each kid two snowballs for getting on the bus.  When the bus is stopped let the kids throw the snowballs, but have them stop when it starts moving.  If any throw when the bus is moving, make them sit out for one stop.

 

NEW - Sports Sunday      

Everyone wears jerseys or a sports type shirt that has a sports team on it.  Have some sports trivia questions and more athletic games.  Have Gatorade and crackerjacks for a treat.

 

NEW - Missionary Sunday

Everyone dresses in clothing from another country.  Have a missionary on your bus and have him talk to the kids about being a missionary.  Have a snack of strange things that you wouldn’t normally have or a regional food.

 

NEW - Bean Auction Sunday

Give the children 30 beans when they get on the bus.  They will use those beans to purchase items that you have available for them.  Items such as snacks, small prizes, cheap toys, and stuffed animals work very well.  It is a more expensive promotion, but the kids really enjoy it.  On the ride home, you auction the things to the children.

 

It’s Harvest Time

Matthew 9:37-38

37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

 

This can be a three week theme based on the above passage.  Make some signs and banners for your bus or buses that have the theme and theme verse on them.  This can be a great promotion to push for first-time visitors.  The three weeks of the program correlate with the three groups given in Matthew 9:37-38 – the harvest, the laborers, and the Lord of the harvest.  The first week will focus on the harvest, the second week on the laborers, and the third week on the Lord of the harvest.  Come up with goals for your bus or buses and emphasize the importance of praying to the Lord of the harvest to help you reach those goals.  You should have a last week goal that you wish to reach and push extra hard to reach that goal because it will be focusing on the Lord of the harvest sending those laborers that you prayed for.

 

Week One:

Every child that comes this week gets a bag of candy corn!  Since this week is “The Harvest” you can give a special prize away to the rider that brings the most first-time visitors.  Teach about “the harvest” in your classes, and show the children the importance of reaching every person that we can with the gospel.  Jesus died for all of “the harvest” not just part of “the harvest.”  Teach the children about soulwinning and missions.

 

Week Two:

Every child that comes this week gets a corn-on-the-cob on a stick!  This will be a fun promotion.  This week is “The Laborers” week so you need to plan a special prize for the bus worker that brings in the most visitors.  Teach the children the importance of being a laborer.  They need to surrender to God’s call on their life so they can help spread the gospel to the plenteous harvest.  Teach them that God has a plan and will for their life.

 

Week Three:

Every child that comes this week gets a pumpkin!  Of all the promotions I have ever seen, pumpkins are a guaranteed big day if you promote it right.  You can also plan to a have a harvest festival on this day with a variety of harvest games (Bob for Apples, Potato Sack Race, Three-legged Race, Needle in a Haystack, Face Painting, etc.).  This is “The Lord of the Harvest” week.  You should be praying for specific goals to be reached on this Sunday.  You can give a special prize to the rider and the bus worker that bring the most visitors.  Teach about prayer to the Lord of the harvest on this Sunday.  If we want to do anything for God we must first learn to pray. 

 

*Remember to witness to every visitor that rides the bus.  More visitors on the bus means more chances for you to give the gospel!

 

Egg-Stra Special Sunday

Make this an egg-stra special Sunday with two exciting events. First of all, promote that each rider on the bus this day is going to get a marshmallow egg. This is not a real big promotional item, but you can make it big by promoting it with excitement!

 

Also, on this egg-stra special Sunday, there will be face painting on the bus! Pick out a couple of your workers that can paint half way decently and let them go! Be sure to have a lady paint the girls’ faces and a man the boys’ faces. You can keep it pretty simple by painting eggs, rainbows, your bus route name or number. NOTE: If the bus captain does not get involved, the riders won’t want to either! So every worker needs to have their face painted!

