February 2018 Mission Service Activity:

Sharing God’s Love on Valentine’s Day

What better time to share God’s love than on Valentine’s Day (or a Friday or Saturday near it)? Here is one example of how you might celebrate the day as well as serving others:

• Create a night of fine dining at its best with an Italian theme and romantic music.
• Select a chef and kitchen staff to cook an Italian favorite with all the trimmings.
• Have the men cook the meal and serve all the ladies that attend.
• Offer a “selfie-spot” or a decorated backdrop for photos.
• Develop a hand-out that has the story of Saint Valentine.
• Enjoy the festivities and fellowship while collecting Gifts from the Heart for a community charity such as a food bank, pregnancy center, or domestic abuse center.
• Place an article in your church newsletter and bulletin to encourage participation and make sure the article mentions the community group the event will support.
• Create a printed invitation that members can use when inviting others.
• Sell tickets prior to the event. Tell everyone that the money collected for the tickets will go towards the charity you have chosen to support for this event.

Get everyone in the act!

• Encourage everyone in the congregation to contribute their time and talents to this event.
• Form a Thrivent Action Team and use the seed money to purchase the food for the meal.
• Your team should include:
  • a decorating committee
  • a ticket and invitation staff
  • kitchen staff
  • servers (all men attending)
  • a DJ and photographer
  • a clean-up committee
• End the evening with a litany for Gifts from the Heart. This includes all of the ticket money as well as extra added donations. The event will surely be a blessed gift to be used for those in need.

Reach out to others —

• Don’t forget to invite neighbors and friends that don’t go to your church. Remember to include widows and widowers as well as other single people.
• Arrange to pick up guests and bring them to the dinner.
• Do you know someone who can’t afford a ticket? Why not treat them to a night out. It is a great way to make new friends and encourage those who don’t like to come alone to a social gathering.
• Let’s make this celebrated holiday more than just hearts and lace. Show Jesus’ love in action by reaching out to others in your neighborhood and community.

Extension — Sharing God’s Love — Feeding the Hungry

Most community food banks are desperate for donations during the winter months.  This is the time when seasonal work is scarce, limited funds are diverted to heating costs, and many people have put the generosity of the Christmas holiday behind them. Make an effort in your congregation to collect food and cash donations for a local food bank. Here are some suggestions:

• Contact the food bank to get a specific list of the most-needed items.
• Publish the list of items in your church bulletin and newsletter and make sure to set a deadline.
• Encourage people to check their own cupboards for items they don’t plan to use but to be sure to check expiration dates!
• Clearly identify the collection point — you may want to set up a poster and a large collection box (or a grocery cart if you can get one on loan!) in the church narthex.
• Involve the youth group in sorting, packing and delivering the donations.

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Service Activities

Faith Lutheran Church, 3101 Hamilton Boulevard, Sioux City, Iowa 51104
Saturday, March 24, 2018 with events at 8:30 and 10:30 am.

These events present a great opportunity for you to bring family home for Christmas, friends, or just come yourself and experience the joy of giving.  What better way to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus than to provide food and the Word to hungry and starving children.  If you plan to bring a group of 5 or more please let me know.

Mercy Meals of Siouxland: Call (712) 258-0808   mercymealsofsiouxland@gmail.com

Community volunteers packaging Mercy Meals for hungry & starving children at Faith Lutheran Church, Sioux City.

Mercy Meals of Siouxland allows volunteers to package fortified Rice/Soy meals that are delivered to hungry and starving children throughout the world.

Mercy Meals of Siouxland is a program of Faith Lutheran Church; “Shepherds of Our Savior” a multi-congregational Christian men’s group sponsors and operates the program. Mercy Meals of Siouxland is contracted with Mercy Meals of Nebraska to package Mercy Meals, and Orphan Grain Train delivers the packaged meals to areas of most need around the world.

