Sitting here looking at pile of leftover flyers from Halloween event. Spent probably two hours making them perfect. Nice colors cute fonts all the details lined up just right.

Used maybe ten of them.

Rest are going in recycling bin with all my other beautiful unused promotional materials from past three years. Whole graveyard of perfectly designed flyers in my desk drawer.

But our Halloween party was packed. Go figure.

Last month I'm rushing through weekly email Sunday morning not really paying attention. Sent announcement to sixty families about our upcoming "Pizza Party" Wednesday night.

We were having prayer meeting. Not pizza.

Didn't realize mistake until Monday when Sarah's mom texted asking what time pizza started and should she bring drinks.

By Tuesday had seven families asking about this pizza party that didn't exist.

What was I supposed to do? Tell bunch of kids there's actually no pizza just prayer?

Bought six pizzas. Had impromptu pizza party Wednesday night. Best turnout we'd had for midweek event in months.

Sometimes biggest failures turn into accidental successes.

But made me think why did everyone get excited about accidental pizza but ignore carefully planned stuff? Kids hear "pizza party" immediately start working on their parents. They hear "family fellowship dinner" suddenly have homework they forgot about.

Words matter apparently.

Used to think bulletin boards were important. Made elaborate displays rotated information regularly even laminated things.

Last Sunday decided to actually watch who reads our main bulletin board. Stood there twenty minutes during fellowship time. Watched maybe thirty people walk past it.

Zero people stopped to read anything. Zero.

But later overheard two moms talking about family game night. They knew all the details. Got everything from their kids not from any bulletin board.

Adults don't read church bulletin boards any more than kids read school bulletin boards.

Started sticking announcements where parents actually look. Like taped to bathroom mirror where moms are trapped waiting for three year old to wash hands for fifteenth time.

Or next to coffee station where tired parents desperately trying to caffeinate.

Places where people can't avoid seeing information because they're stuck standing there anyway.

Personal conversations beat everything else though. Mass emails disappear into void. Personal invitations get responses.

For ministry leaders discovering beautiful flyers don't guarantee attendance, communicators learning accidental pizza party teaches more than perfect planning, anyone tired of spending hours on promotion nobody notices.