Mission Service Activity of the Month

March 2022:  Pack the Pantry with a Drive-Through FOOD DRIVE

As missionaries, we feed the body and then we can offer spiritual food, by God’s grace. Let’s help others be physically fed by packing a local food pantry or food bank with a Drive-Through FOOD DRIVE event. Food pantries get many donations during the holidays, but the months in-between may find donations inadequate. Working together we can bless local food pantries with an abundance of food and prayer. 

Does your church have a food pantry? If not, locate a local food panty or food bank. Ask for a list of their most needed items and share it with your group and congregation. Set a goal or challenge to encourage participation. Make a banner and cheer as donations come in. Make it an event to remember. 

Often, the most requested food pantry items include: 

• Canned meat or fish
• Soup
• Canned fruits and vegetables
• Peanut butter
• Pasta
• Powdered milk
• Boxed puddings
• Heat and eat meal kits
• Rice
• Boxed cereal
• Oatmeal
• Spaghetti sauce

Be creative, make signs, and cheer as people drive up to drop off items. Make a banner or an arch for cars to drive under. Take pictures and share the story with your district newsletter editor and your local newspaper. These photos could also be sent in to be posted on the LWML Facebook page or submitted as an article for the Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly. 

Gospel Focus

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). 

Devotion as You Plan

As you plan your event, begin by reading the devotion Sharing the Bread of Life. Check with the food bank to see if a devotion and/or encouragement card could be sent with the donations.

Prayer as You Plan and Prepare

Heavenly Father, it is difficult to realize many families suffer from hunger. We pray as Jesus taught us Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11). We trust and believe You will provide the food that hungry families need to grow and thrive. Pour out Your grace upon these families, especially parents straining to feed their children with dwindling resources. In Your name we pray. Amen.   

Download the printable PDF of this Mission Service Activity

Pack the Pantry with a Drive-Through FOOD DRIVE

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Service Activities

Mission Service Activity of the Month

February 2022:  Make a Prayer Flip Notebook

Prayer lists grow longer with each passing day. There are many people and circumstances we lay before God. We are blessed to be able to thank our loving Father, give Him praise, and ask for forgiveness. But sometimes prayer notes that have been written or received fall out of Bibles. A Prayer Flip Notebook assists in keeping your prayer list focused and serves as a reminder of answered prayer.  

Prayer Flip Notebooks are easy to make and easy to customize. Categorize the different pages with a prayer theme or a person’s name. Add or delete pages as needed. 

When making a notebook you may want to include a list of the 2021–2023 LWML Mission Grants. You may also want to include a card for your district’s mission grants, a card for your church prayer list, and cards for your personal prayer list.

For each Prayer Flip Notebook, you will need:

• 10–12 (3 inch by 5 inch) note cards, white or multi colored
• a 1-inch metal key ring
• a hole punch
• markers, pictures, and/or LWML stickers to decorate the cover of the Notebook

As you complete your Prayer Flip Notebook, we encourage you to take pictures, write an article for your district webpage, your district newsletter, or the Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly so you can share with other LWML women. We love seeing posts to the LWML Facebook page as well.

Gospel Focus: UNCEASING PRAYER

 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9–10).

Devotion as You Plan

Before making the Prayer Flip Notebook, read the devotion, From Him All My Labor.  Click here for the pdf link.

Prayer as You Plan and Prepare

Heavenly Father, please bless all the hands that will be creating these prayer notebooks. We pray for all the names and circumstances that are on our hearts that will be placed on the pages of each one. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Download the printable PDF of this Mission Service Activity

Make a Prayer Flip Notebook

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Service Activities

Mission Service Activity of the Month

Send Valentines to LWML District Mission Grant Recipients

Let’s support and encourage our district LWML mission grant recipients by sending them valentines. Share with them the knowledge that they are loved and are being lifted up in prayer. 

What you need to prepare:

• Contact your district LWML Vice President of Gospel Outreach or Mission Grants Committee Chairman for names and addresses.
• Find Christian valentines online and print off different styles or buy boxed valentines at the discount store.
• At your group meeting spend a few minutes adding a personal note or prayer for each ministry.
• Encourage group members to bring postage stamps to the meeting.
• Make a packet of valentines, envelopes, and address labels for each member in your group.
• Ask for one or two volunteers to deliver the valentines to the post office.

Think what a blessing it will be for your district LWML mission grant recipients to receive all these heartfelt messages and prayers.

Extra credit: Take pictures of this service activity and submit them to share on your district website, in your district newsletter, or email them to the LWML Gospel Outreach Committee Chairman.

