Last year, as we brainstormed different ways to engage our congregation in outreach during the month-long “Send Me” Conference, Browncroft’s Family Ministry team began to pray about how we could invite families with young children and teens to get involved.  Out of those prayers and a desire to engage the entire family in service together, the Family Serve Night was born.

In 2022, this event focused on supporting four of our ministry partners: Families put together “blessing bags” for the Open Door Mission; they packed snacks for families who would be staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester; they made cards, drew pictures, and sent letters of encouragement to Ukrainian refugees through World Vision; and they made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Rochester Family Mission. 

With over 300 people joining us that night, we realized that serving together as a family was more than just something our church thought was important. It was an opportunity that families cherished– to be able to work alongside one another to bless others. It was a beautiful thing to see different generations joining together to show people the love of Jesus. I remember specifically talking to a middle school student whose parents were out of town, so his grandmother brought him, and they served together. I couldn’t help but think that that night would forever be a special memory for both.

But more than creating family memories, we want to create legacies of service.  We hope that by providing opportunities for families of all ages to serve together, the idea of loving our neighbor will be lived out through all ages and stages of life.

We would love to see you and your family at this year’s Family Serve Night happening next Wednesday, November 15th, at 6:30pm. Like last year, we will be packing bags for both Open Door Mission and Ronald McDonald House. We will also focus on the individual missionaries Browncroft supports. Families will pray over these missionaries and write cards for them.  Lastly, we will be sorting and loading up all of the holiday drive donations our congregation has brought in for Rochester Family Mission and Schools 10 and 29. As a reminder, we are still collecting cereal, toys, and winter clothing through Tuesday, November 14th.  If you would like to help meet these needs, you can learn more here.

Parents, as you serve alongside your children, we encourage you to teach them your reason for doing so– to show the love of Christ to others. Jesus has created and equipped us to serve the people around us, and, as we do that, we pray that we will point our neighbors to the only One who can truly meet all of their needs.