We utilize volunteers of all ages to package Mercy Meals; however, we feel it is important for children age 11 and up, and youth to be involved in order to instill a sense of self-empowerment, civic duty, world awareness, kindness to their fellow man, and appreciation for the blessings in their daily lives. We want our future generations to know they can make a difference in other people’s lives by being informed, by making good choices in their lives, by giving their time and by donating their talents. To schedule a packaging event, call 712-301-1228 or e-mail mercymealsofsiouxland@gmail.com.

Packaging events utilize 10-12 volunteers for each packaging line. Events begin with a short update on world hunger facts and recent shipments reports, followed by packaging of food for about one hour. Donations are encouraged, but not required.

$20.00 provides 150 meals
$50.00 provides 385 meals
$100.00 provides 770 meals
$200.00 provides 1540 meals
$1000.00 provides 7692 meals
$5000.00 provides 38462 meals

Please send your donation to Mercy Meals of Siouxland, Faith Lutheran Church, 3101 Hamilton Boulevard, Sioux City, Iowa 51104. Please make checks payable to Faith Lutheran Church/Mercy Meals of Siouxland.  (712) 258-4820

Mission Servants Activity of the Month

Birthday Party for Jesus!

Everyone loves birthday parties! What better way to focus on the true meaning of Christmas by celebrating Jesus’ birthday. Invite your congregation, and the neighborhood to participate.

• DECORATE — Christmas tree decorated with mite boxes, birthday balloons, streamers, tablecloths, tableware, and party favors (Jesus’ birthday party ware is available online).
• ACTIVITIES —
  • Have a Nativity play.
  • Sing Christmas Hymns.
  • Make Christian Christmas crafts.
  • Write down things you have done for Jesus and deposit them into a decorated shoe box with a slit on top (sharing God’s love, encouraging others, obeying, doing something for someone else).  Matthew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Take time to share some of these with the group.
  • Make birthday cards for Jesus, put them under your tree, and read them to Him on Christmas morning.
  • Provide a Christmas book for each child that attends (see list below).
• FOOD — “Happy Birthday Jesus” cake. Sing Happy Birthday. Put candles on each piece of cake. Blow out candles. Have a discussion — “What would Jesus ask for if He blew out the candle?”
• GIFTS —
  • Bring can goods to donate to the local Food Bank (place them under the tree).
  • Everyone takes a mite box home to fill by December 25th. (Place a quarter in for every pair of shoes you own, for every tool you own, for every purse you own, for every Christmas present you buy for family and friends, for every blessing you received this year, etc.

Baby Shower for Jesus!

This is another fun way to look forward to the birth of our Lord and Savior. Invite your whole congregation to participate.

• DECORATE —
  • You can decorate for a shower.
  • Decorate your Christmas tree with baby bottles (available at local pregnancy center), and encourage everyone to take one home to fill with coins for your local pregnancy center. Set a date for return of the bottles. A suggested date is on or before January 21, 2018, which is Life Sunday.
• ACTIVITIES —
  • Have a Nativity play.
  • Shower games that reflect the story of Jesus' birth.
• GIFTS —
  • Everyone brings a shower gift for baby Jesus. You may also ask for gently used clothes to help with the needs of older siblings. Ask your local center for their “needs list.”

Use the Celebrate Jesus ideas to spread the Gospel and inspire others to do the same. Use a Thrivent Action Team for seed money for your project to purchase items for “Birthday Party for Jesus!” or “A Baby Shower for Jesus.”

Download this flyer to print and share!

Extension — Sharing God's Love

• Invite a woman in a nursing home to come to the event with you.
• Go Christmas Caroling to the homebound in your congregation, and to a nursing home.
• Bake cookies, or make a meal for a single mom, a widow, or widower.
• Make “Bundles of Joy.” Sew baby quilts. Put diapers, baby wipes, onesie, other baby items, Bible, and Mustard Seeds for Young Mothers in the center of the quilt. Tie the quilt up into a bundle with a big ribbon. Distribute these to a hospital, pregnancy center, or other community organization.
• For the month of December:
  • Set up a community babysitting service for parents on Saturdays.
  • Volunteer one day a week at a nursing home, pregnancy center, hospital, mission, or food bank.
• Send an extra mite gift to LWML at www.lwml.org
• Send a mission gift to LCMS at www.lcms.org/givenow

