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Has anyone done this? I am looking for someone that can guide me in what I'm doing and getting into. I plan on doing an outreach card ministry to the local nursing homes and also one for our church. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I have been placed in the nursery area of my large church, to minister to the nursery workers first, then fill in with help with the babies. I get inspiration to make cards about once a month for the paid workers and volunteers, giving a message to uplift them. Inspirations are for the outside and inside of the cards, usually something decorative on the front, maybe with words, with a related scripture inside, printed on my computer. Many of the recipients tell me that they have kept every one of my cards...5 years' worth!
For nursing homes, I think it would depend if you want to make them for the residents to send out, or to cheer up the residents. And the theme may be guided by the type of facility it is. Christian-based facility would be open for direct Christian messages, etc.
I'm sure that God will give you direction for this ministry. Blessings to you!
We have a card ministry at our church. We make cards for the minister to send to members and visitors (birthday, get well, thinking of you, sending you sunshine, etc.). We also make cards to give to the home-bound members to send out since they are not able to go card shopping.
Hi Sherry, I have a group of ladies that started at church and are still connected to church, but include neighborhood, friends or anyone. The "ministry" is to each other AND to places that ask for cards or that we find need cards for some reason. Our first place was and still is a Men's Homeless Shelter in the Milwaukee area. Their goal is to get the men back on their feet with a job, apt etc. They have levels of achievement and give encouragement cards for those and also any kind of card you could give to another person.
We have also done large print bookmarks with a verse on for a nursing home at someone else's request and this month I have a friend who is doing a rummage to raise money for a group called Exploit No More. If people find out that you are willing to do this, they will start asking you. My group is not just a "church ministry" as there are more than one church involved and we are more a "community outreach". I always ask in the beginning if the party has any objection to us putting a Bible verse in the card if we feel so inclined. If they say, "no" (and no one has yet) I believe I would choose to not make cards for them. The cards we make rarely have a verse, but I would always like the option, as I believe it's God's ministry. And I totally agree with what harvestmoon had to say. God is your Guide.
Hi Sherry...I have a card ministry at three churches. I used to send cards to the troops but in the last year its been difficult getting names so now I donate them to our church bookstore and two other churches that sell them. I also supply thank you cards to pastors wives and lay shepards. Twice a year our church has a huge sale. I supply between 1500 and 1700 new cards for the sale. We sell a lot of them! I package all the for sale cards in clear envelopes with a white mailing envelope also included. I love making cards so feel truly blessed to have somewhere for them to go. I have also supplies cards to the Womens Crisis center to send to their clients.
Blessings.
I sort of feel like my cards are a ministry too...and want to even take my blog into that direction. I make cards for our local pregnancy center (Pro-Life center - I make baby, birthday, thank you, and general encouragement) and then also get involved in our secret sister program at church (I have 5 this year...ours works a bit different than most - while I have 5, only one person has me and there are years where I have 4-5 that I send to but no one selects me). I also send a lot of random cards to different people in the congregation. One thing I used to do - and got away from but God is showing me that I need to get back to it - is to be an encouragement to the ministry team....I'm sure if you look around your church you can find your niche and even local organizations. If you're afraid of getting overwhelmed at first - why not just pick out one group that you will send cards to on a regular basis....maybe the shut-ins or those who are in the hospital/sick...or Sunday School teachers. I'd love to hear your plans and to know how it turns out. Please feel free to PM me anytime!!!!
I was sure we had another discussion thread on this somewhere, but I can't find it. :( I tried! I just want to say thank you to all of you for seeing a need and allowing your creativity to be a blessing to others!
We have a Caring Hearts group at our church who meet monthly to write and send cards to shut-ins, members who are ill, and anyone people suggest could use a pick me up. To pay for postage, we take an offering for loose change once a month, and that covers the cost. Good luck with your card ministry! You will brighten so many people's days!
Please know I am saying this with love. I'm always a bit disappointed when someone says they won't do a ministry if they can't use Bible verses. I always believe that the kindness of the ministry act itself is stronger than the words which may be overlooked, and can help lead people to their own relationship with God. I would just hope that anyone not doing something because they can't use a verse, pray on it. I know people that would be put off by an overt Biblical message that would be open to a supportive message with kindness.
...the kindness of the ministry act itself is stronger than the words...
This comes up sometimes in relation to Hope You Can Cling To, too, where our cards are sent to a state institution and can't have 'religious' references. I can't tell you how many times the actual making of cards for that event and others has been an act of prayer for the recipient - sometimes I'm even moved to tears... even if the words on the card don't or "can't" say so.
"...Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."
wow, thanks so much for the great response I rec'd. I appreciate each and everyone of you that responded. Since that post I went to one of the nursing homes and visited a couple of people from our church, talked with some of the admin and found a sheet with birthday names and dates. There are 11 in July so I am getting ready to start making cards. One of the nurses said that she had several people had mentioned that they never get cards which broke my heart so I will be making some for them plus I wont have to worry abt postage because I can drop the cards off.
hdp - I plan on making and mailing myself. I can handle the postage as long as it is not too many people.
Bobbiesgirl - I know I did the hope you can cling to and it couldn't be anything religious. I was a little disappointed but knew if was for a good cause. Yes, God is my guide and I am doing this to glorify him.