 

Palm Sunday

Bible Verse: Matthew 21:1-11(only vs. 8, 9 shown)

“8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”

 

Read the above passage of Scripture listed that gives the account of Jesus and His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. After reading it, have the riders help you act out what happened that day. You will need to imagine the animals of course. It would be real interesting to have a horse or donkey on the bus! You will need several articles of clothing and several branches. It would be good to have enough clothing and branches that each rider could participate. Designate who will be the ones that will say, “Hosanna, Hosanna.”

 

Go over the order of the events in the Bible and then actually act out this event. The bus captain can represent the Lord Jesus. After you have acted it out, explain to the riders that this is a fulfillment of prophecy. This would also be a great time to explain what prophecy is!

 

Resurrection Sunday

Bible Verse: Matthew 28:5, 6, “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

 

So many times the world takes something that God has made and turns it into a “worldy” reminder. The world has twisted the Easter holiday into nothing more than searching for eggs. There is a little joy in finding candy, but there is a lot of joy in finding Jesus! On this Sunday, we are going to turn the tables. We are going to take eggs and give a spiritual meaning instead of a carnal one.

 

Preparation

This week will take some preparation. You will need scissors, gray and white construction paper, fasteners, and a black colored pencil. Cut the construction paper into the shape of a tomb as seen below. Then carefully cut out an egg-shaped opening in the bottom of the tomb which will be the entrance. Then take your white construction paper and cut them in the shape of an egg. This will be the stone that covered the tomb. Connect the stone to the tomb with the fastener.

 

On the ride home, give each child a tomb. Explain to them the story of Jesus’ resurrection and what resurrection means and what a tomb is. Then give them each an egg and a fastener. Tell them that the egg is the stone that was rolled away.

 

The goal is for the children to be reminded of the resurrection of Jesus when they see an egg instead of an Easter bunny!

 

Rainbow Sundays

This promotion could cover six Sundays if you chose to follow my outline below. The rainbow consists of six colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Of course, we know that the rainbow was given by God to Noah as a promise that God would never flood the entire world again. It was a promise of God to Noah. This six-week promotion will cover the six colors of the rainbow, each color representing a promise of God. I will not mention any items to be given away, though you could give away something for each week. The main purpose of this promotion is to teach the Bible. You should tell your riders that you want them to learn the Bible and that knowledge of the Bible is a great reward! I will not give an outline for each week, but the promise and the Bible verse to be taught.

Red - The Promise of Salvation

Bible Verse: I Thessalonians 5:9-10, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us...”

 

Orange - The Promise of Security

Bible Verse: John 10:29, “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.”

 

Yellow - The Promise of Second Coming

Bible Verse: I Thessalonians 4:16, 17, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

 

II Peter 3:4, 9 “And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

 

Green - The Promise of the Spirit

Bible Verse: Ephesians 1:13, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise...”

 

Blue - The Promise of Supply

Bible Verse: Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

 

Purple - The Promise of Strength

Bible Verse: Psalm 29:11, “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.”

 

1. Hay Sunday

Collect all the loose hay and straw from your local feed stores and make one big, gigantic haystack. In this haystack hide all sorts of candy, toys, and prizes! Make sure that you have a smaller haystack for the “little” riders! Thanks for this idea from Trina Muldoon, bus captain at Fellowship Baptist Church in Cheyenne , Wyoming !

 

2. Candy from Heaven Sunday

This idea comes from Dr. Kenneth Anderson of Northwest Bible Baptist Church of Elgin, Illinois. They had two helicopters fly over their property and they dropped over 700 pounds of candy!

 

3. Paint the Bus Sunday

This Sunday will be one they will remember and want to do every week! At your local convenience store pick up some washable red, blue, and green paint along with three buckets. (Have this promotion on a warm, spring day.) Fill each bucket with one color of paint. After church, have the children “paint” the bus with their handprints. Have a water hose ready to wash off the riders! When you take the riders home, have each parent see the artwork their kids have made!

