Top Tips For Effective Lunch bars

Maybe your CU has never put on a lunch bar event? Maybe you did a lunch bar event but you think you could improve? Here are some key pointers to help you on your way to running a lunch bar event.

The Basic Idea

A 20 minute talk on a common objection to Christianity followed by 15 minutes of questions from the floor.

Key Elements

Timing – hold them between 12.00 and 2.00
A good quality free lunch – essential if you’re going to ask people to give up the bulk of their lunchtime.
A venue as close as possible to the place where most people hang out (or at least pass through) between lectures.

How To Do it

Must be in a great location - at the centre of lunchtime activity or at least very close to it where lots of students will be.
Choose a room that’s not too big or too small. For the first time aim for between 40-60 but expect it to grow to 100+.

Speaker

Get someone who is experienced in speaking on the topic. So think carefully about who you invite, according to the title you have in mind.
You need people who are not only able to deliver the talk itself but who are quick enough on their feet to handle the questions that come afterwards.
Brief speakers as to what to expect when you first get in touch with them. Make it clear that the talk title is supposed to be a gateway for the gospel as well as an apologetic for the question.

Publicity

Cheap and cheerful photocopying is fine
Don’t feel you have to bother with smart graphics or glossy print. The really key ingredient is clarity. Go for impact so keep it to a few words.
Have a separate flyer for each lunch bar you do. If you’re putting on several during a mission week, don’t take shortcuts by putting all the titles on one flyer and using it all week.

Food

Keep it simple (e.g. pre-made rolls, fruit, packet of crisps, biscuit, drink) but nice too. Don’t be stingy!
If you’re doing a one-off, you can probably do the food yourselves, or ask churches to help – but be specific about what you want.
People need to be able to walk up, grab their food and then take a seat really quickly. Make sure sandwiches are prepared beforehand to save time.

Flyering

The best time to give out flyers is in the 15 minutes before the event begins. This is when you are most likely to catch people who come.
This means you need a large, very enthusiastic bunch of people who will take hundreds of flyers out and blitz the campus.
They need to actually stop people, eyeball them and invite them along, stressing that: 1. It starts soon. 2. The food’s great. 3. The talk is short and to the point.

Stewarding

You’ll need stewards for giving a warm welcome and directing people to chairs

Chairing

The chairperson needs to:

Be confident and friendly
Start the meeting by welcoming everybody, briefly explain what’s going to happen and then introduce the speaker.
Stand by after the talk to pick out people with their hands up for questions or pass a roving mike around.
Keep an eye on the clock and stop the lunch bar well within the promised time.
Always close the meeting on time for people to get to lectures.

More Helpful Hints

Arrange the room so that if possible, people arriving late aren’t walking in at the front.
Give different people a chance to ask their questions. Don’t let the same one or two people dominate all the time.
Consider running the lunch bar twice, say 12-1 and 1-2.
Encourage CU members to turn up to each one. Get them on board!
If the lunch bar is part of a series or a mission, provide information about further meetings or any follow-up courses on each chair.
Get PA equipment if the venue is big and somebody who knows how to work it.
You could also put a small slip of paper and a pen on each chair for people to leave their contact details if they want to hear more about Christianity. Have clearly visible bins at the exits for people to leave their details in without making a big fuss.
Encourage key people in your CU (i.e. those that are able to chat about the gospel easily) to keep an eye open for those who asked questions and speak to them afterwards.