This year Calvary Church will be Loving the 419 in hundreds of neighborhoods at the same time! We will adopt our mail carriers, collect food for local food banks, set up lemonade stands, pay it forward, and much more! This format gives everyone an opportunity to serve no matter your schedule, season of life, or location. You can do it on your own, with a friend, your family, or Life Group. Serve Week 2020 will allow us to love in a big way like never before.
To get started, grab your Project Pack with all the details and hit the streets of YOUR neighborhood!
HOW do I get a Project Pack?
- If you are attending service, stop by the Serve Week table July 5th or July 12th after service
- If you are watching online in the 419, stop by Calvary during business hours (M-Th 9-4:30, Fri 9 – 12:30) before July 12th.
- If you are watching online outside the 419, send us an email – serve@toledocalvary.org
Our hope is that Serve Week will give you opportunities to have simple conversations with people about your relationship with the Lord. Do not worry about knowing all the right verses or having the doctrine memorized. Just think about the times that the Lord has been real in your life and share those stories! The best way to plant seeds is to just share what you know!
And, if you get a chance, ask if you could pray for them. In this season many people are searching for help and answers. If you feel comfortable, pray out loud right there or add the need to your prayer list at home.
- A – Ask their name, Ask permission to pray, Ask the need
(What is your name? May I pray with you? Do you have a specific request/need?)
- B – Be thankful, Bring forth the need
(Jesus I thank you for “name” and I ask that you “share the request/need.”)
- C – Close in Confidence, give enCouragement, show Compassion
(Jesus we thank you that your love for us is real and your promises are true. I pray that “name” knows that you are with him/her, you will not forsake him/her and you will never leave him/her.)
Remember, Serve Week is our chance to love with no strings attached! Be an example of 1 John 4:19.
THIS YEAR'S PROJECTS:
Here are some tips and tricks for each Serve Challenge to make your Serve Week great! Feel free to be creative and add a personal touch. Once you have completed a challenge be sure to check in and let us know about it!
Challenge 1
This year has reminded us how dedicated the medical professionals of our community are. Help us make a HUGE impact by filling a care package (or two!). We need to collect 700 so we can deliver one to every employee at St. Luke’s hospital in Maumee! Follow the instructions located in the plastic box(s) you received with your Project Pack.
Challenge 2
Take some time to walk through your neighborhood, a nearby shopping plaza, or another location that could use some beautification. Fill one (or more!) bags with trash. Be sure to use gloves and dispose of the full trash bag in an appropriate place (your home trash can would be great!).
Challenge 3
The mail shows up come rain, sleet, snow, or hail. Let’s show up for our mail carriers! Here are some ways you can show love this week by leaving:
- a note of encouragement
- an air freshener for their truck
- a non-perishable snack
- flavor packets for their water
- a cold bottle of water with a Calvary Church sticker on the cap (stickers in
Project Pack)
Challenge 4
Each week thousands of people in the 419 rely on food banks to feed their families. Organize a food collection in your neighborhood or with your friends and family. At the beginning of the week, hand out your Food Collection Cards (in project pack) and let people know the items you will be collecting. Schedule a time you will pick up donated items and drop off your collection at Calvary during Serve Week 10:00am – 11:00am & 6:00pm – 7:00pm.
Challenge 5
There is power in prayer! Step out into your community and cover the streets in prayer! You can walk, jog, bike, or drive your way through your neighborhood and beyond. This is a great project to do with friends or family. You could even create a walking or running group that meets all year long to pray!
Here are some things you can be praying:
- For safety and health
- For our leaders as they make hard decisions
- For our schools as they care for our children
- That there will be unity and peace
- That people will have a chance to hear about Christ and have life change
Challenge 6
In Matthew 22 Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment? He replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” And without hesitation he quickly followed with the second. “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
We are called to love our neighbors. What if that literally meant the people that God chose for you to live next to? Down the street from? Take time this week to Love the 419 right on your own street, in your apartment building or on your cul-de-sac.
- make cookies for a neighbor
- do yard work for someone who could use extra help
- take flowers to your neighbors
- pull everyone’s trash cans back to their house after garbage day
- pick up sticks in neighboring yards
Challenge 7
We are blessed with tons of great parks in the 419! Go for a walk and take time to:
- pick up trash along the way. Be sure to dispose of the trash in an appropriate
place.
- Take along bottles of cold water and hand them out to those you meet. Stick a
Calvary Church sticker on the cap!
Challenge 8
Everyone loves a surprise! Pay it forward this week and buy someone’s coffee, lunch, gas, or groceries. Let them know they are loved by using the Pay It Forward card. Ask the cashier to pass the card along when they share the good news!
**Another option – leave change in vending machines to be a blessing
Challenge 9
Our community is full of great people that provide essential services all year long! Let’s show them some love this week. Consider sending a card, having your kids color a Love the 419 picture, or dropping off a potted plant! Be sure to include a Love the 419 Thank You card!
Here are a few groups in your community that you could show appreciation for all they do! You can find addresses for these heroes by using Google.
- Post Office
- Librarians
- Childcare Facilities
- Firefighters
- Police Officers
- Nursing Homes and Senior Centers
- Gas Stations
Challenge 10
The best way to share Christ with others is through relationships! Here are some ideas to help you get to know those who live close by!
- Sidewalk Art – Grab some chalk and a few neighbors to cover the sidewalks
with notes of encouragement.
- Sidewalk Games – Take the summer fun to the front yard and invite the
neighbors to join in. Use some fun games to start a summer-long tournament –
four square, corn hole, basketball, hopscotch.
- Create a walking/running group.
- Kid Summer Fun Bag – Hit up the Dollar Store and make fun summer goodie
bags to handout.
- Neighborhood Car Wash
- Plant a neighborhood garden and get everyone involved!
- Popsicle Pass Out – Toss a box of Fla-Vor-Ice in the freezer and find a hot
afternoon to pass them out while going on a walk around
your neighborhood.
- Have a coloring contest. Handout coloring books and crayons to the kiddos in
your neighborhood.
- Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt – Make a scavenger hunt for families to
participate in. Simple prizes from the Dollar Tree add extra fun! (ex – find 5
houses that have a minivan; find a house that has a flag; meet a neighbor that
has more than 3 children; meet a neighbor that has a motorcycle)
- Recipe Swap – Invite neighbors to share their favorite recipes. Swap them
around and share how they turned out!
- Block BBQ – Send out invitations and invite the block over for an
evening meal.
Remember to be respectful of people and their space especially during this season of opening our communities back up. It never hurts to ask first
Challenge 11
A glass of lemonade is always a treat! Set up a lemonade stand on your street for all who pass by. Make it a special treat by giving it away for free – just because!
Challenge 12
Share some love by making Kindness Rocks and leaving encouraging messages around town.
- Find the perfect rock – you will want a smooth rock with enough space to write
your message. If you cannot find one check your local craft or dollar store.
- Prep the rocks – wash your rocks before painting or writing your message.
- Give your rocks a base coat – this can be as simple as painting the whole rock
with a single color.
- Add a kind message – include #lovethe419.
- Hide your kindness rocks – place your rocks in a public space, not in places that
will disturb nature or ruin a lawn mower.
CHALLENGE COMPLETED?
We’d love to hear more about how YOU brought serve week to your neighborhoods.