Books to Celebrate Jesus’ Birth

• Concordia Publishing House - Arch Books
  • O Bethlehem, by Petersen Tietz, Joan    Item #: 591579
  • Baby Jesus Is Born, by Truitt, Gloria      Item #: 591579
  • When Jesus Was Born, by Hartman, Sara   Item #: 592209
  • Mary's Christmas Story, by Olive, Teresa   Item #: 591499
  • Star of Wonder, by Hinkle, Cynthia    Item #: 591594
  • Once Upon a Clear Dark Night, by Burkart, Jeff   Item #: 592243
  • The Shepherds Shook in Their Shoes, by Michelle Medlock Adams  Item #: 592234
  • The Christmas Promise, by Bohnet, Eric   Item #: 592225
  • Oh, Holy Night! by Petersen Tietz, Joan   Item #: 592252
• Other Titles
  • A Birthday Party for Jesus, by Susan Jones
  • 'Twas the Evening of Christmas, by Glenys Nellist
  • The Christmas Baby, by Marion Dane Bauer
  • God Gave Us Christmas, by Lisa Tawn Bergren
  • The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving, by Jan Berenstain
  • Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale, by Martin Waddell
  • The Legend of the Poinsettia, by Tomi dePaola.

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

Related Resources

• Mission Service Activities Archive
• Winter Resources
• Resources for Christmas

Mission Servants Activity of the Month

Honor Our Military Families

Thank all the military families in your church or throughout your community for their sacrifice to keep us safe and free. Take the opportunity to give back to these families, showing your gratitude, your love, and your service. 

Organize a Military/Veterans Appreciation luncheon. Invite your church military and other community mili­tary members, including veterans from missions, nursing homes, etc … Use a Thrivent Action Team to organize the event. The seed money can be used for invitations, flyers, and other publicity. Have everyone RSVP for the event. Organize a decorating team, a catering team, a team to ask for donations (gift cards) from community businesses, and a clean-up team. Ask the military members to bring a photo of themselves in their service uni­forms. Have a Power Point of before and after pictures celebrating their service. Don't forget the military music and a devotion and prayer for the military families. Give out gift cards or other donated items to say thank you to your military guests.

Other ways to say "Thank you!":

• Pray for our troops and military families.
• Recognize veterans in your congregation at least once a year.
• Celebrate and remember our nation's military veterans, service personnel, chaplains and families.
• Mow a military family’s lawn one Saturday morning or shovel their snow.
• Offer to babysit for service members so the husband and wife can go on a date or have some alone time.
• Have a drive for care box items.
• Visit veterans who are in a hospital, assisted living, or nursing home.
• Invite them to a parade, memorial service, or wreath across America ceremony honoring our military.
• Prepare a meal for them or invite them over for dinner.
• Send them a "Thank You" card for their service.
• Donate to Ministry to the Armed Forces which supports our military and Chaplains.
• Start an Operation Barnabas chapter in your congregation.

Resources

• Ministry to the Armed Forces: www.lcms.org/ministry-to-the-armed-forces
• Operation Barnabas: www.lcms.org/ministry-to-the-armed-forces/operation-barnabas
• Faith Comes by Hearing in every Language with a variety of devices to fit everyone’s lifestyle. www.faithcomesbyhearing.com

Remind Chaplains on military bases, overseas, in veteran nursing homes, or VFW’s that they can order the military BibleSticks at no cost to give out to military members and veterans.

A message you could send to military members:

Thank you for your service to our country. Please enjoy this military BibleStick. God is with you now and forever. Love in Christ, (your name or church here)

• www.military.com/veterans-day/veterans-day-military-discounts.html
• www.military.com/veterans-day/events.html
• www.military.com/veterans-day/giving-back.html

Download this flyer to print and share!

