14. Send Christmas packages to overseas soldiers.
Contact the United Service Organizations to send gifts to troops serving abroad. Fill each package with necessities and comforts from home: cards and letters of thanks, phone cards and a Bible.
15. Provide free gift-wrapping for Christmas shoppers.
Partner with your local mall and set up a wrapping table in a central area. Ask the business office if you can advertise your free service at various points in the mall, or at main entrances of large department stores.
16. Teach kids the value of giving at Christmas.
Provide a venue where kids can “shop” for inexpensive or free Christmas gifts to give to their parents or siblings. Invite the community to attend, and help children choose gifts while their parents enjoy refreshments in another room.
17. Give away stuffed stockings to families in need.
One ministry gathers churches from across the city to distribute stockings stuffed with toys, candy and children’s Bibles to low-income families.
18. Show the community how to celebrate Christmas on a budget.
Host a seminar where you provide money-saving tips, creative do-it-yourself gift solutions and a financial expert who can answer questions about credit card debt.
19. Give parents a “night off” in December.
Offer free childcare to your community on Friday and Saturday nights—prime time for company Christmas parties and holiday shopping. Organize a crafts station where children can create homemade gifts for their families and friends.
20. Help your church family begin new financial habits for the New Year.
Do a sermon series on stewardship and living generously; start a Financial Peace University class; or host an investment seminar, in which a financial planner from your congregation walks people through smart investments.
21. Offer rides home on New Year’s Eve.
Help the people in your community usher in a New Year safely by offering free rides home from parties. Notify party venues of your service beforehand and ask them to call or text you when someone needs a ride.
22. Commemorate Martin Luther King Day Jr. of Service on his birthday holiday, Jan. 16.
The day of service offers a great opportunity to meet pressing needs in your community. For more information: NationalService.gov/mlkday.
23. Provide an inexpensive evening out for couples on Valentine’s Day.
One church offers a free Italian dinner and one-act show. Volunteers serve as waiters and waitresses, and local thespians provide the entertainment.
24. Host a Valentine’s Day party for children with special needs.
Complete with heart-shaped treats, singing and lots of valentines. Hand out information about your church’s special needs ministry to guests.
25. Hold a Valentine’s Day blood drive.
Partner with the American Red Cross and give people the opportunity to donate blood to help those in need.
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