The Acts of Kindness Ministry

Quenching the physical thirst FIRST and the spiritual thirst AFTER.

THE IDEA:

Commit an array of kind, premeditated acts for complete strangers in public places.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Water bottles/balloons/a squeegee/something to give or use to do something kind for someone else.

A public place full of people.

Friendly volunteers.

THE STORY:

Acts of Kindness

You are out for a jog in your favorite park. It’s a Sunday afternoon—the only time slot in your entire week available for you to do some outdoor cardio and get your blood pumping. There isn’t a cloud in the sky.

However, there isn’t a refreshing breeze blowing either. Today happens to be a scorcher and the July sun is showing no mercy. As you wipe the sweat out of your eyes you spot a park bench. You stagger towards it and sprawl your limp body across it. Your chest heaves parched, painful breaths. One hand tightly grips the armrest and your other hand fumbles haphazardly through your backpack for your water bottle.

Oh no. You forgot your water bottle. You could kick yourself. Teeth clenched, you try to pace your panting to savor the last drops of moisture left in your mouth and throat.
Just then, you hear a friendly voice.

“Hi there. Would you like some water?”

An angel!

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Ok, maybe that was an extreme scenario, but for Verlinda Seberance and her Acts of Kindness team, playing the casual “angel” role happens on a biweekly basis.

“We want to, in simple ways, show that Christians actually care about people and they actually do things other than ask for something in return,” says Sebrance, Acts of Kindness ministry coordinator.

The Acts of Kindness teams minister to complete strangers in their local park by handing out water bottles. To invite children and tell parents about their Vacation Bible School program, the ministry also attached invitations to balloons and gave them away. Sebrance’s favorite part about the ministry is seeing people’s surprise at receiving the gifts.

Although Sebrance has only lead the Acts of Kindness ministry since the start of summer 2010, the ministry has been in effect at the Spokane Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church for about two years.

“I think that, as church members, we tend to focus on large evangelistic meetings and things like that and we’re always asking something of the people. We’re not giving,” says Sebrance. “Yes, we’re putting on the meeting, but they have to come and they have to listen to what we tell them. This is a very practical way of simply going to them and offering something that makes their day.”

They may have handed out balloons to invite children to Vacation Bible School, but the Acts of Kindness ministry prefers a “no-strings-attached” manner when it comes to approaching adults over the intimidating, and often controversial idea of religion. They do not use the water bottles to promote church services or religious gatherings. The cards secured to the bottles only list the church and their website so recipients can contact them if they have any questions or have prayer requests.

“They know that we’re there and that we’re willing to do more, but it’s not pushing anything is their face,” says Sebrance.

The main intent of the ministry is to give, but Sebrance recommended that church members use this opportunity to also get to know each other. She brought her Bible study group to the park for a picnic, to socialize and to study. When they were finished, Sebrance and her group ministered to the people in the park by handing out water bottles. Sebrance is also working on ideas for future A.O.K ministry projects such as washing strangers’ windshields.

To organize something like this at your church, nominate a few leaders to be in charge of a team of six to 12 people suggested Sebrance. Coordinate a weekly schedule and assign teams to their corresponding assignments and locations. Buy water bottles, or any other appropriate token, and label them so the recipient knows where the gift came from. Then, go to the park, or any other appropriate public place, hand the gifts out and spread the love.

“It’s as easy as passing out a balloon and saying, ‘God loves you’”, said Sebrance.

Fundamental beliefs class with the Haywoods

It’s Sabbath afternoon. Deer Park Church’s service is over.
But the church isn’t empty.

Deer Park Church’s two Bible workers, Nicole and Joel, are hosting their fundamental beliefs class–the one mentioned in the Ping-Pong Ministry story.

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Read how a ping-pong fanatic began a weekly church social that brought them together and attracted fresh new membere, and find out how you can start a ministry like this at your own church! Click here.

The Ping-Pong Ministry

Deer Park Church's Bible workers, Nicole and Joel Haywood.

THE IDEA:

Host a weekly church social on Saturday nights that involves ping-pong tournaments, table games and food.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Ping-pong table, paddles and balls.

Table games and/or any other interactive activities that bring people together.

Food.

Fun-loving people.

THE STORY:

The Ping-Pong Ministry

We visited Deer Park Seventh-day Adventist Church in Deer Park, Washington, and met with the church’s Bible workers, Joel and Nicole Haywood. After sunset the church hosts a casual weekly Saturday night social that brings in a steadily growing group of members as well as new visitors. The Haywoods explained how the ministry came into existence and how they help make it happen.

