Unique Ministries Homemakers Can Support
By Erin, Contributing Writer
As the mom of three very young children, I’ve often struggled with how outside ministry has taken a backseat during this very busy season of motherhood.
Before becoming a mother, I truly had no clue how demanding (albeit fulfilling) of a job raising young children is. And simply put, my children are my ministry, and I believe that is how it should be.
I am thankful for a mentor who admonished me when I was expecting our first: Your children are the most important disciples you will ever have.
Yet, there is a whole world out there in need of my Savior. And part of discipling my little ones is demonstrating outreach to others–together.
So what are some tangible, feasible ways in which busy homemakers can minister from home? Check out these 5:
Image by Hope 4 Women International
1. Adopt a widow.
This can be a local widow who merely needs a respite from her loneliness or it can be a widow a world away who needs rescue from a life of poverty.
Because my family was blessed with some extra funds through The Healthy Living eBook Bundle Sale (which I am sure many of you purchased!), we have been able to adopt a widow through Hope 4 Women International this year!
For $432 per year or $36 per month, your family, Sunday school class, Bible study group, MOPS group, etc. can adopt a widow in Uganda or India. My favorite part about this ministry is that after the one year of sponsorship, the widow becomes completely self-sufficient!
During the year, with your support, the widow goes through a training where she learns a skill that will enable her to work to support her family for the rest of her life.
To be honest, we’ve always been reticent about sponsoring a child because of our income level. We did not want to commit to a ministry we could not continue to support.
This ministry, however, is only a one-year commitment. And if you enlist a group or several families to go in with you, you can easily help a widow attain a new life.
If you are curious about how widow sponsorship works, you can join this Facebook group.
2. Host a bake sale…and raise money for kids with cancer.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a national non-profit that raises money for childhood cancer research through local bake sales. New Jersey residents Larry and Gretchen Witt started the organization in December 2007, after their then-2-year-old son, Liam, was diagnosed with cancer. Liam died in 2011.
Anyone, anywhere can organize a bake sale. The cookies don’t have to be anything fancy. Are you a busy mom who can only provide slice and bake cookies? That’s OK! Anything is allowed!
If you’re wanting to bake and sell healthier cookies, here are some recipes to get you started:
- Allergy-Friendly Sugar Cookies
- Chewy Gingersnaps
- Peanut Butter Honey Cookies
3. Sew pillowcase dresses for impoverished girls.
Dress a Girl Around the World is an organization that envisions a world where every girl owns at least one dress. The ministry collects hand-sewn pillowcase dresses and distributes them internationally.
Pillowcase dresses are simple enough for even the most novice seamstress to make, and those who do not sew can help by donating materials, such as gently-used pillowcases and ribbon.
Dresses not only provide warmth from the elements but also give girls dignity–and help protect them from sexual predators!
A friend of mine is the North Carolina state representative for the organization. You can check this list to see if your state has a representative, and, if not, perhaps you can become one!
If you’d like to pick the NC rep’s brain, she has offered to answer your questions via email at littledressesnc@gmail.com.
Image by Compassion International
4.Feed a family–or a village.
Both Samaritan’s Purse and Compassion International issue gift catalogs every year that include very tangible ways families can serve others around the world.
Stephanie and her husband Ryan enjoy gathering their children together to pick something out of the Compassion catalog each Christmas. Our family was so inspired by this that we did the same thing this year! Our little girls picked out a flock of chickens. I hope this can become a new tradition.
Yes, it does cost money, but most items cost far less than the widow’s ministry mentioned above, yet they still make a big impact. Even just a $4 gift can feed a child for a week; $79 can give the gift of water to an entire family for life; or, a gift of $6,000 can provide discipleship to an entire village!
And, if you choose something in January, your family could work toward the goal of funding the gift all year long! (Crystal’s post on what our children teach us about giving includes some great inspiration for this.)
5. Give money to your favorite charity….without spending a penny!
Pure Charity is an organization I first learned about while attending the Allume Social Christian blogging conference. The ministry connects givers and charities.
Givers create an account on the Pure Charity website and shop their regular stores, like Target, Walmart, etc. A percentage of your purchase is deposited into your account, and the charity of your choice receives the funds!
