Now that Easter has passed, many folks are marking the final installment of spring break this week. However, instead of breathing a sigh of relief that this oft-taxing day has ended, wise churches will follow up on the bumper crop of guests that visited last Sunday.

As Brett Eastman, CEO of Lifetogether says, there are two ways to look at the Easter crowd: to mentally ridicule their lack of faithfulness or to appreciate how people are spiritually drawn to the church like at no other time of year.

"The two weeks following Easter this year could be one of the greatest opportunities to connect them into a group," Eastman says.

"I've always said that the real success of Easter Sunday is really the weeks following," adds South Carolina pastor Greg Oraham. "During the weeks that follow you get a sense of how many people you actually retained after the ‘big weekend.'"

Holiday guests are promising prospects

When it comes to holiday guests, churches should recognize they are fertile ground for follow-up.

Herb Miller, author of "How to Build a Magnetic Church," says when lay members make a 15-minute visit to the homes of first-time visitors within 36 hours, 85 percent return the following week.

What if you're nearing that time threshold and lack the people-power to carry that out? You can still follow up with a phone call while planning for personal visits in weeks to come.

Phone calls are one method recommended by the Nebraska United Methodist Conference, which also suggests:

* Sending an information packet with a letter from the pastor and including an invitation to any upcoming special events.

* Adding the visitor to the church newsletter mailing (or e-mail) list.

* A follow-up visit a few weeks after Easter to drop off a church brochure and a small memento or home-baked treat.

Spotlighting Mother's Day

The latter visit can help spotlight a special Mother's Day emphasis. According to one outreach-oriented group, this is the third most highly-attended Sunday service of the year.

Capitalizing on this day can include such touches as presenting carnations to all mothers, family recognitions, the start of a new sermon series on motherhood or family, or an outreach event on Saturday or Sunday evening of that weekend.

Among touches for a royal mother's evening: floral centerpieces, soft lighting and candles, a red carpet at the entrance, having a catered dinner or appetizer/dessert, serving food on elegant table cloths and real dinnerware (no paper or plastic), and entertainment such as a comedian and lively music.

Outreach magazine has a variety of suggestions related to Easter. Those dealing with post-holiday steps:

* Following up with letters from the pastor or a letter from the children's ministry leader to youngsters; and postcards about special events.

* Sponsoring a family festival in April or May.

* Holding a pre-Mother's Day event, such as a tea or spring gardening event on Saturday of that weekend.

* If your church has a newcomers' class that addresses questions about Christianity, making sure to let visitors on Easter and Mother's Day know about it.

Cleaning the neighborhood

Spring cleaning is another way of touching your neighborhood. Many churches have workdays this time of year to spruce up their building and grounds. What if you extended that to picking up litter in a three-block radius around your church?

Not only would that help beautify the area, you may meet people who would be interested in coming to your church. I recently interviewed a pastor in northern Kentucky who baptized seven converts on Palm Sunday, about six months after his church held its first service. He told me that surveys have shown that one of every four new converts already wants to follow Christ but just needs an opportunity.

As churches contemplate the aftermath of Easter, let's remember the importance of giving such people chances to hear the greatest story on earth.