(adapted from Discipleship Journal #117)Here are some ideas gleaned from a Bible study group that desired to touch the hearts of others. They discovered that acts of charity brought them closer to each other and, even more important, humbled them before God’s throne of grace. Below is a year’s worth of ideas that you can suggest to your Sunday School classes/Bible Study groups/Small Groups.
JANUARY - Look for a family in need because of a crisis and bring them a dinner and plateful of encouragement one night.
FEBRUARY - Bake or buy valentine cookies (with and without sugar), and take them to a convalescent home.
MARCH - Throw a baby shower for the local crisis pregnancy center.
APRIL - Give the gift of spring-cleaning or house repairs to an elderly person.
MAY - Plant a vegetable garden and plan to deliver the harvest to a local nonprofit food organization during the summer.
JUNE - Volunteer to handle one area (food, recreation, crafts, etc.) for the
JULY - Hold a backyard barbeque and invite the neighbors.
AUGUST - Adopt a missionary. Send the care packages and prayer cards.
SEPTEMBER - Deliver a snack tray and encouragement cards to the teacher’s lounge at a local school.
OCTOBER - Purchase high quality treats, label them with a personal note like “Jesus loves you and so do I” or a scripture verse, and deliver them to the neighborhood kids.
NOVEMBER - Volunteer to serve dinner at a local rescue mission at Thanksgiving.
DECEMBER - Don Santa hats, and deliver to needy families boxes of nonperishable food and gifts collected by the church.
THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ....For Education Ministers: GBREA Meeting, Decatur, January 21 & 22, "Reaching the Younger Unchurched" - http://www.gbrea.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=39977&PID=736979
For Women: Ruth: Loss, Love, & Legacy by Kelly Minter - http://www.lifeway.com/e9/shop/?N=4294906166+4294867906&nru=2
For Men: "I'm the Man" Men's Ministry emphasis: lead, protect, mentor, serve - http://www.lifeway.com/article/?id=169138&cid=IMTHEMAN_home
For Leaders: Simple Life Action Plan by Thom Rainer - http://www.lifeway.com/e9/shop/?id=005254025
For Student Ministry: Girls Ministry Forum, Nashville, TN, February 26 & 27 - http://www.lifeway.com/event/?id=330&cid=StudentZip-emailCRD20091224
For Small Group Ministry: Free starter kit - http://threadsmedia.com/starterkit
For Pondering: "Religion and Race: Can Megachurches Bridge the Racial Divide?" - http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1950943,00.html