Gospel Focus

. . . serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality (Romans 12:11b–13).

Devotion as You Plan:

As you plan this service activity, you may want to share with your ladies the devotion: Modern Day Martha.

Prayer as You Plan and Prepare:

Heavenly Father, district LWML mission grant recipients are providing critical services in Your name. This month we lift up to You each of them and the work each person carries out. We pray for Your guiding hand to be upon each of them. We especially pray for Your peace and comfort for their hearts and minds as they show love to the people with whom they work. You are the God of love and we thank You for the direction that You provide. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.

Download the printable PDF of this Mission Service Activity

Send Valentines to LWML District Mission Grant Recipients

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Service Activities

Mission Service Activity of the Month

December 2021: Christmas Goodies

As Christmas nears, many are alone or struggling. Celebrating alone can be disheartening. A special gift may make the day a celebration easier for someone. Consider donating some special holiday items to a local food pantry. You may want to drop off gift bags at a local care center. Visit in person if possible. Find someone who will be alone and reach out with God’s love. Be sure to contact each organization to see what items are allowed and appropriate. 

Whenever possible, include a Bible verse, religious card, or inspirational item like the Legend of the Candy Cane (found online by searching for Legend of the Candy Cane).

Possible food pantry donations:

• Items to make a simple dessert along with a disposable pan to prepare it in
• Prebaked cookies with a tub of frosting and sprinkles
• Canned fruit in pretty jars
• Dried fruit
• Nuts
• Items to make a snack mix (cereal, pretzels, chocolate chips)
• High demand items

Possible care center donations:

• Christmas ornaments to hang from doors or inside rooms
• Small colorful plants – living or artificial as appropriate
• Mini Christmas tree and decorations
• Small Christmas stockings filled with special treats like:
  • Lotions
  • Roll-on essential oils
  • Playing cards
  • Nice disposable tissues
  • Note pad and pencil or pen
  • Musical greeting card
  • Food treats as allowed
  • Small stuffed animal
  • Light catcher to hang in room
  • String of LED lights with batteries
• Jigsaw puzzles
• Board games
• Food treats to be used as prizes

Stockings:

Make stockings using holiday fabric if you wish. If you make the stockings from felt or fleece you don’t have to line or finish edges. It is also possible to purchase premade stockings at many stores. This is your gift! There are no specific rules.

Make a pattern by tracing around a stocking you have or look online for patterns. Two possibilities are listed below.

• https://www.arkathwyn.com/uploads/1/0/0/6/10064964/usltr_classicchristmasstockingpdfpattern.pdf
• https://phatquartersfabric.com/2019/11/small-christmas-stocking-sewing-pattern-gift-card-money-sleeve-free-sewing-pattern-tutorial/ 

Gospel Focus

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:10–11).

Devotion as you plan and prepare:

“Got Joy?” from lwml.org devotion archives

“I Have Loved You with an Everlasting Love” from lwml.org devotion archives

Prayer as you plan and prepare

Heavenly Father, as we prepare for the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ, help us to remember others. Give us the focus to slow down and reach out to those in our community. Guide us to opportunities to share Your love through gifts and actions. Provide us with the courage and wisdom to share the Gospel with those who need to hear it. Use our voices to proclaim Your redeeming love, our feet to go on Your errands, and our hands to serve others because of You. Amen.

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Service Activities

Mission Service Activity of the Month

Fall: Pack the Pantry

Thanksgiving is portrayed as a time of bounty. Pictures of tables packed with luscious food are seen in grocery ads, on magazine covers, and on television. For some, those images are reminders of what they do not have. When circumstances place people in need of basic food supplies, it can be difficult to feel thankful. Consider hosting a food drive in your congregation. Contact your local food pantry and ask what is needed. Also ask what hours they are open for pick-up. Advertise those needs in your congregation. Collect items and deliver them so community members can have a full table for Thanksgiving.

Alternate idea: Locate families in your community that are in need. Collect the items for a Thanksgiving dinner, including a frozen turkey. Arrange a time to deliver the items. Include a note of encouragement and sign it from your LWML group or church congregation.

Possible food pantry donations:

• Traditional Thanksgiving food items like stuffing and sweet potatoes
• Canned chicken or ham
• Simple dessert ingredients like angel food cake, fruit pie filling, and whipped cream
• Ethnic foods common in your area
• Juice
• Paper products
• Foods with pop-top lids
• Powdered milk or cocoa mix
• Disposable baking pans or serving dishes
• Can openers
• Hearty soups or chili

Remember not everyone receiving these items has an oven, microwave, or even a can opener. They may not have anything to use as serving dishes. Talk to those working at the food pantry about what is really needed.

