A Few successful "hands on" projects we've done in the past -

*The children collected new underwear, t-shirts and socks for a local class for homeless children. Parents were asked to take their children with them to select and purchase the items.

*Collecting non-perishable food for a local food pantry. The children also helped bag the foods collected and load the trunk for the parent making the delivery.

*Collected school supplies and made up school kits that our Mission Team to Guyana, South America took with them to pass out during VBS. (I had the privilege to be on that mission team and bring back pictures of the children opening their kits.)

Please share your ideas!!

Lisa B from NC

Lisa B from NC

Our kids painted clay flower pots one Sunday night, then planted annuals in them the next.  They sold them after worship the next Sunday.  Each time we worked on the project, we discussed the parable of the sheep & the goats-how that when we care for someone in need, we're caring for Jesus.

Finally, we took the money we raised and went to the store as a group to buy non-perishables for the food bank.  When we came back, we took a photo of the kids with all the food they'd bought to 'feed Jesus'.

Note - To help keep the project at the kids' level, I limited the money to $2 each child (we tithed the rest to the church).    We went to Sav-a-lot, which only has four aisles.  That helped with both crowd control and decision making!  Most importantly, I had some great adults volunteer to help the kids select and add up their purchases - one adult for every two kids.

This was possibly the best event we ever did.  The kids sacrificed (giving up their pots & flowers wasn't easy) themselves, and they really got into the idea that they were feeding Jesus. 

I have a couple of items that have worked: set out the dry ingrediants to make a 'soup in a jar'- with quart jars- the families do an assembly line and fill the jars with the ingrediants, put a label on the jar that has "made just for you by the xxx family or xxx children's ministry (whatever) and you have a label that has 'How to Make Your Soup'- typically it is add water and heat through (which is the best kind of item to make especially for lower-income or elderly people). Then your family can either deliver them to shut-in's or your Membership Care Group can have them on hand to give out to a family that is experiencing an illness or just had a baby born. We decorated the lid with pretty fabric and ribbon. It was a huge hit and with families doing it together you can have even your youngest disciples assembling dry soup kits.

Also- we did another project similar but it for our "Lord of the Street" program- we had children and families assemble a lunch bag with a bottle of water, can of meat, crackers- other non-perishable foods and the kids decorated the bags. They would keep them in their car and if they came across a homeless person they would give them a bag.

Last but not least I ran across a organization called Mission Possible Kids out of Plano Texas- it is awesome and we are in the process of starting this ministry- they give you everything that you need and so much more!

Blessings,

Cari Vega