Other Ideas for Ministry as a Homemaker
Three Easy Ways to Give Back @ Authentic Simplicity
7 Ideas for an “At-Home” Mission Trip @ Passionate Homemaking
What Does Home and Family-Centered Ministry Look Like? @ Keeper of the Home
‘Tis the Season to Serve…With Little Ones @ The Humbled Homemaker
Is Compassion International a Good Investment? {A Husband’s Perspective} @ Keeper of the Home
Almost all of these ministries involve little or no time outside of the home, allowing homemakers who have very young children to still get involved. One thing I always try to remember about this season of serving from home is that it will not last forever.
One day my little girls will be older, and hopefully, through God’s grace, the example I set now in our home will propel them to come alongside me and my husband later on in even more ministry together.
My kids and I like to put together activity bags for children at our local children’s hospital. Dollar Tree has a great selection of coloring books, crayons, stickers, puzzles, playdough, etc. that we buy and bag up to keep these special kids busy while receiving various treatments.
In leiu of presents for birthdays, we ask friends and family to donate to a specific charity (toys for the children’s hospital, needed goods to the Ronald McDonald House). Many hospitals (esp. children’s) have wishlists of toys needed. What a difference it makes to get handed a toy for your young one to play with when they are waiting and getting super antsy or when inpatient! The kids really like dropping off toys and it doesn’t cost a thing when it’s a toy drive or a bday party request!
Last year for our homeschool parties, we requested kids bring 1 canned good item, each, to donate to a church’s food bank. Having them spend $69 out of their allowance was doable for all of them.
I have my oldest son (my special needs kiddo) help me raise money through baking and we do a walkathon for his children’s hospital, annually. Great for bonding, doing something meaningful, inspiring, and makes one count their blessings to see other families who have struggled so much.
There are so many opportunities out there! We lean towards children’s hospitals because of our personal history. I sew blankets to donate, but they also accept fleece blankies that older kids can make (if a sew-er lacks funds, a program called “Quilts for Kids” will send you all the makings you need to sew a quilt for a child battling an illness). Having something “homey” makes a world of difference when one is stuck inside those 4 white walls! Even our local hospital accepts knitted or crocheted infant hats for the babies (I’m sure crisis pregancy centers do as well!). Many hospitals accept good condition used books for waiting rooms and many of us have TOO many books that don’t get read enough in our homes!
When I was growing up, my parents took us to our local nursing home every week. We sang as a family (parents played instruments) and talked with the older people. It never cost a thing and lifted the older people’s spirits and taught us to relate to those we normally wouldn’t have. I’m very thankful my parents made us do this! I’m sad that we didn’t do this this year, but last year we colored a bunch of Christmas pictures and I put the kids’ ages on the back and one thing they love (as a conversation starter for the old folks); then we mailed them to the activities director of a nursing home for them to hang up on an older person’s door who was lonely and didn’t have decorations. We will do this for Valentines in Feb again! It just took our time and a stamp and was perfect for young children to do.
Loved your ideas!!!
And I totally understand wanting to serve outside the home too. My husband has had to remind me that there will be a time when I (and the kids) can volunteer in person at places; but now is not the time. They are only little for such a short time and I’m seeing that now (5,4,2,and 1). The training of their hearts takes so much energy and I need to not be drained while trying to guide them!
One of the most important ministries that homemakers can help with is, I feel, the ability to minister to needs right within their community and church family – things like meal support for families with hospitalizations or new babies, childcare for moms that need some help, cleaning a house for someone who needs the help, etc. The strength of communities really rests upon homemakers, because they are the ones who can help without the demands of a boss and a work schedule – and the ways that they can help are so vitally important to a community!
I think focusing on local needs is very important and often over-looked. Why not adopt a widow from your church or community, or how about a single mom? Create bags of items for the homeless to give out. Collect stuffed animal for children’s hospitals. Make cards for senior citizens in nursing homes. It is very important to take care of those in our own church body and community.
What a great post…and exactly what I prayed about this morning! I was writing out goals for 2013 and one of them was to find ways to reach out in our church and community…this post adds the world to my list. Thanks so much to opening my eyes and heart to ministries that need our help. 🙂
My former pastor and his wife started a ministry called International Voice of the Orphans. Along with that, they started a website called Orphan Wares. Orphan Wares collects handmade gifts from crafters around the world who donate them. They then sell them and give 100% of the proceeds to feed and care for orphans. 100% goes to the orphans. If you are crafty or just have a heart for the orphan, please check out both Orphanwares.com and International Voice of the Orphans! http://www.orphanwares.com
I started a photography biz that donates 50% of earnings to Christian Humanitarian Organizations. 🙂
Awesome, Nicole!!