What would the world look like if we actually lived our lives as Jesus lived his? What if we went out and showed the love of Jesus in a practical way through serving others? Jesus called us to be salt and light in the world. While we may spend only 1 or 2 hours inside the church building each week, we spend most of our time outside the walls at work, at home, and in public. Beyond Our Walls seeks to give you ideas and opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people all around you with no strings attached. It’s simply about people being loved right where they are. This is how Jesus is, and this is how we should do it, too.
Project Ideas
If you’re looking for ideas to help you or your small get beyond our walls, then you’ve come to the right place. Take a look at some ideas below. You can do any of these on your own, and it wouldn’t hurt to take a few ARK cards along with you.
Visit the Elderly in Nursing Homes
Many of the elderly in our area nursing homes don’t have frequent visitors. Take an evening a week, or every other week, or even once a month to visit them. You may choose to do a bible study with them, entertain them with music and dancing, or take some board games or a deck of cards to play with them. You may want to call ahead and talk with the activity director at the nursing home.
Appreciation Baskets at Nurses Stations
Our local public workers can’t get enough appreciation. Take a basket of food to nurses’ stations at local hospitals. Remember that there are a number of shifts and multiple floors with nurses’ stations on each floor. You may want to either choose one shift and one station, or call ahead to the Human Resources Director to find out how many shifts and stations there are.
Appreciation Meal for Local Fire/Police Department
Again, our local public workers can’t get enough appreciation. Organize a breakfast, lunch, or dinner with your small group to serve to your local fire or police department. You may want to call ahead to the chief to find out how many are on staff and what day would be the best to serve.
Deliver Bag of Groceries to Someone in Need
You may know of a struggling family who lives near you. The next time you go grocery shopping, pick up an extra meal or two to drop off to that family. If you’re really up for a challenge, ask them if you could pray with them right then and there.
Soft Drink Giveaway
You may choose to do this activity at a busy intersection with a traffic light, or stand at a local grocery store entryway, or even a busy local park. We have backpacks that hold and keep cold 36 cans of pop each. Purchase a regular and diet brand of pop, chill overnight, load up the backpacks the next day, and serve. If you would like to use these backpacks, please contact Jeremy at jklein@greenfordchristian.org.
Drinks at Bike Trails
This was a hit last summer. Purchase drinks such as bottled water or Gatorade and load them up in a cooler filled with ice. Head down to the bike trail, and offer free drinks to passersby. You may want to make up a sign that says, “FREE drinks,” so people take you seriously. Don’t forget to hand out ARK cards.
Pay for Someone’s Meal in the Fast Food Drive-Thru
When you drive up to the window to pay for your meal, tell the clerk that you want to pay for the meal for the people behind you as well. Don’t forget to leave an ARK card so the clerk can give it to them.
Windshield Washer Fluid Fill
Purchase several gallons of windshield washer fluid and make arrangements at your local grocery store or gas station to offer their customers a free fill up of washer fluid. As the customers are loading their groceries into the car or filling up their gas tank, you could be filling up their washer fluid. Don’t forget to bring along ARK cards.
Restroom Cleaning
Put together a tote with all the necessary cleaning agents to spruce up a public restroom – toilet bowl cleaner and brush, and some glass cleaner with paper towels is all you really need. Enter a business and ask the manager or owner if you could clean their restrooms for free. This will totally throw them off, and you might even get a laugh. Hand them an ARK card and tell them that you’re serious and that you’re doing this to show God’s love in a practical way.
Leaf Raking/Snow Shoveling/Lawn Mowing
Gather your small group and go door to door offering to rake their leaves or shovel their snow or mow their grass (depending on the season) for FREE.
Block Party
Give the neighborhood a couple of weeks notice. Divvy up the names of the neighborhood families as to who brings what food. Your group supplies the grills and meat. To make the time together fun, have some kids’ activities along with some prizes for competitions.
Shopping Assistance for Shut-ins
Offer a nearby shut-in if you could shop for them on a regular basis. They supply you the list and means to pay, and you go shopping for them.