I wrote this post for Josh Griffin’s blog: Morethandodgeball.com if you don’t read his blog, go and check it out:

I want to encourage you to take the time to encourage others this week. Each day I try and scribble a hand-written note to a volunteer leader or a young person. I want to encourage them…

• … in something great they’ve done: maybe sharing their testimony, helping to lead worship, pulling off a big event, being a big influence on a young person.
• … by showing I care: that I do realise what they do, how they feel.
• … by showing others we notice: I always write postcards to young people as these as very open pieces of communication that anyone can see as they come through the letter box, so their family can read it: great for non-Christian families to see what I write and not be worried by it, but also so they can be proud of what their mum/dad/brother/sister/ daughter/son has done.

It doesn’t cost much, we grab most of our cards for young people from the cinema – they have big stands of them at the entrance; and for adults, we pick up big multi-buys at stationery shops. You can then choose to either pay the cost of a stamp, or you can hand deliver and get the chance to say hello to the whole family.

When we’re away for our week camp we try and scribble a postcard to everyone – leaders, young people, catering team, the children of leaders – you name it.

Simple but effective – it takes a few minutes to write a postcard, but people really notice when they receive these cards and it gives you some good credibility.