It started with a lonely ping-pong guru looking for a challenger.

”Bill liked ping-pong and he had a table in his house, but didn’t have a place to use it or people to play with, so he decided to bring it here,” said Nicole Haywood.

“He’s kind of the one that started this whole thing,” added Joel Haywood.

Bill, a recently baptized member of the church, had been attending the fundamental beliefs class that the Joel and Nicole hosted each Sabbath afternoon. Seeing the potential for a few ping-pong games with his study group members, Bill started storing his table at the church and set it up out after sunset each Saturday night.

“And then it turned into three ping-pong tables,” said Nicole. “And then people started bringing food.”

And soon, what began as Bill’s mini post-Bible-study tournaments turned into full-fledged Saturday night get-togethers.

Not everyone who came was into ping-pong so some brought table games to play. A group of ladies played exercise videos and worked out in one of the Sabbath school classrooms. Still others came simply to socialize and cheer on their friends. Snacks like popcorn, bread and fruit were shared. Members began to stay longer on Saturday nights, until even 11:30 at night.

Often, friendship comes first and teaching comes later so that people feel comfortable listening to what you have to say, said Nicole. Nicole and Joel felt that the relaxed environment was essential to building a real relationship with members and non-Adventist guests.

“It started as a social time and ended up being a ministry where we were able to invite Bible study contacts and non-Adventists to come socialize with Adventists and see we’re not some weird cult,” said Nicole. “People were actually able to be more comfortable around us because they were able to socialize in a nonthreatening atmosphere.”

One of the Bible workers’ favorite parts about the Ping-pong Ministry was seeing the fun, social atmosphere loosen up anti-social, reserved church members. Nicole and Joel watched members at the Ping-Pong Ministry approach visitors more warmly and on a more personal level than they often did on stiff, more formal Sabbath mornings.

“It was really constructive in relationship building and that’s the whole point,” said Joel.

“We’ve had people come to church afterward because they felt more comfortable coming because they’ve met a good portion of the members at ping pong night,” said Nicole. “Just helping people to get more comfortable was great.”

“We have some people at this church that are like… ping-pong monsters,” said Joel Haywood.

Starting a Ping-Pong Ministry at another church is as simple as a ping-pong table, two paddles and a ball, Joel told us when asked for advice on how to get a social night like this going at another church. Ping-pong seemed to fit right here, said Joel, but you could do any sort of activity with your church on a weekly basis. Start with a small group of people and see where it leads you. The idea is simple. Involve people in something recreationally fun and invite other people to it.

“It’s not something we originally planned,” said Nicole. “It was neat seeing God work through the resources that we already had.”

“It’s been a great blessing,” said Joel. “I would encourage anybody to come up with some sort of activity that they can do with church members to get church members in a situation where they can freely speak to somebody of a different faith.”

The Ping Pong Ministry – Extended Videos!

Before we post the full story, we just wanted to give you all a little bit more of a preview of what to expect.  Here is a video of Joel & Nicole Haywood, coordinators of the Ping Pong ministry in Deer Park, Washington.  This video is a bit of a Q&A, with extended answers to let you all know more about what this ministry is about.

Enjoy!

The Ping Pong Ministry

How many of you enjoy playing ping pong?

I’ll have to admit – I’m not a pro, but I definitely find it fun, and I’m sure I’m not the only one!

Aimee & I found 2 bible workers in Washington State who used a donated ping pong table as a ministry to bring others to Christ.  We weren’t able to actually attend the event, but we got some great interviews and shots of the duo playing ping pong.

Here’s a short preview video – we’ll have a full story, pictures, & longer interviews posted soon!

Sewing Ministry Photos

Here are just a few of the photos we took of the Sewing Ministry in Tulsa, Oklahoma!  To see more, ‘like‘ our page on FACEBOOK!

The Sewing Ministry

THE IDEA:
Church Sewing Group/Prayer Quilt Ministry

WHAT YOU NEED:
A dedicated group of people with talent and a passion for quilting/sewing.
Cloth, tools, budget.
Quilt recipients.
A place for the group to sew and socialize.
Opportunities for the quilts to be prayed over.

THE STORY:
The Sewing Ministry

“And this is The Prayer Room,” says Adventist Fellowship Youth Pastor, Stephen Carlile, as he slowly opens the door. We follow him inside.

