Ways of Showing God’s Love to Others — Family Mission Ideas

During the week, make a commitment to act on God’s love by showing that love to others. As a family, choose one or more of the following projects to do together during the coming week. When you gather to demonstrate God’s love, spend a few moments as a family thanking God for each other and pray, also, for those who need God’s special care.

The Bible is filled with the mandate to Christians to care for one another. Each time you gather, read a Scripture about caring for others. Choose one of the healing stories of Jesus or the parable of the Good Samaritan. Some suggestions are Matthew 8:5–13; Mark 2:1–5; Mark 10:46–52; and Luke 10:25–37.

• Make cards to send to patients in a local hospital or nursing home. Decorate blank note cards or folded pieces of 8 1/2 by 11” paper. Sign the notes with your first name, your family’s name, or a message about God’s love.
• Volunteer at a tutoring center or local school. Help with homework or enjoy a time of recreation together.
• Check with local food banks and homeless shelters and find out what items are in need. Collect these items or arrange a time of collection with your congregation.
• Deliver a meal to a family who has a new child through birth or adoption or to a person who cannot leave home due to illness.
• Begin working to establish a garden in which the homegrown food is given to shelters and soup kitchens.
• Gather various school supplies such as notebooks, pencils, crayons, and binders and deliver them to a school that can give the supplies to students who need them.
• Make a pot or two of soup to be delivered to a local soup kitchen. Contact a soup kitchen to ask about time of delivery, how many will be served, etc.
• Create a bag filled with items for a newborn baby (bottle, pacifer, blanket, rattle, booties, sweater, pajamas, diapers, wipes, etc.). Check with a hospital or social worker about distributing the bag to a family in need.
• Make centerpieces for a local nursing home or senior center.