Have you been involved in a Friendship group for a year or more? It’s time to share what you know! And we see you longtime mentors chuckling in the back – yes, perhaps you’ve even been here ten, fifteen, twenty years or more! We want to celebrate your ministry, your Friendship club, and your Friends and mentors. We want to share the good things you have learned and spread the wisdom around.
Do you have an idea for
- A new craft?
- A way to encourage mentors?
- A method to engage Friends with profound disability?
- A unique use for the curriculum?
- A clever way to recruit volunteers?
We want to hear from YOU! For the next several months, we are reviving the tips and tools section of our newsletters. We are asking you to submit creative ideas that we can share with Friendship groups around the world.
And if your idea is published, we will send you a fantastic piece of Friendship Ministries swag. How’s that for a win-win?
To submit your tip, fill out our online contact form with your name, email, and idea. We can’t wait to hear from you!
And until then, here are some past tips and tools that have inspired us:
- Try a Pinewood Derby with your Friends as a unique, fun event!
–NE Friendship Club in Allegan, MI - Offer a “Respite Saturday” one day a year for parents and caregivers of Friends. Offer free care all day on one Saturday for a special way to honor and bless the caregivers.
–Peace Lutheran Church in Gahanna, OH - When working with a Friend to read a Bible passage, consider creating a phrase your friend can speak or read. For example, “Thank you, God” could be inserted into the reading of the creation story. Write the phrase on a piece of paper. Each time those words seem appropriate, pause from the text and ask your friend to read the phrase.
–Barb Newman, TOGETHER author - Take an “Apostle Hike” with your group to get the idea of Jesus calling his disciples. Go to an outdoors setting, sing songs, and call each other to follow Jesus.
–St. Theresa’s Church in Federal Way, WA - Keep a binder at church for each Friend’s take-home papers. When the books are full, the Friends can take them home and read the story of God’s love in their “Bible Story Notebooks.”
–Pleasant Street Christian Reformed Church in Whitinsville, MA - Hold a “graduation ceremony” after each completed unit. You can give Friends a certificate with their name, the verse to remember, the Bible story and song they learned, and an object to remind them of what they studied.
–St. Andrew Friendship Group in Shreveport, LA