The sweet aroma of spices and vanilla potpourri fills our lungs as we enter the low-lit room deemed “The Prayer Room”. The flooring here is different from the rest of the church’s hallways and classrooms. My feet sink into the deep carpet as my eyes adjust to the soft light. The cozy space is garnished with earthy décor. Soft, oversized throw pillows have been placed around the room and on the couches. Between a painting of Jesus and Psalms 23 hangs a large quilt that covers most of the wall. Bold, colorful pinwheel-shaped scraps of cloth have been sewn with care into the white blanket. Little white strings hang all over it.

“That’s a prayer quilt,” explains Pastor Carlile. “When someone has been diagnosed with a disease, has been sick for a long time, maybe even lost a loved one, or a young person who has gone off to college we give them a quilt to let them know that we are praying for them. We’ve seen miracles happen, and we know that they’ve been comforted in knowing that they’ve been prayed for.”

Adventist Fellowship Church holds a prayer service on the first Sabbath of every month. The quilts are laid out at the front of the sanctuary and labeled with the names of each person receiving the quilt. During the service, church members pray over each individual quilt and its’ receiver, then tie a knot in the quilt’s strings to represent their prayer. After the service, the quilts are returned to the Prayer Room for display and further meditation until the quilts are ready to be given to their recipients.

These comforting gifts are created by one of Adventist Fellowship’s many active ministries, the Sewing Group. Their small but dedicated team has met on a weekly basis for the last three and a half years. Intrigued by this caring, prayer-focused ministry, we decided to catch a first-hand glimpse of the creative work and attend a Sewing Ministry session for ourselves.

“I like that color combination. It’s very subtle,” says Sewing Ministry leader, Amber Ruszenas as we admire the colorful piles of square cloth soon to be assembled. “We just have to make sure we give that quilt to a girl,” she adds laughing. “Not all guys are comfortable in pink!”

Ruszenas’ Singer sewing machine whirs away as she joins the magenta and beige-patterned squares together, alternating them as she drags them carefully under the machine’s needle. She used to be part of a sewing group at another church, missed the socializing and fun she had with them and requested to start a group at Adventist Fellowship. After getting approval and a budget, the ministry began. The vibrant pinwheel quilt currently hanging in the prayer room is one of Ruszenas’ first quilts.

“That’s the beauty of ministry,“ says Pastor Carlile. “It’s not like we sat in a boardroom and we go, ‘we should have a sewing ministry!’ Somebody had a passion for it and they knew that other people would have a passion for it, and so they come every single week and make it happen.”

Not only has the ministry been a great way to sharpen the members’ sewing skills, but their projects have been a blessing to their receivers. Ruszenas told us about a teenage girl who had been suffering from a painful ailment that doctors could not diagnose or treat. Although she tried to stay cheerful and upbeat the pain really wore her down, says Ruszenas. A healing quilt was sewn and prayed over and was given to the ill girl. Two weeks later she was pain-free.

“There she was,” says Ruszenas remembering the relieved girl’s renewed energy. “On top of the world. She was just so happy. You can really see the changes that it makes. Prayer really does change things.”

Anita Gebard and Frenchie Alford have been active members since the beginning. Both women feel that the sewing group is a great place for people to socialize, sew and learn how to sew.

“There’s a lot of laughter in the room,” says Gebard. “We just enjoy each other’s company and do something worthwhile at the same time.”

“It’s just a joy to do something for other people because in that you are blessed,” says Frenchie Alford.

Arletta Huff has only been with the group for two years but said she would definitely invite anyone who was interested to join. When asked what her favorite part of the Sewing Ministry is Arletta Huff replies, “The visiting! No, I like putting the quilts together too, and just learning and working together. It’s fun to work together on a project. It’s not the same when you take it home and work on it by yourself.”

The group feels that inviting nonmembers to the sewing group would be easy since fellowship and their enthusiasm for sewing can be shared with others in their community. In this age of consumerism, sewing has almost become a lost art, and can now be viewed as a creative hobby instead of a chore as in the past. Besides healing quilts the group also sews baptismal robes, blankets for the homeless and less fortunate, and baby blankets for the new babies born into their church family.

“You can take any passion and turn it into a ministry,” says Pastor Carlile. “Anything that you can do to include people and have the focus for Jesus Christ, it’s a ministry and you’re going to win people that way.”

-Written by Aimee Bradshaw