 

4. St. Patrick’s Sunday

Need a good promotion for your bus route on St. Patrick’s Day? Read the following to get some ideas! When Patrick was a teenager living in Britain , raiders attacked his village, kidnapped him, and sold him into slavery in Ireland . After six years in bondage, he escaped to France where he studied for the ministry. In 432 A.D., Patrick went back to the land of his slavery, Ireland. To those who had enslaved him, he preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Patrick worked to win all of Ireland to Christ. Patrick is said to have founded more than 300 churches and baptized more than 120,000 people! So why do people wear shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day? Patrick used the three-leafed clover to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate persons, yet be one. St. Patrick’s Day is a perfect opportunity to let your riders and students know that we should be telling others about Jesus. It is also a great opportunity to explain to them about the Trinity.

   Give each rider a sticker to remind them of their responsibility to tell others about Jesus and the truth of the Trinity.

 

5. Cones and Whipped Cream Sunday

It is time to treat your riders to a nice dessert! Go to your local grocery store and pick up several ice cream cones (preferably the smaller size). Now you need to get some whipped cream in a can, or if you aren’t daring enough, you can buy it in the tub. It is a little easier with the whipped cream in a can. Anytime you can save yourself from a mess is worth a couple extra dollars - Amen?! On the ride home, hand each rider a cone. Then go around and fill each cone with some whipped cream! This is your opportunity as a bus captain to get creative and make a piece of artwork out of the whipped cream! See how tall you can get some of the cones! See how wide you can make it without falling to the ground! This is a great snack and the riders have a lot of fun with it! Keep reading, and I will give you an idea for a game that will go hand in hand with this promotion!

 

6. Hat Sunday

Tell each rider to remember to pick out the craziest hat they can find and wear it on the bus Sunday! Anyone that wears a hat on the bus gets a prize. Award the rider with the craziest hat a special prize! Encourage everyone to participate in this promotion. You can even get them to grab a hat just before they go out the door to get on the bus. I have had riders even make hats that are really crazy! The crazier the better! Of course, I would make sure that all the hats are left on the bus before entering their class. This will save you on some problems in classes. Also, it will help each rider to make sure their crazy hats do not get lost.

 

7. Silly Shoe Sunday

This is a great promotion that everyone can participate in! All they have to do is have two different types of shoes on their feet! If a rider forgets to wear two different types of shoes, match them up with another rider who forgot. Make sure you match them up with someone who has a similar shoe size! The riders have to wear the shoes all day long. If they switch back, they don’t get any candy. Make sure the windows are open if they switch shoes! Sweaty feet smell like rotten fish on a warm summer day!

 

8. April Showers Sunday

Water is a great tool for the bus ministry! Have this promotion on a warm April Sunday. Let the riders and their parents know that they will be getting wet on this Sunday. Line up a water hose that will easily reach from the water spout to a place you can drive the bus. Make sure that the riders have the windows open because the April showers are going to come down!

 

9. Peanut Shells Sunday

This is a messy promotion, and that is one of the reasons the riders like it so much! Go to your local grocery store and up pick several bags of peanuts in shells. On the bus this weekend, the riders are allowed to eat peanuts and throw the shells on the ground! Make sure to have the peanuts on the ride home, otherwise you will have peanut shells in your classrooms!

 

10. King & Queen Sundays

This is a contest that could span from one week to several weeks.  I think this contest would work best if it were run for one month (four Sundays). This promotion rewards one boy and one girl each week. There are several ways to set up a point system. Let me give you one example:

            • Participation - 10 points

            • Brought Bible - 20 points

            • Memorizes Bible Verse - 30 points each verse

            • Brought Visitor - 40 points each visitor

The one boy and one girl who have the most points each week are the king and queen for that week. Make sure to have the points totaled before the ride home. You may be wondering, “What do the king and queen receive?” The king and queen receive the “royal treatment”. Each will receive a bag of candy, a crown (which can be purchased at most costume shops or you can make your own), a special seat in the front (the king on the left and the queen on the right), and endless ice cold pop, and a gold dollar! 

