Whether it is Women’s Ministry or another ministry at church, we don’t often think of hosting socials that require work. But, what if we hosted ministry projects as a social for our women’s groups?
The only fundraising that our pastor allows is for mission work, and it can only be done by one of our women’s ministry ministries that specializes in missions support. This group meets one Wednesday night every month, and this past Wednesday night we had a “work night” for preparing items for one of our largest fundraisers – local craft fair.
Our item of choice to work on was the popular Christmas Cookie mix that comes in a mason jar.
In case you would like to use this idea for one of your fundraisers, here are the directions:
- In a 1-qt. glass jar, layer the sugar and brown sugar, packing well between each layer. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; spoon into jar. Top with oats, cranberries and chips. Cover and store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
- To prepare cookies: Pour cookie mix into a large bowl; stir to combine. Beat in butter, egg and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Drop by the tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 3 dozen.
(Read more at Taste of Home)
It was a fun evening. In order to get involvement from your young Millennials, you will want to stress the Why of what you are doing. When this generation understands that getting together to put cookie ingredients in a jar is to help mission work from spreading the gospel to helping sex trafficking victims, they will gladly show up and help!
When setting up your ministry project night, consider
1) Establishing work stations where small groups of women can engage in both work and small talk
2) Introducing new women to each member of the group she will be working with with.
3) Rotating the women in and out of work groups as needs change, which will also enable them to meet and chat with even more women
4) Making sure it is highly organized so the women will be productive, and want to come back next time
5) Keeping it light. Don’t lead the project like a drill sargeant. If you plan for efficiency, the women will be efficient. If you effectively convey the cause, they will complete the assignment.
If you currently do not have opportunity to work on ministry/mission projects together in your women’s ministry, I recommend doing something like this quarterly. What are some other ministry projects make great socials?
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Award-winning author Gina Duke is a wife, mom and the Director of Women’s Ministry at her local church. With a B.S. in Organizational Leadership, she is able to bring a clear word for authentic Christian living. Through her book, “Organizing Your Prayer Closet: A New and Life-Changing Way to Pray” (Abingdon Press), she imparts 1 Peter 4:7 with the gift of structured prayer journaling. You may also follow her on Twitter and Instagram @TheGinaDuke.
We are looking for missionary project ideas too! We have a missions night once a quarter. One thing we have done is pack care packages for missionaries that our church supports. Besides donations for the packages, we also have the ladies write encouraging notes to the family. This is easier because we make a skype or facetime call to the family at the beginning of the evening and get to interact with them, so everyone has a chance to “meet” them.
A second idea was something we did this month: we had a speaker from Compassion, and then we all made Christmas cards for unsponsored children who are part of the Compassion program but don’t have sponsors yet. These cards are then distributed through Compassion. The craft night was great fun!
Those are some great ideas, Debby. I especially love the idea of skyping. Thanks for sharing your ideas! I’m looking forward to you joining us on Pinterest – Must-Follow Women’s Ministry Leaders!!! ~gina
Looks like a great time was had by all, Gina! Good idea for a fundraiser, great idea for a way for women to come together in fellowship and service!
Great post! Please come join the link up at somuchathome.blogspot.com! I host a party each Wednesday. The link up parties last a whole week, so you can link up at any time. Feel free to link up as many posts as you’d like.
Thanks, Chris. I will check it out:)