Kids ministering to kids
Children’s Ministry Magazine requested ideas on ways kids can minister to other kids. They asked for ways to minister where we live and in far away places. I submitted some of my ideas and they accepted 2 of them: 1) a toy drive during other times of the year rather than the usual Christmastime and 2) sharing new, unused stuffed animals with children in local hospitals.
Idea #1:
We had a lesson in children’s worship one week about doing things for others and providing things for other children who do not have toys or the money to purchase extra toys for themselves. Lessons like this sound familiar at Christmas time but this lesson came in the middle of the year not around any major holidays. We decided to involve the families of each child in children’s worship in this project as well.
Each child and his/her family purchased a new toy (something that they would like to have) and brought it back to children’s worship the following week. Some younger kids brought balls; some kids brought stuffed animals; some kids brought blankets rolled up like sleeping bags; some parents brought clothes. We filled my car with good toys and supplies for community children.
One day that next week on an extended lunch break from work, I took some kids (ages 4-10) and one mom with me to deliver the things to a neighborhood house that distributes needed supplies to families in the community.
The kids loved actually being able to see where their donations were going instead of taking it to church and having someone else deliver the things.
Idea #2:
One gentleman in our church praise band works at a local department store. He was able to get several bags of unused, new stuffed animals from the store. We gathered those animals and delivered them to a local hospital for children who are admitted for extended stays. I took a mom and her 5-year-old daughter with me to deliver those items. She loved seeing where those donations were going.
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