 

11. Skittle Sunday

Find a deep, clean, non-see through container and pour several bags of Skittles into it. Make a point chart on paper or poster board for each of the different colored skittles. Let me give you an example here also:

            Red - 50 points                        Purple - 40 points

            Yellow - 30 points                  Green - 20 points

            Orange - 10 points

Divide your bus into two different teams - left side and right of the bus will work perfect for this promotion. Have one person from each team draw out a skittle. The team is awarded for the color that they picked out. No double-dipping in this game - let the rider have the skittle to eat! The first team to reach 500 points wins!

Before the game begins, be sure to place a spiritual emphasis and explanation on the colors of the skittles. Here is what each color represents. Red is for the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary. Purple is for the royalty of Jesus. Yellow is for the streets of gold in Heaven. Green is for the obedience of God’s children. Orange is for the flames of Hell and the urgency to tell others about Jesus. A simple illustration such as this will allow the riders to remember great Scriptural truths!

 

12. Sizzlin’ Sunday

This is a great way to separate the men from the boys! Besides sour candy, the next favorite candy of any bus rider is candy that is hot! On this Sunday, every candy that you have is hot! Some great, hot candies are Atomic Fireballs, Red Hots, Fire Jolly Ranchers, Hot Tamales, Cinnamon Bears, Cinnamon Discs, and so on. Make sure on this Sunday to have some water to cool down their mouths!

 

13. Silly Shoe Sunday

Need an extremely affordable promotion for this Sunday? Have the children wear two different types of shoes! Hand out a small prize for every rider that participates. Captains, workers, and drivers – be sure to wear two different types of shoes! This will help the kids participate. If a rider gets on and forgets about the promotion, have them find someone that has a similar shoe size and get them to switch!

 

14. Bubble Gum Sunday

Give away tons of bubble gum! You could include a bubble gum blowing contest on the bus. Let the kids stick the bubble gum to their face – see who can get it to stick the longest! It is wise to give out the bubble gum on the way home. But, if you want sticky floors, bubble gummed pews and chairs give it out on the ride to church!

 

15. Bus Pull Sunday

This is a competition between two buses. You can do it in your parking lot or meet somewhere that has plenty of space. Tie a heavy duty rope on the front of each bus. Make sure there is someone in the driver’s seat of each bus to stop the bus in case of emergency. (Do not have the buses running.) Have the riders pull the bus! First group to a designated spot wins!

 

16. Treasure Chest Sunday

Get a chest or box with a lock on it. Each rider who brings a visitor gets a key. Make sure that there is only one key that will unlock the box. Be sure that someone gets the key that unlocks the chest or box. The key that unlocks the chest or box wins the treasure!

 

17. John the Baptist Sunday

This promotion can be used along side the story of John the Baptist. As we note from the Bible, John the Baptist ate locusts and wild honey. This Sunday promote that everyone that rides the bus will get to eat what John the Baptist ate – locusts and wild honey! Go to your local fried chicken restaurant and get 60-100 packets of honey. I kindly told them what I was using them for and they gladly gave it to me for free! This also saves you from having to pour out honey to each rider (what a mess that would be). Now, real locusts are hard to find. So use pretzels instead. Don’t call them pretzels though, call them locusts. Tell the riders that it has the exact same crunch!

 

18. Snowman Sunday

You will need several rolls of toilet paper, carrots, and hats. The purpose of this promotion is to get the riders to make a human snowman. Have the riders divide up into groups of 3. One rider will be the snowman and the other two will be the snowman makers. These two “makers” will make the snowman by wrapping toilet paper around the rider. Give all the groups a certain time to make a snowman. Place a hat on their head and a carrot in their mouth. The judges can be the captains and workers.

