Outreach Idea: Coupon Class
PUNTA GORDA, Florida -- Two ladies from Peace River Baptist Church went to their pastor, Rev. Jim Stultz, with an idea -- "Let's start a couponing class as an outreach to the community!" With the recent economic downturn, many families have been turning to creative methods to stretch their budgets. Using coupons has become a hot interest among many shoppers, possibly fueled by the popular television show, Extreme Couponing.
So why would a church be interested in starting a coupon class? "Our goal was to be a help to struggling families in our community and also to use the class as a venue to 
share the gospel of Christ," said Pastor Stultz. "We had the class one night per month for three months. We were overwhelmed with how many came from outside the church!"
This class, which started as an experiment to see if the community was even interested in couponing, ended up having over sixty attendees at each session! People who had never before stepped foot in the church were arriving for this special class! Advertising for the class had been published in the newspaper, however most of the new contacts were made over Facebook and by word of mouth. The makeup of the group was overwhelmingly female, but a few budget-conscious men also made their way in.
Each class began with a short gospel presentation, and then the "coupon ladies" shared the money saving skills they had learned, giving helpful ideas, websites and coupon advice. Gospel seeds were planted, families were helped, and relationships were formed.
