^{COORDINATING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM ENROLLMENT}

^{One way to explain coordinating religious} education program enrollment is to picture how you want everything to be, then list the steps to be taken to ^{bring that picture to actuality.}

You are important to a person who is enrolling in religious education because that person is taking an important step. He or she has a need and a desire to be ministered to. The purpose in enrolling a person reaches _{far beyond the need for information. It is the} opportunity to develop a relationship, a tie, with that person. Contributing to the enrollment process for each faith group must be a high priority for every RP.

Promoting Enrollment

One concept of enrollment calls for actively seeking out people anywhere or anytime to enroll them. If they agree, the chaplain or faith group leader places them on before they attend. the roll. This concept encourages people to enroll even

You should make every effort to encourage enrollment, even when the circumstances may tempt your RMF to limit the number of people enrolled. Not having enough teaching units, enough workers, or enough space should not lead you to control your _{enrollment. Instead, these circumstances should} challenge you to begin new classes, discover and enlist ^{more workers, and provide more space. Once the people are enrolled, you must keep records of the enrollees. You can also use this opportunity to promote your CRP's religious education programs.}

Display attendance boards prominently. Call attention ^{to the enrollment figures.}

^{Maintaining Enrollment and Attendance} Records

You can use an enrollment card such as the one shown in figure 3-3 to keep a permanent file of the ^{master enrollment.}

Figure 3-3.-Enrollment card.

You can also use a record book for religious education or an attendance record card such as the example shown in figure 3-4 to keep a record of each person's attendance.

Each preschooler, child, youth, and adult class should have similar records maintained by the officers in each department.

Preparing for Enrollment Day

You will need to do some work during the week to prepare the records for the upcoming religious education day. Some tasks might include adding names of new members to the proper class and department rolls, removing the names of persons dropped or transferred, and correcting files.

You will then give the records to the respective religious education directors or age group coordinators. The department directors and teachers will use these records to discover needs of individuals and weaknesses of classes and departments. If possible, this evaluation should be done in a coordination meeting well in

Figure 3-4.-Attendance record card. 3-6

advance so you can discuss these needs with the religious education directors and teacher-volunteers.

In preparation for enrollment day, gather construction paper for use in making name tags, scissors, felt-tip markers, and masking tape. You may want to create banners with a theme. Create two posters with enrollment instructions, one for those already enrolled and another for prospective enrollees. Arrive early to setup an enrollment room. Provide enough chairs for expected attendance and, by all means, have an adequate supply of enrollment cards on hand.

RIGGING AND UNRIGGING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAMS

There are several important lessons every RP must learn about rigging and unrigging. First, always allow yourself enough time. Second, everything has its place and everything should be in its place. Third, make yourself a checklist, review the checklist, then review the checklist again. Finally, remember the one small detail you might forget will get you in trouble every time. The more organized you are, the better the religious education program will be. Having an all-inclusive checklist will be an asset. Figure 3-5

Figure 3-5.-Checklist for rigging and unrigging a religious education program. 3-7

shows an example of a checklist for rigging and unrigging a religious education program.