 

19. Balls in a Bag Sunday

You will need 10 blue balls and 10 red balls (ping pong balls, plastic, or whatever you can find). Number each set of balls from 1 to 10 with a permanent maker. Make sure to clearly mark ball number 6 and ball number 9. Get a rider in each seat of the bus. Give the rider in the back seat on the left side a garbage bag containing 10 blue balls. Give the rider in the back seat on the right side a garbage bag containing 10 red balls. The left side is competing with the right side. The winning team will be the one who can get all the balls up to the front of the bus. But don’t forget, they have to be in numerical order. The first ball to the front must be the ball marked with the number 1 and so on up to the ball numbered 10.

 

20. Something’s Fishy in September

This is a 4-week promotion that will cause quite the stink!

 

Week 1 is "Sardine Sunday." All the buses will try to pack their buses like sardines. The boys and the girls are encouraged to bring 1 friend with them for Sardine Day. The buses can compete to see whose bus wins Sardine Day!

 

Week 2 is "Minnow Sunday." All boys and girls who are under 3 feet tall will receive a small prize for riding the bus. Small fish erasers or fish something are good prizes.

 

Week 3 is "Swallow-a-Goldfish Sunday." Each bus needs to set a goal and if the bus reaches its goal the bus captain on the bus swallows a gold fish. A good addition to this is if a set number of buses reach their goals, the pastor or bus director will also swallow a goldfish!

 

Week 4 is "Goldfish Sunday." All boys and girls who attend will receive a free goldfish! Be sure to be well prepared for this Sunday. I have purchased the fish on Saturday and had to have a mass goldfish burial (It was only a simple flush.) on Sunday morning. Keep them alive!

 

21. Weigh Them Sunday

Divide your bus route into two teams. Of course, there is not a better way to divide them than by the best rival of them all - boys vs. girls! Be sure to promote this one several weeks ahead of this special promotion. You could even use this one for a 2 or 3 week promotion. Each week you will weigh all the boys and all of the girls. After everyone weighs, total up the weight for each team and announce the winner! When promoting this one tell the kids if they want to win to get their parents to ride with them. I can guarantee you they will weigh a bunch! Also, tell the kids to be eating as much as they can so that their team will win! Sounds healthy, doesn’t it? At the end of the day or the promotion, announce the winners and the prize.

 

22. Circus Sunday

Snack: Circus peanuts and/or animal crackers

Activity: Face painting

Give-a-way: Clown noses can be purchased from Kipp Brothers for $.19 each.

 

23. Cowboy Sunday

Snack: Beef jerky - every cowboy’s or cowgirl’s ration when they are out on the range!

Activity: Horseshoes

Give-a-way: Horse Jelly Pops from Oriental Trading ($7.95/dozen)

 

24. Grand Slam Sunday

Snack: Baseball bubble gum (200 pieces for $12 @ Kipp Brothers)

Activity: Bible Trivia (prepare beforehand)

Give-a-way: Baseball bats (Kipp Brothers $4.65/dozen)

 

25. On the Farm Sunday

Snack: Cow pies, which would otherwise be known as chocolate cookies.

Activity: Milk drinking contest, oinking contest

Give-a-way: Horseshoes

 

26. Soldier Sunday

Snack: MRE’s -  M&M’s, Reese’s Pieces, and Extras

Activity: Have a soldier on the bus in full uniform and interview him or have him tell a story.

Give-a-way: Camouflage gliders (Oriental Trading - $11.95/144 pieces)

 

27. Space Sunday

Snack:  Star-shaped cookies

Activity: Launch a model or air-powered rocket

Give-a-way: Moon rocks, rocks with glow in the dark paint on them.

 

28. Baseball Sunday

Give-a-way: Baseball glove, baseball, baseball bat, baseball hat of area team.

Activities: When I think of baseball I think of sunflower seeds and bubble gum. With that in mind, how about having a sunflower seed spitting contest outside the bus! Whoever can spit a seed the farthest wins! Be sure to bring a tape measurer with you; it will add to the excitement!

