20 Ways Your Family Can Serve the Community this Summer

By: Shari A. Miller

It is almost summertime.

Your kids will be home from school this summer, and your summer schedule will soon fill up fast. Before you make you vacation plans, that may carry you to different parts of the country, take a moment to consider one important word.....serve.

One of Jesus's commandments is to serve the community, as whatever we do for the least of those around us, we do for Him as the verse below illustrates.

"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"

-Matthew 25:40

To keep you and your kids occupied for the summer, here are 20 ways you can serve the community, and be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around you.

1. Mow an elderly neighbor's lawn.
2. Take cookies to the firemen/policemen in your community.
3. Offer to babysit for a tired young mother.
4. Volunteer for your church's VBS.
5. Host a game night for your youth group or college group.
6. Take sandwiches and water to the homeless.
7. Volunteer to walk dogs for an adoption center.
8. If you are artistic, offer to lead a a class on drawing or painting, at your local library, or retirement home.
9. Host a FREE car wash.
10. Turn on your front yard sprinklers, water and soap down a tarp, and have a water day for the kids around your neighborhood.
11. Have a lemonade stand.
12. Offer to clean for a busy mother or elderly neighbor.
13. Take a walk around your neighborhood or a nearby park with your family. Offer everyone you meet a smile and tell them that Jesus loves them.
14. Take dinner to a struggling family or an elderly person.
15. Ask people in your life how you could pray for them specifically and encourage your family members to do the same. Then have a family prayer night where you put all of these prayer requests into a jar and pray for each person in turn.
16. Purchase tickets to a concert or movie, or a gift card to a restaurant, to give to a young couple in your church.
17. Volunteer to tutor a younger person in a school subject you are strong in.
18. Get together with your church community to offer childcare and a date night to the young parents in your church.
19. If your child is involved in a summer camp where they learn a new skill, encourage them to teach that skill to one of their friends who did not attend the camp.
20. Volunteer to coach or to bring snacks to the youth sports team in your area

It is time for the Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesday Link Up. We desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories in their comments.

Use hashtag #w2wwordfilledwednesday

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