You can help you help people struggling this summer. The Coronavirus has almost reached five months of worry, uncertainty, and in many cases, loneliness. The warm summer creates outdoor opportunities to spend time with people.
Take a moment to list the people on the fringes of your life and the people you have an inkling going through – job loss, marriage conflict, depression, anxiety, and the stress planning school next year.
You have an opportunity to offer the valuable gift of time in a safe and socially-distant manner.
As a pastor, I have loved watching the church this summer reach out to people. People have golfed together in different groups. Other families have hosted small backyard get-togethers.
Romans 12:13 says, “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
When you offer your time for those in need, you have shared the gospel in ways that a thousand sermons cannot.
Today, I want to give you five ways you can spend time with people struggling this summer:
Play Cornhole.
Invite four-six people to come over and play cornhole. An activity like this invites conversation while also having fun. The game also allows for smaller groups.
Make a bonfire.
Use your backyard or find a place to have a fire. Roast your marshmallows and s’ mores together. People can bring their chairs and supplies.
Mow a person’s lawn.
When people struggle, sometimes the weekly chores can become too much. Find a way to serve them and then spend time with them—surprise people by taking something off their plate.
Play a game over Zoom.
Perhaps, the people who need help do not feel comfortable getting together. Invite them to play a Zoom game online. Just because you can’t meet in person, doesn’t mean you cannot provide a way to connect.
Host church at your home.
Several churches, including the church I serve, still have church online. You could invite one-two families to watch church together and then have lunch afterward.
The limiting factors we face this summer provide moments for us to innovate. When you invite people who struggle to spend time with you, it allows them to know they are not alone.
What other ways can you help people struggling this summer? Share in the comment section below.
Photo by Austin Pacheco on Unsplash