 

Then, use the bubble gum blowing contest. But, this time put a little twist on it. This time give each contestant a large amount of bubble gum. If you usually give them two pieces, give them five! That will really make them slobber!

 

29. Soccer Sunday

Give-a-way: a nice soccer ball

Activity: Every soccer player that works hard is going to have a thirst. Get two sports bottles that can be squeezed and fill them up with water. Ask for four players which will make two teams. One person will be the player (one who drinks the water) and the other player is the coach (one who squeezes the water in the player’s mouth). The first team to drink all the water without spilling wins!

 

30. Volleyball Sunday

Give-a-way: a nice volleyball

Activity: Get a colorful, big beach ball at your local Wal-Mart. Be sure that the ball is large enough so it will not go out the windows on your bus. Divide the bus into two teams - the front and the back and have a friendly game of volleyball on the bus!

 

31. Golf Sunday

Give-a-way: golf balls, tees

Activity: It is going to be a little difficult to drive a golf ball on the bus. Instead, try doing some putting on the bus. Simply tape a cup to the floor of the bus and give the riders a chance to putt on the bus! If the bus is moving, you will want a pretty big cup. Otherwise, it will be really hard to get the golf ball in the cup!

 

32. Chocolate Sunday

Almost every kid loves chocolate, So let’s give them some chocolate on this Sunday! Each rider will receive a chocolate candy bar. Each rider that brings a visitor will also receive a small bottle of chocolate milk. The rider that brings the most visitors will receive a bottle of chocolate syrup!

 

33. Leaves Sunday

This is a great game to play when the leaves start falling on the ground. You will need to get a large garbage bag and fill it with leaves. Inside the bag you are going to put several dollar bills and one five dollar bill. Be sure to mix the leaves and the bills. You do not want someone to get all the bills in one grab! Those who bring a visitor on this day will have an opportunity to “rake” in the dough! Of course, you will want to let those who brought the most visitors go first and those who brought the least, go last. Be sure to have the contest at the front of the bus so that everyone can see. Also, be sure to put a time limit on this contest. You will want every rider that brought visitors to have a chance to grab some bills out of the bag. You may have to add bills (without the riders seeing you) to the bag.

 

34. Coloring Contest Sunday

The coloring contest is great for kids of all ages! All you need for this Sunday is several copies of a Bible coloring page. Be sure to have more than enough copies for your route. On the bus, tell the kids that the contest is broken up into age groups. The first group is between ages 3-4, the second group is between ages 5-7, the third group is ages 8-11, and the last group is between ages 12 and up. When the rider gets on the bus, have your secretary write the rider’s name and age on one of the coloring sheets. After church, be sure to have the coloring sheets ready to be handed to the riders when they get off the bus. Remind them that they must bring the sheet back next week on the bus or give to the bus captain to be part of the contest. The winner of each age category will win a $5 gift certificate to McDonalds!

 

35. Trophy Sunday

The rider that brings the most visitors on this Sunday will win a trophy! You can purchase a trophy locally for $10-$15 dollars. It doesn’t have to be a huge trophy, just something nice. Be sure to promote this Sunday for at least three weeks. You want your riders to be working hard to get new riders on the bus. You might want to ask them during the weeks you are promoting this if they have anyone coming on this special Sunday.

 

36. Penny Jar Sunday

Anyone that brings a visitor or his Bible gets to dip into the penny jar and see how much they can grab! Be sure to have a container that will hold a lot of pennies, but has a smaller top. You want to be sure that the kids can only get ONE hand in the jar, otherwise this could be a very expensive promotion!

 

37. Picture Sunday

Be sure to have your riders look their best on this Sunday! Encourage the girls to wear a dress, and the young men to wear a dress shirt if possible. Of course, some do not have nice clothing, so emphasize their “best.” Explain to them that God only expects their best, not the best of the world! You can take a picture of your entire route or all the routes together. Tell them to be on the bus next week, because the next Sunday they will get a picture. You can get pictures duplicated for as little as $0.15 each.