Dedicate Jerusalem staff.
Introduce staff members, Tribe Leaders, and other volunteers during your church service. Then have your pastor or other church members pray that God will use these workers to touch families’ lives with God’s love during Jerusalem Marketplace.
Assign families to Tribes.
Photocopy the “Tribe Roster” (p. 126). You’ll need one roster for each Tribe. Using the preregistration forms you’ve received, assign entire families to Tribes. Each tribal family should have no more than ten members and two adult or teenage Tribe Leaders.
Here are some additional guidelines for assigning families to Tribes:
- Fill in the “Tribe Roster” (p. 126) in pencil—you’ll probably make changes as you work.
- Whenever possible, place a child from each age level in each Tribe. If the age distribution at your program is uneven, include as wide an age range as you can. Avoid forming single-age Tribes.
- Include a good mix of boys and girls in each Tribe.
- If a child is bringing a friend, assign the two children to the same Tribe if possible.
- If you anticipate behavior problems with certain children or have children with special needs, assign them to Tribes that have more experienced adult Tribe Leaders.
- If you have children who are particularly helpful or cooperative, assign them to Tribes that have teenage Tribe Leaders.
- If you want your program to have a strong outreach emphasis, limit each Tribe to five or six people. Then encourage families to fill their Tribes by bringing their friends.
- Remember to leave open spaces in a few Tribes for families who haven’t preregistered.
- After you’ve assigned families to Tribes, assign each Tribe to one of four larger groups. (Remember, one-fourth of the families at Jerusalem Marketplace travel together at a time.) Label these four groups A, B, C, and D. Tribes travel with their larger groups as they visit the stations each day. For more information about assigning Tribes to groups, see page 26.
- Once you’ve finished assigning Tribes, double-check that you haven’t forgotten anyone or double-booked anyone.
Meet with staff again.
Check with leaders to make sure they have all the required supplies, and answer any questions they may have. Work together to smooth out any last-minute details.
Decide when and where staff members will meet each day.
It’s a good idea to have your staff arrive early on Day 1 to greet children and assist with registration.
Be sure each Tribe Leader has a tribal banner.
Help staff members decorate their areas.
Use the decorating ideas found in the colorful Jerusalem Marketplace catalog, the leader manuals, or the general decorating suggestions in the “Setup” section of this manual (pp. 53-55) to transform your church into a Jerusalem Marketplace. |
