GIVING YOUR KIDS A HEART FOR MISSIONS

(adapted from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church)

Here is a list of potential service projects for you and your family. You may even want to include your children's friends or offer these ideas to your child's youth group leaders. Most of the ideas you can do year round. Seasonal ideas are indicated at the end of this list. Take pictures of your children and have them write about their experience. Send it to the Mission Department and we will select a few to post on our mission website.

For other ideas, read Conspiracv of Kindness by Steve Sjogren (Servant Publications, Ann Arbor, Michigan)

. Take your kids with you to shop for dry or canned goods and drop off at Bread of Life, Ecumenical Hunger Program, Urban Ministries or CityTeam Ministries Family Services.

. Have your kids clean out their closets before birthdays or Christmas and think about other kids in need. Then deliver toys, clothing, or books together to Urban Ministries, Bread o,f Life, Ecumenical Hunger Program, Urban Ministries or CityTeam Ministries Family Services.

. Make cookies or other treats and deliver them to one of the local youth programs for their Bible Clubs. (Young Life, CityTeam Youth Outreach, or Bayshore Christian Ministries.)

. Make sandwiches for Bayshore Christian Ministries' summer youth program.

. Visit a ministry with your children. Take pictures with staff or the clients they work with. Remind yourselves to pray for them on a daily basis by putting the pictures on your refrigerator .

. Collect your spare change for one month and give it to one of the ministries our church supports (See Local Ministry Partners)

. Make cards for Seniors at the San Mateo Convalescent Ministry.

. Visit Seniors/befriend a Senior at the San Mateo Convalescent Ministry

. Pray for homeless people you have passed by on the street .

. Buy a sandwich or drink for a homeless person you pass by. Ask them their name and tell them you are going to pray for them. Remember to pray for them at night!

. Fast for a meal or a day (Ask your pediatrician first). Give the money you would have spent on food to a ministry that feeds people.

. Get involved with your kids in this month's Partners in Caring. (I.e. Back to School drives, clothing drives, etc.)

. Buy a children's or teen Bible and donate it to a local youth ministry like Bayshore Christian Ministries, CityTeam Youth Outreach, or Young Life.

. Buy $5, $10 gift certificates at McDonald's, Round Table, Old Navy, Target and give to Young Life, CityTeam, Bayshore Christian Ministries for incentive gifts.

. Do double duty. Support your child or those kids that come to your door selling candy bars, pizza coupons etc. for their school fundraiser. Donate the goods or coupons to a local youth ministry like BCM, CityTeam or YoungLife.

. Put up a world map somewhere in your house. Teach how people (particularly children) live in a few selected countries.

. Read You Can Change the World. Once you read about the country or people group, label it on your map. PRAY for those people or country using the prayer guide in the book .

. Be aware of current news, through TV, Internet, newspaper, library, and magazines with information, articles and pictures about the countries and people they are learning about. Watch for answers to prayer and bring it to their attention.

. Use Global Prayer Digest for some of your family devotions. Sunday is the day focused on children.

. Involve your family with one missionary family and their country of service through monthly updates, praying for the family on a regular basis, and whenever

possible, personal involvement . Put their pictures on your world map also. Write to the family as a family project.

. If your family goes on an international vacation, find out if there are missionaries that CTCC supports in the place you are visiting. If so, contact before and during your trip.

. Encourage kids to share Christ with their friends, and to help them understand that missionaries often share Jesus with those who have no Christian friends.

. Host a neighborhood party and ask participants to bring items for entry (i.e. new Socks, new clothes, food items, etc.) You may want to call a local ministry and ask them what their biggest need is first. Deliver items to Bread of Life, Ecumenical Hunger Program, Urban Ministries or CityTeam Ministries Family Services.

. Teach kids the basics of the gospel, so they will be equipped to share Jesus with their friends and others at appropriate times.

. Read missionary biographies. They are exciting and help kids understand what it's like to work for Jesus.

. Encourage your kids to get to know children from school who come from other countries. Invite them to play, come to dinner, and invite them to go to church.

. Adopt a child through World Vision, LAM or Compassion. Support monthly, pray regularly, write letters.

. Tithe box for specific cause (i.e. Hunger in a specific country, disaster victims, prolife, etc.)

. Save toys for one of CTCC’s mission trips

. Take your kids on a short-term mission.

Holiday Ideas

. Volunteer together at City Team putting together Thanksgiving Boxes.

. Host a Birthday Party for Jesus. Ask attendees to bring one new toy for a child. Take toys to CityTeam Ministries or Ecumenical Hunger Program.

.Collect canned and dried goods from neighbors and bring them to Bread of Life, Ecumenical Hunger Program, Urban Ministries or CityTeam Ministries Family Services. Make sure your neighbors know why you're collecting. It's a great witness to them. Make the collection fun. Give prizes to the child who collects the most, the least, the most interesting food item.

. Attend CityTeam's Family Christmas Party and bring a toy for a child

. Shop with your child and have them pick out a toy for a child that is your child's age.

. Participate in Bread of Life's Christmas meal.