Sprtchick - That is totally awesome. I go to a small church so I don't think I would be able to sell them.
I'm just starting in on a one-girl ministry for the folks in our home church. We have a small congregation and most of the members are senior citizens. Each week, I pick three or four names from the prayer list printed in the bulletin and send them a card. If there aren't a lot of names on that list, I choose a shut-in or someone we haven't seen for a while. I keep a list in the back of our church directory of the cards I've sent and when, so I don't double up on some people and skip over others.
Weighing in on the Bible verse or no Bible verse discussion: I sometimes choose a card without a verse on purpose. I think we can say "God loves you" without saying the word God and still mean it. I think I can get my message across without "offending" the recipient, even when they don't want to hear "religious" stuff. Remember that we are only the seed-planters. The Lord will cause the seeds to grow when they land on the right soil.
P.S. I know I'm new here and a lot of you don't know me, but here's a reach out offer for all of you: I often write my own poems for the inside greetings on my cards. Anyone who wants a sample or a special poem for a special occasion can PM me and I will be glad to share.
__________________ SilverSnow Lois Malachi 3:10 "See if I will not throw open the floodgates of heavenand pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it"
Russnzella - that is awesome. I have a secret sister too, only problem I can't make her any cards because she would know who I am since I did a card class for the Golden Circle ladies in the church
I will definitely keep you in the loop!
Scrapmomoftwins - I wish I could ask the church for a small fee (like maybe splitting postage or helping with supplies) but our budget won't allow it. I would rather see the money go to our Awana group.
I have, also, done our church ministry for a few years; sending out sympathy, get well wishes, encouragement, mostly. I print up my own sentiments and save to a usb stick memory and can just go to it to print off sentiments that fit; then you can also personalize the sentiment with the recipients name. The secretary sends me an email with the prayer list to see who I can send a card to, making my own cards.
__________________ Carolyn
my avatar: (such desparation), Dear God, if you can't make me thin; make my
friends fat"
Hi! The card ministry I do for our church members is for a smaller group at our church, I do the kids who are away at college. They are often overlooked since they're young, and busy, but when away from home they get homesick and I've heard back from them that the cards often arrive at a time when they needed that little extra love and encouragement. They like to know their home church hasn't forgotten them.
Just saw this thread and not sure I can anything others haven't already, but kudos to you, OP.
My card ministry is slightly different from a few of the others' whose threads I've just read. I provide my cards to the minister and let him send them out from himself/his church. I'm anonymous to the recipients but helpful to their preachers.
My card ministry that has evolved, slightly, over the years. I started by providing the cards to our church's ministers for hospital visits (large church 12,000+ congregation). I did that for awhile, but it frustrated me that I was never successful in getting feedback. I didn't want praise, but I did want a little input - i.e. were they useful, how many were needed, etc? I truly had no idea and just couldn't get any direction to help me know when/how to make them cards. I guess I'm OCD, but I needed that.
In the meantime I asked a preacher-friend that I volunteer with down at our homeless shelter here in Charlotte if he could use some. He not only said "yes," but asked specifically for thank you and masculine cards. That was several years ago, and we've been connected ever since. Since then, I've added another preacher-friend to my donations, so I now have a black church and a white church I can provide cards to. Yep, I'm blessed.
So, the only thing I can say is the one thing I've noticed w/all volunteering/donating - your ministry will grow. Who can say "no" to a card, especially a handmade one?
Well, so far so good. I have been making cards and probably have about 50 made but these are mostly birthday. I need to speed it up and get sympathy cards, etc., done. My mojo has been gone for about 1 1/2 yrs so to help me out I bought the Gina K., here comes the sun stamptv kit. It has really helped me out because I don't even have to think about it. Hopefully, one day my mojo will come back. I made 11 cards for the nursing home and they absolutely loved it. I also started volunteering there and it has been another blessing.
I plan on keeping the two separate from each other. I also figured I would take a picture of the card I made and have a form for who I mailed one to. That way I won't mail someone the same card.
Please know I am saying this with love. I'm always a bit disappointed when someone says they won't do a ministry if they can't use Bible verses. I always believe that the kindness of the ministry act itself is stronger than the words which may be overlooked, and can help lead people to their own relationship with God. I would just hope that anyone not doing something because they can't use a verse, pray on it. I know people that would be put off by an overt Biblical message that would be open to a supportive message with kindness.
On a similar note, I've found that individuals who would rather not have a scripture verse on the card, are quite open to quotes from famous people. Example: When the solution is simple, God is answering. ~Albert Einstein I make a point of printing my own sentiments (like the one from Einstein) and using those on cards. It makes people think, without banging them over the head with the Bible. ;)
__________________ Louise Bergmann DuMontAuthor, Speaker, Serious About Her Coffee, Lover of all that is Chocolate...Worshiper of El Shaddai (The All Sufficient One)
Here's a thread about religious stamps that I searched for to post to for religious stamps. I just ordered some stamps from this company and they have beautiful stamps to use with their religious sentiment stamps.
I was tickled to get a sweet card in the mail from one of our church friends today asking if i would sell cards to her sisters church in California for their bookstore. I am pondering weather or not I can take on another church to support. It was just a nice acknowledgement of how much the handmade cards are appreciated.
Blessings.
Card ministry - questions
