I had the opportunity to share with the readers over at June Foster's blog last week! You can visit her website here. Be sure to share your ideas or ministries you've been involved with in the comments section!
Ways to be Involved in Your Community
Marina Bromley
Marina Bromley
Often we feel helpless if we want to be
involved in helping our community and changing our corner of the world. It’s
clear that we should be involved in “here, near, and far away” ministries, but
we don’t always know what to do, or how to do it. We may give to a larger
organization for missions—helping the “near to us” Judea or the “far away”
Samaria referred to in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me
everywhere–in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.” But how do we engage with sharing the gospel and making a difference
here in our “Jerusalem”?
Here is a variety of ideas that could be of
benefit in your own hometown. If there is a program going on in your area
already, get involved instead of starting something new. Unity in the body of
Christ is never bad, and He is glorified as your community is strengthened.
Volunteering is a great way to make new friends, as you come together to solve
a problem. Focus on what you have in common with others, instead of the ways
you are different. It is good for the heart and the Spirit!
1. Ways to make a
difference with hotel toiletries
What could be easier? For frequent travelers,
these are easily accumulated and don’t cost you any more than what you’ve paid
for your room already. Often you bring your own favorite products from home,
and the hotel versions are left untouched in your room. Here are some great
ideas for donating, that only take a quick phone call to coordinate, and you
can do it alone, or as a group, on an ongoing basis.
- Donate to a
local Homeless, or Women’s Shelter.
- Check with the
Home Economics or Health instructor at the local school, to see if they
can utilize them in their curriculum.
- Talk to the
counselor at the school to see if they could be sent home in “goody bags”
for students that may need assistance.
BONUS: Often, when people are displaced, they
also find it difficult to stay in touch with loved ones. Donate cards (and
postage stamps) for people to send birthday or holiday cards to their loved
ones, or a thank you note to someone who has made a difference in their world.
2. Ways to make a difference with shoes
It seems that there are certain times of year
that certain types of shoes are purchased regularly. We can take shoes for
granted, and often we have way more shoes than what we need, or could ever
wear. Consider doing these things to bless someone who may not have the
resources to purchase appropriate seasonal footwear.
- If you
purchase a pair of shoes, buy an additional pair exactly the same as
yours, then donate them to an appropriate shelter, or job placement program
(often people don’t have necessary shoes to wear for job interviews,
construction job sites, or office work. This is perfect to do during the
“Buy One-Get One” promotional offers.
- When your
children outgrow their sports shoes, if they are still in excellent
condition, donate them to the coach to share with another child coming in
the program who may not be able to afford even a pair of used shoes.
BONUS: Find out the size of a child on the team
and buy them a new pair, or ask a shelter volunteer for details for a specific
recipient, perhaps someone who has just arrived, or someone who is preparing to
leave because they have found a job and are able to make it on their own. Even
if you don’t know the name of the person receiving them, take time to pray for
the person who will be wearing them, asking God to reveal Himself to them in
new ways and for them to see how He is walking with them in this season.
3. Laundry Love
Who doesn’t appreciate clean clothes? There are
several programs with this name that are administered differently. Here are 2
ways that I’ve seen it work well.
- As a church
ministry, arrange to sponsor a night of laundry on a regular basis at a
local laundromat. A church team or small group can bring in donated
quarters to feed machines, laundry soap and fabric softener, and even
dinner to share with those who are doing laundry at a specified location.
- After
discovering that “nothing clean to wear” was a reason children from
impoverished homes didn’t come to school, a church raised money to
purchase a washer and drier for a local school (with the school’s
permission). Church volunteers attended the machines, and school children
were invited to bring their personal clothing (not the families) for
laundering, dropping them off on their way to class in the morning, and
picking them up after classes in the afternoon. Truancy was reduced, and
the children built mentor-relationships with those serving them,
encouraging them to attend school more regularly.
BONUS: If you do this on a regular basis,
you’ll build relationships with the people that return to do there laundry
weekly at that time, and you can invite them into spiritual conversations.
Bring along paper and Illustrated Faith embellishments and turn the boring time
of waiting for the wash to dry into a crafty time to introduce and encourage
others in His Word!
4. Sew In Love
What’s happened to the sewing circle? This is a
great way to help preserve hand-work in the community, and also bless those
that have a need. The type of hand-work done would dictate the items made and
how they are dispersed. This would be appropriate for men and women of all ages
to work on!
- Crochet or
knit winter hats, scarves or mittens, and donate them to a school program
or shelter that has a need for them. Be sure to make them age-appropriate
in sizes, colors, and textures of yarn.
- Quilting and
sewing can be done to create quilts of different sizes and stocked in the
trunks of Emergency workers to be used during appropriate situations. If
there are policies against them carrying them, ask the local Family
Services office how they could be donated for children taken into foster
care, or to the families that receive them.
BONUS: Invite your church or community to clean
out their unused yarns and cotton fabrics for volunteers to use for these
projects. Ask the people constructing them to pray for the person who will be
using the finished project, as they are making them. Include a little note,
folded inside a blanket, or tucked inside a hat or gloves, letting the wearer
know that they have been prayed for.
Were you involved in a community ministry that
worked well, or do you have other ideas? Please tell us about your story or
idea in the comments below.
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~marina