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Servants Activities

Mission Servants Activity of the Month

Hope for the Holidays: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

updated 8/2020 

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering (Hebrews 13:2–3).

Christmas should be a time of joyful celebration with family and friends. Yet, for millions of refugees and migrants, forced to flee their homelands in search of safety and protection, the joy announced by the birth of our Savior this Christmas will seem very far away. This winter, bring joy and hope to our brothers and sisters isolated in immigration detention through writing and decorating holiday cards in English and Spanish.

Get involved!

Step 1: Copy the messages of encouragement translated into Spanish, or write your own Spanish greetings. Draw a picture or write your favorite Bible verse to personalize the card.

Step 2: Please do not put cards in individual envelopes. Instead, place all the cards in a few large manila envelopes addressed to LIRS at the address found in their updated instructions here. To allow enough time for delivery, please send in your cards by late November (exact deadline listed with instructions).

Step 3: LIRS will help deliver the messages of hope to the mothers and children detained in family immigration detention centers in Texas and Pennsylvania.

View full instructions and sample Spanish message of encouragement on the LIRS website at www.lirs.org/take-action/hope-for-the-holidays.

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

Related Resources

• Mission Service Activities Archive
• Winter Resources
• Resources for Advent
• Resources for Christmas

Mission Servants Activity of the Month

Fill a Backpack with School Supplies for the Children that Use Your Local Food Pantry!
 

According to the Kids in Need Foundation more than 16 million children live in extreme poverty in the U.S. They also may arrive on the first day of school without the supplies they need to learn. Working with your local food pantry, your woman’s group can help fill the needs of these children. Standard school backpacks generally contain:

• 3 folders, 2 notebooks, a package of pencils
• package of markers, a pair of scissors, 2 glue sticks
• package of Post-its, 2 pens, a package of crayons
• pencil pouch with a ruler, eraser & pencil sharpener, all in a new basic backpack

If you do not live near a food pantry, Orphan Grain Train (www.ogt.org) and Lutheran World Relief (www.lwr.org) also fill backpacks with school supplies for children in need. These organizations assist children within our country and around the world.

Download this flier to print and share!

SHARING YOUR SERVANT ACTIVITIES

The LWML ladies at Lutheran Church of The Savior, in Bedford, MA organized a post church service event for the congregation. After the Sunday morning worship service, the congregation went through an assembly line and filled 175 backpacks with school supplies. These school backpacks were filled for the Central Food Ministry (CFM) in Lowell, MA.

The backpacks and the school supplies were funded through Thrivent, freewill offering from the Lenten Soup suppers, and donations from church members, volunteers at CFM and local merchants. Materials were purchased during the summer time when the stores have all the school supplies on sale and the backpacks were a bulk purchase on-line.

The whole Bedford congregation was doubly blessed to see how the Lord works through the service of these LWML ladies and they were also enabled to generously assist with serving those in need.

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Servants Activities

Mission Servants Activity of the Month

Make Pillowcase Dresses for Africa
 

Over one million children in Malwai alone have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDS. Because girl orphans are the most devalued and abused in their culture, and face such oppression, it is the mission of Little Dresses for Africa to plant in the hearts of these little girls that they are worthwhile. It is reported that girls wearing a new little dress are much less likely to be abducted, abused, or molested because the new little dress shows that someone cares about them. You’re not just sending little dresses – you’re sending hope!

If you don’t sew, have no fear, those who can will, and those who can’t may iron, cut fabric, coordinate packing, and create fellowship. Start a sewing group making dresses for littles girls. Before sending the dresses, group the dresses by size (small, medium, and large) and enclose a self-addressed envelope so you can know when they arrive.

For more information on Little Dresses for Africa, including patterns, visit their website www.littledressesforafrica.org.

Donations can be sent to:
Little Dresses for Africa
24614 Curtis Dr
Brownstown, MI 48134

These dresses go as little Ambassadors all over the world to plant in the hearts of little girls that they are worthy.

Download this flier to print and share!

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Servants Activities