Types of Meet-Ups
ACTIVITIES
Whether it's kayaking, cycling, hiking, getting ice cream, or playing chess, find the people who love what you love and make some new friends.
COMMUNITY
You don't have to focus a meet-up on activities. These are also a great way to find people similar in age/stage/career
SERVING
Join others in serving our community through volunteering at a non-profit or serving people in need.
STUDIES
Interested in reading a specific book or discussing a specific topic? Get to know each other while learning together.
Planning Your Meet-Up
4 Weeks Before
- Register your Meet-Up for approval – We ask that all Meet-Up registration requests be submitted no later than four weeks before your meet-up date. This ensures we have enough time to review, approve, and publish your Meet-Up. Each week we take a look at submitted requests, so you will hear back from us within a week.
After Your Meet-Up Is Published
- Invite People – Give them a call, use social media, or shoot them a text. Don’t forget to personally invite to your Meet-Up. This is also a great place to build stronger connections with your United Group. Your meet-up will also be publicly communicated on the Meet-Ups web page and on the City United Church app.
- Make a Plan – If your Meet-Up relies on outside circumstances, such as weather conditions or a reservation, make sure to figure out the details before it’s too late. If necessary, make an agenda for the day of and communicate it to your RSVPs.
- Check your Email – If you chose to have RSVPs, these will be sent to you by email. It’s a good idea to reply to any RSVPs welcoming them.
- Waivers – If your Meet-Up involves any potential physical dangers, we will have given you info about the Meet-Ups Waiver. Some people may have already filled out a the waiver for a previous Meet-Up, and won’t need to again. This is a short and simple waiver, and it’s easy to check the list of completed waivers if you need to through our database. You can reply to those who RSVP reminding them to complete the waiver before the Meet-Up, or fill it out in-person the day of so everyone is covered. Remind them that the waiver is only required once for all Meet-Ups (for a year), even other hosts’.
A Couple Days Before
- Check-in with your RSVPs – Not everyone is a planner like you. Be sure to send out an email and/or personal texts to tell everyone when and where to meet, to sign any necessary waivers, as well as what they need to bring. If your Meet-Up is recurring, personally contact newcomers and don’t be afraid to ask regular attenders to help with the details.
- Need to Cancel? – If you are uncomfortable with the number of people who RSVP, or if weather or plans change, feel the freedom to cancel your Meet-Up at any point. Just make sure you let your RSVPs know ahead of time, and email office@cityunited.church if you need to remove your Meet-Up post from the website/app.
- Choose a Chat Method – If your Meet-Up will be recurring, consider creating a group in the City United App for ongoing communication with your regular attenders. Tell people about it at your Meet-Up and in your follow-up email.
Meet-Up Day
- Arrive Early – Make sure to arrive early to welcome people when they show up.
- Double-Check the Waivers – If your Meet-Up requires a waiver, be sure everyone who shows up has signed one, especially if someone brings guests who didn’t RSVP beforehand.
- Stay Safe – Remember, this is your event. Encourage responsibility among everyone involved so that everyone stays safe and comfortable.
- Get to Know Stories – You don’t just go to church together, you are the church. Be intentional with your conversations and get to know the stories of others.
- Capture the Moments – Remember to make photos and/or videos of your Meet-Up for sharing afterward.
- Talk about the Future – If your Meet-Up is going to be recurring, let people know the next time you’re going to meet.
After Your Meet-Up
- Share the Story – Send any photos or videos you’d like to share to office@cityunited.church to share the story of your Meet-Up with the rest of City United. Include a couple sentences
- Follow Up – After your Meet-Up, reach out to the people who attended:
- Start by thanking them for coming.
- Ask how their experience was and if they have any ideas they’d like to share for meeting in the future. If your Meet-Up is recurring, tell them how you’ll be communicating in the future if it’s not over email.
- This is a great time to invite people to visit your United Group’s family meal if they’re looking for ongoing, committed community in your area.
- Maintain Your Meet-Up Listing – We want to ensure that Meet-Ups stay fresh and have a high level of engagement from both hosts and participants, so we require all recurring Meet-Ups to be renewed on our trimester schedule (January-April, May-August, September-December) if they even last that long. This gives our hosts an easy exit if they feel the Meet-Up has reached a natural end, or if their availability changes. It also helps us be sure that no one signs up for a Meet-Up that has fizzled out already.