Mission Servants Activity of the Month
Honor Our Military Families
Thank all the military families in your church or throughout your community for their sacrifice to keep us safe and free. Take the opportunity to give back to these families, showing your gratitude, your love, and your service.
Organize a Military/Veterans Appreciation luncheon. Invite your church military and other community military members, including veterans from missions, nursing homes, etc … Use a Thrivent Action Team to organize the event. The seed money can be used for invitations, flyers, and other publicity. Have everyone RSVP for the event. Organize a decorating team, a catering team, a team to ask for donations (gift cards) from community businesses, and a clean-up team. Ask the military members to bring a photo of themselves in their service uniforms. Have a Power Point of before and after pictures celebrating their service. Don't forget the military music and a devotion and prayer for the military families. Give out gift cards or other donated items to say thank you to your military guests.
Other ways to say "Thank you!":
- Pray for our troops and military families.
- Recognize veterans in your congregation at least once a year.
- Celebrate and remember our nation's military veterans, service personnel, chaplains and families.
- Mow a military family’s lawn one Saturday morning or shovel their snow.
- Offer to babysit for service members so the husband and wife can go on a date or have some alone time.
- Have a drive for care box items.
- Visit veterans who are in a hospital, assisted living, or nursing home.
- Invite them to a parade, memorial service, or wreath across America ceremony honoring our military.
- Prepare a meal for them or invite them over for dinner.
- Send them a "Thank You" card for their service.
- Donate to Ministry to the Armed Forces which supports our military and Chaplains.
- Start an Operation Barnabas chapter in your congregation.
Resources
- Ministry to the Armed Forces: www.lcms.org/ministry-to-the-armed-forces
- Operation Barnabas: www.lcms.org/ministry-to-the-armed-forces/operation-barnabas
- Faith Comes by Hearing in every Language with a variety of devices to fit everyone’s lifestyle. www.faithcomesbyhearing.com
Remind Chaplains on military bases, overseas, in veteran nursing homes, or VFW’s that they can order the military BibleSticks at no cost to give out to military members and veterans.
A message you could send to military members:
Thank you for your service to our country. Please enjoy this military BibleStick. God is with you now and forever. Love in Christ, (your name or church here)
- www.military.com/veterans-day/veterans-day-military-discounts.html
- www.military.com/veterans-day/events.html
- www.military.com/veterans-day/giving-back.html
Download this flyer to print and share!
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!
