Creative Service Ideas to Help Them Help You

Besides worshiping together, one of the pieces of ministry that deepens our commitment to one another is having a place to serve or feeling needed. This winter has been incredibly icy and for those of us with gravel parking lots, and older members who shouldn’t be out clearing snow and ice, this has meant a lot of canceled worship services, Bible studies, and other church activities.

But what if we engaged the young-ish adults and youth to help? As I walked carefully through the grass around the church one Saturday to inspect the situation for Sunday, I noticed dry, clear patches on the sidewalks. I also noticed cars driving by on clear roads. Many of our people have been out to the store, work, ball games, or taking care of their farms or rental property. The main problem with opening up the church has been our dangerous parking lots! In fact, we could have easily had one safe entrance except for the parking lot. Then it hit me: Valet Parking!

We have a couple of 30-40 something, young-ish adults who could have parked cars down the street and around the block. Meanwhile, youth could have ushered older adults safely into the building. What a neat expression of Church that would be! I’m going to recruit my young-ish adults and youth to set up this plan for next winter. We might even invest in a few pairs of ice cleats (that slip on over your shoes) for the valet drivers. (They run around $10-$20 a pair.)

While we’re at it we might even invest in a couple over-sized umbrellas to implement the same idea on rainy spring days! We are called to care for one another. These kinds of ideas help build intimate relationships within our congregation and bridge generation gaps.

Acts 2:42-47 speaks of this kind of community experience in the church. When we’ve spent the week out in the world, it is so painful to close the church doors on Sunday. What are we devoted to? If we are devoted to God and to the Body of Christ, then these are the ideas we need to implement to really kick satan in the teeth. He loves it when the weather keeps us from meeting together.

What creative ideas have you come up with that have helped engage new generations and made a difference in the life of your church? Share in the comments or send me an email on the contact page!