14 Easy, Practical, Missional Ideas That You Can Do This Thanksgiving
WELCOME to The Seedhead from Alex and Hannah at Dandelion Resourcing -
a weekly confidence booster to help you step into naturally
supernatural discipleship and mission!
In issue #168 of The Seedhead we’re looking at how to live on mission this Thanksgiving!
Even if this is not a holiday where you live, we hope that you will be stirred to think afresh about ways to reach your unchurched friends and neighbors.
Let’s dive in…
How often is it totally fine to freely tell everyone what you’re grateful to God for?!
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)
As relative newcomers to Thanksgiving, we have to say that we absolutely love this holiday! In fact, it might even be our favorite.
One of the reasons is that it’s such an easy time to be intentional in our missional efforts.
In this post we’re sharing some simple, practical ideas that you can use. You might want to simply run with them as is, or you might be inspired to spin off something that’s better or more contextually appropriate.
For ease of reading we’ve used the word ‘neighborhood’ throughout. However, please feel free to translate that into your situation. For instance, an idea could easily be applied to your workplace, soccer team, or family reunion.
The goal is to foster a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude. That in turn creates a pathway into the presence of God, including for your lost friends and family.
14 Ideas
Send notes of gratitude to friends/ neighbors/ teachers/ colleagues/ those who need encouragement. Practice the prophetic by asking God for a word from Him to put in each card (although don’t write that ‘this is from God for you!’ Just write it in a normal way, e.g. “I’m grateful for you, and in particular XYZ”, or, “This Thanksgiving I’m thankful for XYZ that I see in spades in you!”
Thankful chalking. On your driveway or sidewalk, write “I am grateful for…” and then start a list underneath “this neighborhood, my family, sunshine” etc. Leave chalks there so that others can add what they’re thankful for.
Give neighbors or a specific pool of workers (firefighters/ delivery people/ teachers) a plate of cookies, gift card, etc, along with a hand-written note saying “I’m grateful for you” and why.
Make up baskets of goodies, and share with someone who is struggling at this time.
Is there a needy household in your neighborhood that you could rally others to adopt?
“Love in Action” days to love neighbors going through a tough time. Challenge your people to look on your block for an act of love you can do to bless a specific neighbor, e.g. raking leaves or simple home repairs.
Perform random acts of kindness - pay for someone else’s drink, surprise someone with a plant or gift, and find other ways to be kind to those around you.
Give out Thanksgiving meals or gift cards to local needy families. If you’re not sure where to look, the counsellors at your local school will be able to help.
Host a friendsgiving, potluck, or progressive dinner party. Everyone brings contributions of food. Include a time when everyone shares what they’re thankful for from the past year.
Reach out to those who are alone for Thanksgiving. Let them join in for some part of your Thanksgiving day, e.g. brunch, the main meal, or wine and dessert in the evening.
Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving have a leftovers meal with neighbors. Say what you’re grateful for.
Host a Thanksgiving trivia night - ask guests to bring a gift, toiletry item, coat, or loose change for someone in need.
Organize a fall themed scavenger hunt.
Organize some sort of games event - board games in your home, games on the front lawn, games in the local park, or watching the game on TV.
Reflect and Act
Read through this list again and ask the Holy Spirit which of these ideas you can do over the next few weeks
Ask Him how to tweak these ideas to make them fit for your context
Who is going to help you, and who are you going to invite?
Cover it all in prayer
What things have you done in the past, or are you planning on doing this year? Let us know, so we can add to this list in future years!
Blessings,
Alex + Hannah
ALEX AND HANNAH ABSALOM
Thanksgiving Offer from Logos Bible Software
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Get a Logos 10 package for 20% off, and they’ll send you a free copy of Logos 10 Fundamentals to give away.
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Check out each week’s offering: https://partners.faithlife.com/click.track?CID=466226&AFID=529403
If you purchase through these links, we’ll receive a small commission, which helps us offer this newsletter for free. We do use Logos personally, and are happy to recommend it to you as a great Bible study tool!