Gospel Focus

And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise” (Luke 3:11).

Devotion as you plan and prepare

“Sharing the Bread of Life” from LWML archived devotions. 

“5 Images of the Giving Christian” from LWML archived devotions. 

“God’s Plan for One Ordinary Woman” from LWML archived devotions. 

Prayer as you plan and prepare

Heavenly Father, give us thankful hearts. Give us eyes to see the needs in our community. Help us gather items that will bless those in need. Let our works reflect Your love. Use our efforts to bring others to You. Help us make our churches welcoming places to those in need. Thank You for the daily bread with which you bless us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Download the printable PDF of this Mission Service Activity

Pack the Pantry

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Service Activities

Mission Service Activity of the Month

September 2021: Prepare Breast Cancer Survival Care Kits

In preparation for October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month, plan to create Breast Cancer Survival Care Kits. Is there a breast cancer treatment center in your hometown or a support group affiliated with your local hospital? Are there women in your congregation who have been diagnosed with breast cancer? These are the people we want to serve this month.

Do a little research. Find local businesses, clinics, or doctor offices that serve women with breast cancer. Or, make a list of the women known to members of your group or zone who you could pamper with a Breast Cancer Survival Care Kit.

Breast Cancer Survival Care Kits may include:

• A pretty scarf or hat
• Knitted prayer shawl
• Cozy socks
• Lip balm
• Travel-size hand sanitizer
• Travel mug
• Soothing flavors of tea
• Individually wrapped hard candies (butterscotch, caramel, etc.)
• Women’s devotion book
• Personal notes of encouragement tied together with a pretty ribbon
• Print off an encouragement bookmark or notecard from the LWML website. (NOTE: Encouragement bookmarks and notecards are also available in Spanish.)
• Small box of colored pencils to color the bookmark/notecard listed above.

Items can be placed in a plastic zip bag or a pretty fabric bag. A card with your church’s name, address, and contact information may be included.

Going the extra mile: Include on the card mentioned above, the phone number to call if the recipient would like to have prayers said for her.

Gospel Focus

You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:9b–10).

Devotion as You Plan:

Use the God Raises Me Up devotion found at lwml.org Program Resources>Devotions archives. This devotion also could be included in the Survival Kit.

Prayer as You Plan and Prepare

Heavenly Father, You have called us to comfort one another in times of need. Many are suffering with cancer and other illnesses. This month we lift up to You each woman impacted by breast cancer. We pray for Your healing hand upon their bodies. We especially pray for Your peace and comfort for their hearts and minds. You are the ultimate healer, and we thank You for each healing miracle that You provide. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Service Activities

Mission Service Activity of the Month

August 2021: Fill a Backpack with School Supplies

Millions of children live in extreme poverty in the U.S. They also may arrive on the first day of school without the supplies they need to learn. Working with your local food pantry or school, your group can help fill the needs of these children. Standard school backpacks generally contain: 

• 1 backpack
• 2–4 spiral notebooks
• 2–5 pencils
• 2 ballpoint pens
• 1 package crayons (24 count)
• 1 ruler
• 2 glue sticks
• 1 pair of scissors
• 1 eraser
• 1 package colored pencils (12 count)
• 1 pencil sharpener

Orphan Grain Train School Kits and Lutheran World Relief School Kits also assist children within our country and around the world.

Gospel Focus

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another” (John 15:16–17).

Devotion as You Plan:

You have all heard the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Eating apples can give us energy and help keep our bodies healthy. Apples are a good fruit. God tells us to be like trees that bear good fruit. But what exactly does that mean?

Materials needed: Two baskets – one labeled “Good Fruit” and one “Bad Fruit.” The ten Bible verses listed below, written out, and cut apart; or print each verse on an apple shaped paper or tape verses to real apples. The verses should be sorted into the baskets. 

People needed: Leader and two volunteers will be needed to assist in “picking” the apples from each basket. One will read the “Bad Fruit” verses and the other the “Good Fruit” verses.

An Apple a Day

Prayer as You Plan and Prepare

Dear Lord, we are aware of the opportunities to serve children in need with school supplies. Make us brave to act and gracious to serve them, their families, and their teachers. Bless our efforts and may they be to Your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

The Gospel Outreach Committee would love to hear about, and share, your mission service activities! Please contact the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here. Thank you!

View past Mission Service Activities