25 ways single young people can serve in the Church of Christ

Dear Single Young Person,

Now that you know how important you are to the church of Christ, you may wonder how you can serve the church.  Here are some ideas…but first, some disclaimers:

1. Not all of these ideas will be appropriate for all ages.  The target audience of this blog is the broad age range of 15-25.  Some ideas will work for 25-year-olds, but not 15-year-olds, and vice versa.
2. Not all of these ideas will be appropriate for all stages of life.  Not every idea will fit into your school and/or work schedule.
3. Not all of these ideas are appropriate for all incomes.  Some are free, some require a little cash.
4. By posting this list of ideas, I’m certainly not trying to preach at you for “not doing enough.”  These ideas are meant to encourage you to get involved and to give you some specific ideas if you aren’t sure where to start.
5. I hope that you will find at least one idea on this list that will be a good fit for you and your situation.  However, this list is not all-inclusive.  I’m sure there are other ways you can get involved that I’m missing.

So now that I listed enough disclaimers so that I (hopefully) won’t get in trouble, here are some ways that you as a single young person can get involved in the church community:

1. Tutor a fellow student in a subject that he/she struggles with, but that comes easily to you.
2. Chaperone a convention.
3. Pick a frazzled-looking young mother in your church and offer to babysit while she gets groceries every week.  Or even once a month.
4. Bring a meal or some baked goods to a family who just had a new baby, or to someone who recently had surgery.  Even a $5 Hot-n-Ready pizza will be appreciated!  Or “just” make supper for your own family.
5. Mow the lawn for a widow or physically frail homeowner.  Or gather up a group of friends and do spring or fall clean-up.
6. Call any one of the Christian schools and ask if they need volunteers for anything.  There is a wide variety of things you can do to help at school such as playing piano, re-shelving library books, listening to first graders read, collating newsletters, and more.
7. Write an article for Beacon Lights.  It doesn’t have to be lengthy and you don’t have to use big words.
8. Join a committee at church.  Depending on the church and the committee, there might be a nomination and voting process, but some committees welcome volunteers.  Offer your help to the Nursery, Building, Evangelism, Activities, Catering, Helping Hands, or Technology Committee.
9. Teach Sunday School.
10.  Pick a special cause or two to financially support.  For example: one of our schools (particularly a smaller, struggling one), Georgetown’s India program, Hope’s Myanmaar program, the Singaporean-based translating group, AIM, or any one of the groups/causes for which your church takes up collections.
11. Start a book club.  Choose a religious book to discuss or discuss a secular book from a religious perspective.
12. Help with Young Peoples’ fundraisers.  Even if you are “too old” for Young Peoples, they would probably still welcome your assistance!
13. Visit an elderly saint at home or in the nursing home.
14. Show up to help at a school or church work bee.
15. Offer to stop at the store for your mom on your way home from school.
16. Offer free babysitting to a busy young family so that the parents can enjoy a date night.  If you can afford it, anonymously send them a gift card to a local restaurant.
17. Help the school janitor while you’re waiting for your sports practice to start.  He/she would probably appreciate getting finished a little early!
18. Shovel the driveway of the family whose dad/husband is out of town or sick.
19. Help your younger sibling study for a test or exam.
20. Offer free housecleaning services to a new mom or to someone recovering from surgery.
21. Give an elderly person a ride to church or to the grocery store.
22. Set up or fix a computer for someone who is less tech-savvy than you.
23. Send a grocery store gift card to a needy family.
24. Help your grandma with her Christmas shopping.
25. PRAY.  We all have the gift of prayer.  And don’t “just” pray, but tell people that you are praying for them, and specifically what you are praying for.  God can and does use this as a source of encouragement to those who need it.

It can be intimidating to reach out to others, but the benefits to both the giver and the recipient are enormous.  We have all been blessed with different gifts, and we are all called to use those gifts for the benefit of the church.  How can you use your gifts for the good of the kingdom?  What are your ideas?

Sincerely,

Your married friend

Lisa De Boer