Host a meal for international students.

Among other types of prison ministry, investigate involvement in the Storybook Project. Books and blank tapes are donated and taken into prison. Volunteers help incarcerated moms choose a book, read it onto the tape, and mail the tape and book to their child. The children listen to the tape and hear their mother’s voice whenever they feel lonely.

Plan a local mission exposure tour—such as a visit to a homeless shelter, inner city programs for youth, or a summer camp for special needs children—with follow-up activities in support of these ministries.

Invite other women’s groups to a tasting bee, featuring dishes prepared from your church cookbook or one of the World Community Cookbooks.

Glean fruits and vegetables for a local food bank or homeless shelter.

Serve early morning coffee and donuts to local government officials, thanking them for their service to the community. Pray for them afterwards.

Host a Thanksgiving dinner at your church for congregational and community members who otherwise would be alone.

Hold a giveaway in a public place, a chance to start up friendly conversations with people in your community. Possibilities include: grilled hot dogs, helium balloons for kids, or Polaroid family photos at a park; stamps outside a post office near tax day; flower seeds in spring; hot drinks in winter; transparent tape at Christmas.

Team up with a Sunday school class to sponsor a blood drive at church.

Invite pre-schoolers and their parents/caregivers (from within the church and beyond it) to meet at the church for an hour or two one morning a week for informal play and social time. Provide toys and a snack for the children and coffee for the adults (optional donations of $1 per visit can help provide these). Have caregivers be responsible for supervising their own children. Close with a time of singing with all participants.

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