> Ten ways to care for the needy right in your own community

|

Ten ways to care for the needy right in your own community

A Cup of Cold Water in His Name by Lorie Newman (Discovery House, 2012)

By Lorie Newman  

We live in a world with overwhelming humanitarian needs.

With so many hurting people, even within our own communities, does helping just one person really matter? 

The answer is found in Matthew 25:40, where Jesus says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.”

Helping one really does matter. 

You can accept Jesus’ invitation to care for hurting and needy people right in your own community in practical, creative ways. Here are a few ideas:

1. Keep $5 gift cards in your purse or wallet for the needy. Many of us are leery of helping someone who is on the street begging for food or money. Purchasing $5 gift cards to a store or fast-food restaurant ahead of time takes the stress out of seeing a needy person and wondering what they may do with cash that’s given to them.  
2. Anonymously give groceries to a single mom or a widow. If you know a single mom or widow, don’t wait for her to voice her needs. Go ahead and bless her by periodically leaving groceries on her porch.  (And don’t forget single dads and widowers! They can use the help, as well.) 
3. Create “bags of hope.” A great way to make sure you’re always ready when you encounter a stranger in need is to have a few “Bags of Hope” on hand in your car. These are simply plastic bags filled with items that a person in need could use—trial-size toiletries, snacks, water bottles and small Bibles. 
4. Organize a community workday. One great way for your church to show love in your own community is to create periodic workdays where members are encouraged to do acts of kindness in the communities such as painting rooms in elementary schools, taking dinner to fire/police stations, doing yard work for nursing homes and providing breakfast for social workers.    
5. Give a baby shower for your local crisis pregnancy center. Hosting a baby shower can replenish the shelves at a crisis center that gives supplies away regularly. Most centers need the following: maternity clothes, infant clothing, diapers, baby wipes and car seats. 
6. Donate business suits that can be worn for job interviews to a local shelter When you donate business attire, be sure to have the clothing cleaned beforehand. Whenever possible, put an entire outfit together on a hanger. Giving a man or woman the gift of a business suit can give him or her the confidence needed to prepare for a job interview.  
7. Take meals to a sick person and his or her family. When taking meals regularly to a family, place a large cooler on their porch so anyone delivering a meal can do so each day without disturbing the family as their loved one rests and recovers.  
8. Rock babies at the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) of your local hospital. Many babies who are in the hospital for long-term care, such as babies with serious illnesses or premature babies, need to be rocked and held. Contact the volunteer coordinator at your local hospital for information.  
9. Write notes of encouragement to inmates When you contact a prison in your area, ask for a prison chaplain and speak to him or her about how to write to an inmate.  Here are some simple guidelines to follow: Keep the focus of your letters on spiritual things. Men should write to men; women should write to women. Use a post office box as your return address. Your note of encouragement may be the only “Jesus” an inmate has ever experienced. 
10. Paint or decorate an emergency foster care placement room Contact your local social services office and ask if you can spruce up their emergency foster-care placement room. Ideas include: colorful paint or a mural for the walls, a small toy basket, an art supplies box and new books. This small project will have a great impact on hundreds of children in your community who are in crisis situations. 

Whether it’s across the street, across the church pew, or across town, all of us have the power to reach just one needy person in Jesus’ name.

Taken from A Cup Of Cold Water In His Name, © 2012 by Lorie Newman. Used by permission of Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512. All rights reserved.

For more ideas of how you and your church can demonstrate God’s love in practical ways, check out the upcoming summer issue of On Mission magazine.

Lorie Newman is a speaker, author and busy homeschooling mother of seven children, including twins and two children who were internationally adopted—one from Haiti and one from Liberia. She is the founder of an orphan ministry that enables more than 250 impoverished African children to receive food, clothing and education. For more information on booking Lorie to speak at your church or event, visit her website at LorieNewman.com.