6 Family Summer Serving Activities

Summer Schedule

Okay, so summer is under way!  Whoop Whoop! Down time? I don't think so. I don't know about you, but our summer is super crazy busy. Here is a snapshot of our schedule (one boy is green, the other boy is red, if they are together it is purple, family & friends visiting are in blue, and our serving activities are yellow).  Whew!

My boys were away at camp last week and I spent a little time coordinating some serving projects for us to do as a family.  I had to work around the camps, summer school, sports, family in town, and vacation on our calendar.

6 Family Summer Serving Activities

I used the methods outlined in my previous blog 3 Steps to Find Needs in Your City to find needs that are appropriate for my boys.  Not only do I want to expose my boys to needs on the community, but I also want to have them see the importance of serving their church. Therefore, I worked in a few of those opportunities too.  I am waiting to hear back on some of the following organizations and leaders to confirm the days and times, but this is a start.

• 6/22 Parking at church 

My husband and I will be driving the golf carts in the parking lot during Sunday services. The boys are able to ride with us and greet families as they are heading into and leaving church.  What a great way to teach hospitality. 

• 7/6 Children's church 

My husband and I will serve in the preschool during Sunday services and our boys will be able to be assistance in handing out materials and snacks.  My boys love interacting with children.  This is s great way for them to feel like "big boys" and encourage those coming behind them. 

• 7/11 Nursing Home 

We will go to South Tampa Health & Rehab with a group that visits every week and delivers a church service to those who reside there. This is an opportunity for our boys to interact with the elderly and see that not everyone has the freedom to come and go as they please.

• 7/13 Greeting/Bulletins at church 

We have engaged a couple that hands out bulletins at church every week.  We have offered them a break on this day.  This is another act of service in hospitality that the boys can experience. 

• 7/14 & 8/11 Serve the homeless

 As a Lifegroup every 2nd Monday of each month we prepare a meal and go serve the homeless at Amazing Love Ministries.  This will be the first time (that my boys can remember) for them to help with the meal and to go downtown to serve with us.  What a humbling experience it will be for them to see families (with children) who don't have homes and don't know where their next meal is coming from.  

• 7/26 Family movie night at a homeless shelter** 

We signed up as a family (and anyone else that would like to join us) to host an afternoon family movie (2-4p) for families that reside in the Metropolitan Ministries family shelter.  We will bring the movie, snacks, and volunteers, and spend time with families that have fallen on hard times. See below for a special invite. 

I would like to serve one afternoon at the local animal shelter since one of my boys has such a HUGE heart for animals.  I will check further into that and see what I can do. 

You're Invited . . . 

** I am waiting to hear back from Metro Min on the details of a family movie day 7/26 (2-4p).  I know we will need some other volunteers to help us.  We would love to have you join us with your family!

If you are in the Tampa area and would like to join us for any of our activities, leave me a comment on the blog or message me on Facebook to coordinate.

Coming Next

In the coming weeks I will post blogs with pictures about each of our experiences. I would love to get feedback on things you are doing as a family with comments and pics! You never know when something you are doing will inspire someone else to do the same. Share!

How Openhanded are You to Those in Need? 3 Questions to Ask Yourself

Friends of a Feather

Since my last blog I traveled to visit my college roommate.  Every few years we get together for a girls' weekend to refresh ourselves. We have a lot in common: husband, kids, work, and thrift shopping.  This year we did some "free style pickin'" from north Atlanta, GA to Asheville, NC. We had a great time catching up and sharing about ourselves, our families, our triumphs, our challenges, and God's latest leading in our lives.  

You see, God gave us both the same heart and passion to serve others. I was thrilled to find out that she is leading a community project through her church over the summer where volunteers are serving meals to students in a low income neighborhood.  These are some of the same kids her church serves throughout the school year with backpacks of food each weekend to ensure they get adequate nutrition even when school is out.  

This is what I love to see: God speaking and laying an issue on our hearts and then we act to live out His love to bring Him glory.  If you have family serving activities planned for the summer or serving ideas from anytime in the year, please share them so others can be encouraged.  

Be Openhanded

Below is a scripture that I referenced in my last blog "3 Steps to Finding Needs in Your City".  I came across this devotional written by a friend of mine a few years ago that is relevant now.  As you know, God's word is always on time!

Reach Up:   There will always be poor people in the land.  Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. 

Deuteronomy 15:11

Reach In:  We live in a culture in “The West” of being used to seeing the poor, whether across the world on our TV screens, or on our everyday commute to work, although in this country we don’t really see utter poverty as experienced elsewhere.  Unfortunately even the church has “gotten used” to seeing the poor and we kind of take the first part of our scripture verse and stop there and say: “Well, there will always be poor people, and it’s such a big problem, what can anyone really do about it?”  Mother Teresa once said; “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”  Why?  Because it matters to that one doesn’t it?  And if each one of us “feed one” we’d change the world overnight.

Reach Out:  God has commanded us to be openhanded toward one another.  It’s not multiple choice.  

• How is God working on your heart to notice the needs of others?
• Where is the opportunity God has laid before you to “feed one”?
• When will you move in obedience to God's calling? Today?

Heavenly Father – Give us YOUR eyes to see the poor and needy in our own community and in your world!  Prompt our hearts to love and serve someone today.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

http://arethesekidsallyours.blogspot.com/ 

Devotional written by Jason Wright from Tampa, FL - check out his blog "Are these kids all yours?" as he and his wife Dawn share about their experiences in adopting and raising 9 children and encouraging and supporting other families to consider adoption.  

Coming Next 

I am still in the gathering process to find places we can serve around town with my 10 and 7 year old boys. This is their last week of school.  They go off to church camp next week.  This is when I will finalize our summer schedule and serving plans.  I am so excited about our weekly family "field trips" and sharing our experiences with you.