If you're wondering what your men's group might do for the Men's NetWork WORK DAY, on Saturday, April 25, here are a few ideas:
Planting trees, cleaning gutters, painting a room or two, fixing playground equipment, seeding grass, caulking windows, installing a stove, clearing brush from a trail, hanging doors, serving food at a soup kitchen, framing a room addition, mulching a garden, trimming bushes, loading furniture, cutting trees, hauling trash, raking leaves, repairing concrete, helping at a homeless shelter, replacing insulation, fixing an irrigation pipe, scrubbing graffiti, building a wheelchair ramp, washing windows, changing air filters, mending fences, staining shelves, tearing down a deck, and, in general, going about doing good.
It's a day for elbow grease OUTREACH and MEETING NEEDS. Here's the thing to consider: while your church or school might easily have some task your men's group could handle, ideally this will be a day to do something off church property, where the recipient might not even be a member of your church. Your group will decide on its priorities, of course, and work done at church is better than no work done at all, but if you hear of a need that puts your group in unfamiliar territory, the impression you leave will be powerful.
The first and second WORK DAY witnessed some excellent work done, with many grateful recipients. This year we'd like to continue and expand that tradition. Do you know of a down-and-out family that would jump for joy at the prospect of getting some home improvements done? How about those elderly folks who could use some assistance from a team packing caulking guns and rolls of fresh insulation? Who needs a hand in your area?
The sky's the limit on what you can do for somebody—somebody who may well be outside the church. And who knows, this may be the first step to getting them inside. To get your group in gear for 2015, click here to get the ball rolling.