Spreading Blessings Around

You can't always get everyone motivated to do a big "Blessing Baskets" project. Maybe your energies are going to a different project for the holidays or maybe you feel as if you have limited resources. I have given you a list of ideas that will allow your congregation to particpate in blessing someone or a group of someones during the Thanksgiving or even Christmas season.




1. Just do turkeys. Purchase turkeys whenever your local grocery stories start marking them way down and deliver them to previously chosen families. If you have someone in your church who owns a turkey fryer you could even fry the turkeys as a special treat before giving them away!


2. Participate in a local food pantry drive. Our local community has a wonderful food pantry called "Least of These." Contact your local organization and get a list of needs. Set out boxes or baskets and let folks bring in the items needed. You can also contact other community organizations like women shelters, etc. to see what they are in need of.


3. Encourage individual familys to do "family blessing baskets." They can choose someone in need and create their own basket to give away.


4. Take a group of church folks and volunteer at your local mission or soup kitchen.


5. Encourage your church folks to invite a "stray" to their homes for Thanksgiving dinner. My parents are pastors and this was a common occurence in my home when I was growing up. Find out who is without family or close to family and adopt them out. I can remember one holiday in which we had not only in-laws and thier friends, but college students, a widow or two and a family lived far away from their own families. Crowded, but lots of fun!

6. Choose one or two of the missionaries that you support that will be far from home on Thanksgiving. Remember...this is an American Holiday! Pack up a care package to send to them.

7. Why not support our troops in a special way? There are plenty of organizations who can hook you up with a service man or woman to send an extra blessing to during the holidays. In fact, most of us know of someone who is either serving right now overseas or has served. You might even take it a step further and bless their families members left at home as well. I know for a fact that there are many organizations dedicated to ministering to failies of service men and women. The military also has a great support system...maybe you can find out a way to help.