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Here are some ideas of ministry activities you can do on your own or with some friends. Be creative! If one of the ideas doesn’t fit your community, make it work in your neighborhood by changing the idea a little. The most important thing is to go out and change your world for Christ.
Need more ideas for activities you and your friends can do on your own? Try these ideas:
Adopt a Grandparent
Interview a Missionary
Appreciation for Community Service Providers
Interview Adult about Profession/Call to Ministry
Recognizing Acts of Kindness
Affirmation Letters to Church Leaders
God’s Love Worship Service at a Nursing Home
Interview Music Minister
Adopt a Grandparent
Adopt a grandparent at a local nursing home or assisted-living facility. Contact the director to receive a list of names of residents who may be interested in having visitors come on a regular basis. Bring a gift on your first visit such as a basket of useful items such as lotion, socks, stationary, and stamps.
Spend some time getting to know your new “grandparent.” Ask life questions such as where she/he grew up, what her occupations were, and names of her children.
Explain to her what you have been doing and learning in Acteens this month. Explain that you have learned more about Jesus through reading God’s love letter—the Bible. Read aloud your favorite Scriptures. Offer to read your new grandparent’s favorite Scriptures. Select a Bible book to read through each time you visit. Offer to write and mail letters for them.
Schedule regular visiting times and be sure to keep your appointments. Pray together each time before you leave. Interview a Missionary
Visit the North American Mission Board Web site at www.namb.net. Locate the section that lists the names of missionaries and email addresses. Select one of the missionaries to contact this week. Tell the missionary who you are and that you are learning about God’s love and the joy of missions through Acteens.
Ask the missionary a few questions about his or her work. Ask her to tell you her favorite love song and to list her favorite Scriptures about God’s love. Remember to pray for this missionary this week. After you receive a response, share what you have learned with your Acteens group. Appreciation for Community Service Providers
Select a service occupation location such as a firehouse, a police station, or a doctor’s office. Make some homemade treats to take to the location. You may include some devotional magazines or Bibles. Tell the firefighters, police officers, nurses, doctors, or other medical professionals how you see God working through them. Include handwritten notes from your group expressing your thanks to them for their selfless service to your community.
Interview Adult about Profession/Call to Ministry
Ask your parents or another adult of your choice to explain why they chose their profession. Ask them how old they were when they knew what they wanted to be. Ask them to explain what they had to do to prepare for their occupations. Ask them to tell you how they serve Christ through their jobs. Record their thoughts in your journal. Pray with them thanking God for their influence on your life and ask God’s guidance as you seek to find God’s plan for your life.
Ask your pastor, youth pastor, or a missionary of your choice to explain her call to ministry. Ask her to explain where she was on her spiritual journey when she was your age. Ask such questions as: How did you know God was calling you to ministry? What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t in ministry? What is the hardest part of your job? What do you like the best? Summarize her experience in your journal. Pray with her thanking God for her willingness to be used in ministry and to ask God to lead you to a place of service through your future occupation.
Send a card to both adults you interviewed thanking them for the time they spent with you. Tell them you will keep them in your prayers this week as they serve God through their work. Write a note in your journal to help you to remember to pray for them often. Recognizing Acts of Kindness
Be aware of specific ways your mother, father, or the person who provides care for you in your home performs acts of kindness for you this week. Such as, notice when your mother makes your favorite meal, washes your clothes, or helps you with homework.
Look for times when the adult in your home gives you a compliment or comes home tired from work because she works hard to provide a home for you. Make a list each time she or he does something for you just because she loves you.
At the end of the week, give that person a thank-you card listing all the ways she has demonstrated love for you this week. Include your favorite Scripture about God’s love. Decide on at least one act of kindness you can do for this adult, such as washing the dishes, running an errand, or doing the laundry without being asked. Affirmation Letters to Church Leaders
Write an affirmation letter (or email) to your pastor, youth pastor, or other church staff member, or spouses of these people. Tell her or him what it is about her that you appreciate the most. List specific ways you see her demonstrating the heart of a servant.
Tell her what she has done to help you personally. Tell her how she challenges you to grow in your faith. Include favorite Scriptures explaining God’s love. Include a kindness coupon that lists at least one act of kindness you would like to do for her whenever she chooses. Ideas include free babysitting, leaf raking, or car washing.
Write a note in your journal to remind yourself to pray for this minister and her family throughout the week. God’s Love Worship Service at a Nursing Home
Conduct a Celebration of God’s Love worship service at the nursing home or assisted living residence where you have your adopted grandparent (see Adopt a Grandparent). In advance, ask residents to tell you their favorite hymns about God’s love. Include these songs in your worship service. Ask some of the residents to give their testimonies during the service.
During the service, include testimonies from the Acteens about how they have learned more about God’s love through their relationships with their adopted grandparents. Read the Scriptures about God’s love. Include the missionary testimonies. Close in a prayertime thanking God for how He loves us throughout our lives. Interview Music Minister
Interview the minister of music at your church. In advance, compile a list of teenagers favorite hymns and choruses about God’s love.
During your interview, ask the minister to tell you his or her favorite hymns and choruses about love. Present the list you created to him. Ask the minister to explain how he organizes the worship services each week. Ask him to explain the different phases of worship such as: praise and adoration, prayer, silence, Scripture, and sermon. Ask him to explain why his ministry brings him joy. Ask him how he thinks music inspires people to do missions and ministry. Present any new worship experience ideas to him that your Acteens have suggested.
Pray with him before you leave thanking God for what your minister does each week to lead others to worship.
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