Are you looking for some practical suggestions for way to give presence in your community? Here’s five I thought of real quick, some of which I am actively pursuing. I’m not talking about community service events, but places you can hang out just to get to know people.
If you know of others, leave them in the comment area below.
- Go to your local Chamber of Commerce or city website and get a community calendar, as well as a list of civic organizations and community service events. Then be present at as many of these events and projects as possible. Be the most active, joyful, service-minded citizens your city has ever seen.
- Join activity-based clubs such as hiking clubs, book clubs, and tourist clubs.
- Adopt a park and hang out there on a regular basis, cleaning and restoring it.
- Hang out a local bar or nightclub, getting to know the regulars, and blessing the owner with your business.
- Participate in the tractor-pulling contest or the art festival. Look around in the newspaper and on community bulletin boards for events that you can join.
Hey, this is a terrific idea. We are already having a nursing home ministry, a prison ministry, a letters to prisoners ministry…wonderful stuff Jeremy. I believe you have inspired me!
Jack,
I love reading your stuff on Yahoo Associated Content. I added you to my favorites over there. Keep the articles coming! Any tips for a new writer over there?
It looks like you repost a lot of your material. I’m guessing they are okay with that?
I apologize for getting back so late. I just completed Bible Study #2 for my Prison Ministry.
I don’t know that I can offer any real good advice for new writers except that write what you have a passion for. What you love to do often makes you more of an expert in your field. As a former prisoner, I can identify with these men in prison and so I write about the plan of salvation and applications to scriptures for their lives, either in prison or for when they get out. I am attending seminary and love to study the Bible and so my enjoyment of the Bible leads me to write about the grace of God, the unconditional love, and how a person can gain eternal life.
Yes, I repost almost all of my material. I write for Everyday Christians blogs, for a European website, and two blogs of mine. I am okay with re-publishing it because I want to spread the Good News as far and wide as possible. Our church is going out of the doors and into the community this week. We hope to go to the people and not expect them to come to us, i.e, nursing homes, jails, senior centers, etc.
Yes, I am starting to republish material on there too. I don’t have time to come up with all original posts. And like you say, it gets the message out.
That is exciting what your church is doing. Keep it up!
Great ideas, Jeremy. Here are a few more that have helped me along.
Regularly visit the same place for coffee and get to know some of the regulars. When I can, I visit our local Caffe Nero on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 15:00 and 16:00. I’m now on first name terms with a group of people there.
Get involved with volunteer groups. I’ve helped out with a kid’s summer camp but there are all sorts of things going on.
Just keep your eyes open as you walk the area, offer to help an elderly person with their garden, or give a hand where someone is busy decorating, offer to lend a hedgetrimmer when you see someone doing it by hand.
Ask others to help you too (neighbours, people you know).
All of those can lead to good conversations and sometimes lasting friendship.
Persistence and regularity seem to be important, it takes time to develop good relationships.
Those are all fantastic ideas. We are relatively new in the town we currently live in, but are getting to know people. As we get to know some, they slowly introduce us to their friends, and the circle expands. Some of them are becoming good friends. Persistence and regularity do seem to be important factors.