Here is a simple ministry idea I want you to steal.
Last Sunday we had a ‘Hope for Africa lunch.’ The pitch was: “African food at Australian prices - all proceeds to Anglican Aid’s Horn of Africa Appeal.”
People jumped at the opportunity to come, cook, and contribute. The kitchen was filled with slow cookers and a glorious smell.
In the sunny courtyard old and young alike enjoyed a ridiculously abundant spread of African dishes. We raised about $1500 on the day with more still trickling in. One of the most encouraging and humbling things was seeing children give generously from their pocket money.
Here are some of the reasons it worked so well:
- it was a simple proposition & easy to deliver
- the idea didn’t come from the ministry staff but arose after we prayed together for those in need. One woman at church approached me with the idea and showed how she could make it happen (I would never ever have come up with this but it seemed so obviously brilliant as she spoke to me about it)
- for those who felt overwhelmed by the scale of the drought and famine, or overcome by compassion fatigue, they were able to join with others, make a real difference and give real hope
- as a small church we were able to tap into the big work being done by Anglican Aid. The target of the appeal is for Sydney Anglicans to raise $500,000 for drought and famine relief for the people of Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
- we appealed to people’s generosity - not setting ticket prices but encouraging the freedom give what they chose to. We suggested Australian restaraunt prices as a guide.
Please steal this idea. I could see it working for churches small or large.
If you’ve got other ideas you think of worthy of stealing then please share them in the comments below.
Do something. Give hope. Make a real difference to those suffering from this devastating humanitarian crisis.
