If you are a church secretary or ministry coordinator in the Philippines, you already know: October is when the panic starts. Simbang Gabi planning, Christmas cantata rehearsals, gift-giving programs, year-end fundraisers — all of it converging at once, all of it landing on the same small group of volunteers.
This year, try a different approach.
Start With the Event Calendar
Open StewardTrack's event calendar and block out every Christmas-related event from December 1 through January 6. Include Simbang Gabi dates, the Christmas program date, gift-giving day, and the New Year's service. Adding these early prevents double-booking of the church hall and gives all ministry leaders a shared view of what is happening when.
Use Goals and Objectives for Program Milestones
The Christmas program is not a single event — it is a project. Use StewardTrack's goals and objectives feature to track milestones: script finalized, costumes assigned, sound check scheduled, rehearsals completed. Assign each goal to a responsible ministry leader so accountability is clear.
Assign Volunteers Through the Service Scheduler
The service scheduler lets you assign volunteers to specific roles for each event. For a Christmas program, you might have:
- Worship team (singers, instrumentalists)
- Drama team
- Decorations team
- Ushers and greeters
- Children's program volunteers
- Kitchen committee
Assigning these in advance — and sending confirmation messages through StewardTrack's communication tools — means no one shows up on the night saying "Hindi ko alam na ako'ng naka-assign dito."
Budget Tracking for the Christmas Program
Create a separate budget category for Christmas program expenses. Track costume purchases, sound rental, venue decorations, and gift-giving expenses against the budget as they are incurred. When the board asks how much the Christmas program cost, you will have the answer in three clicks.
Post-Program Member Follow-Up
Christmas programs often bring back inactive members and attract visitors. Use StewardTrack's member management tools to record new visitors and flag them for follow-up. A simple care plan assigned to a ministry leader — "Follow up with visitor, send welcome message" — can turn a Christmas visitor into a regular attendee.
The Christmas season is chaotic. But with the right tools, it does not have to be stressful. Start planning now and let StewardTrack handle the coordination.
