Ministry Ideas for Sunday School & Community Outreach
Bible Arts Camp
Teach the children Bible stories through the arts - coloring, dancing, singing. Place a child-friendly table and chairs in the same room you host coffeehour and ask one member to volunteer each week to tell the story right from the Bible and then help the children do a related craft project. Coloring sheets for each can be easily found by googling.
Random Acts of Kindness
Ask members and friends to keep an eye out for news stories about people in your neighborhood who might like to be cheered up by receiving a basket of goodies with a "thinking of you" card from the church.
Living Nativity
Tell the Christmas story to your neighborhood through a narrated dramatization. Then invite everyone in for cookies, cocoa and carols. Camel optional!
4-Hour Community Food Drive
Hand out flyers attched to grocery bags to all your neighbors (including around your church and member's homes)
Publicize with banners and both classic and social media.
Collect the food!
Take lots of pictures to send to the media!
12 Months of Giving
Designate a different donation/activity for each month of the year. For example, one month collect canned food for the local food pantry; another month write notes to the homebound and your neighbors across the street; another month collect pet supplies for the local animal shelter or school supplies for children or Christmas gifts for an Angel Tree program. Have fun brainstorming ideas and choosing what works for your community.
Just Read the Bible!
How do you read the Bible? One chapter at a time!
Pick out a good study Bible. Lots of pictures and notes help! (Just remember that the notes aren't Scripture!) Then gather together and take turns reading aloud one chapter at a time.
Start with your favorite books or with one you've always wanted to read.
You'll be amazed at how quickly you learn the stories of the Bible in context.
Family Day
Invite your community to a monthly
Family Day. All you need is some snacks and a fun activity that may even be brought in by a local community organization. Show a movie. Host a concert. Play games. Do crafts or creative dramatics. The possibilities are endless.
Hot Lunch
Invite your community to a monthly
Hot Lunch - soup and salad, pasta, etc. Put a sign on the lawn. Invite Seniors and others to come for nourishing food and fellowship. Place a prayer box where people can place their prayer requests.
Praying for You
Offer to pray for members and others in your community who come into you church for events, who are homebound, in the hospital, or just going through a difficult time.
- Place a prayer box within sight for people to write their prayer requests. Then as a church during worship, Bible Study, meetings, whenever two or three are gathered together, offer these prayers to God.
- Keep a box of pens and "Thinking and Praying for You" cards where people often gather for Bible Study, meetings, choir, etc. Whenever someone mentions the name of a person who might need cheering up, gather people to say a prayer and ask them to sign a card.