Does your mind sometimes draw a blank when your team sits down to discuss possible service project ideas?
I know mine does!
Or maybe you feel stuck in a rut doing the same service projects over and over again.
Whether you’re stuck or not sure where to start I’m here to help!
I’ve got a whole list of service project ideas that are bound to inspire your team!
Can I just issue a small caution? Please don’t feel the pressure to choose one from each category for your women to do over the next year.
Sometimes God calls us to partner with just one ministry – to pour into them and to build relationships. You can read about how God forever change our women’s ministry in Kentucky when God called us to do just that.
On the flip-side, quick wins like gathering donations serve a purpose too as they:
- Shine a light on ministries in your community women may be unaware of.
- Allow those with limited free time to participate.
- Fill immediate needs at those ministries.
Sixty, yep 6-0, ideas are listed below.
I’ve divided them into four different categories.
- Cook, Craft, and Create
- Random Acts of Kindness
- Shop with Purpose
- Volunteer Your Time
I’ve added links to ministry organizations and detailed directions to many of them.
Praying God will guide your team to the project He desires for your group as you encourage women to live out their faith!
60 Service Project Ideas
Craft, Cook, and Create
- Take a meal to a widow, homebound member, single mom, or recent divorcee in your church or community.
- Bake goodies, such as cupcakes, and deliver them to your local police or fire station.
- Pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.
- Write letters or send cards to missionaries.
- Gather together to assemble no-sew fleece blankets for a local children’s home or women’s shelter.
- Knit or crochet prayer shawls and lap blankets for church members and friends that are facing health challenges.
- Sew some pillowcase dresses for children in another country.
- Cut out shoes for Sole Hope.
- Put together and distribute homeless bags.
- Host a sandwich making party and pass them out to the homeless.
- Assemble and distribute blessing bags for women who need some encouragement.
- Send college care packages.
- Put together Sonshine Boxes or bags and bless women in your church or community.
- Fill a freezer with meals for a new mom.
- Create birthday bags for your local food pantry (birthday cake, hats, candles, balloons)
- Paint and decorate the teacher’s lounge at a struggling school.
- Create a community garden.
- Provide a meal for families at your local Ronald McDonald House.
Donate and Shop with a Purpose
- Donate food to a local food shelter.
- Gather and donate toiletries, make-up, and new underwear for a local women’s shelter or human trafficking ministry.
- Host an Ornaments for Orphans party.
- Bless a children’s hospital with fun Band-Aids.
- Host a ViBella jewelry show.
- Purchase presents for a local Angel Tree.
- Sponsor a family at a local school for Christmas.
- Pack and distribute Thanksgiving Baskets (stuffing, mashed potatoes, canned veggies, cranberry sauce) for families in need.
- Collect gently used clothes and donate them to a ministry in need.
- Hold a diaper drive for your local pregnancy ministry.
- Donate children’s books and movies to a local children’s hospital.
- Fill backpacks with school supplies for a struggling school.
- Hold a book drive for a local elementary school in need.
- Host a baby shower for a local pregnancy center to help them restock supplies for pregnant and new mothers.
- Hold a clothing drive for a local clothes closet ministry – or start your own!
- Gather hats, scarves, and gloves for elementary school students in an impoverished community.
- Plan an Operation Christmas Child Packing Party for your neighborhood, church, or Bible study group.
Random Acts of Kindness
- Deliver bags of groceries, firewood, or gift cards to a local family in need.
- Tape quarters or dollar bills to the vending machines in the waiting room of your local hospital.
- Leave quarters and washing detergent at your local laundry mat.
- Pass out water bottles to construction workers on a hot day.
- Leave bottles of bubbles at the park for families to use.
- Host a block party in a community near your church.
- Purchase coloring books and crayons and leave them in hospital waiting rooms/urgent care.
Volunteer Your Time
- Volunteer to clean and organize the food and your local food pantry.
- Work a shift at the local soup kitchen.
- Find a local field or farm that allows folks to glean.
- Volunteer at a local women’s shelter, homeless shelter, or another ministry in need.
- Clean the home of an elderly person or homebound member of your church or community.
- Take care of some yard work or handyman chores for one of the widows in your church or community.
- Volunteer to help a refugee family complete paperwork, register for school, etc.
- Adopt a classroom at a school with low test scores.
- Visit a nursing home and host a game of Bingo.
- Christmas carol at a nursing home or children’s hospital.
- Cheer at a Special Olympics or special needs sports event.
- Take on a Meals on Wheels route.
- Plan a Habitat for Humanity workday.
- Organize a free car care clinic for single moms in your community.
- Clean the roadside – consider adopting a highway near your church.
- Add some beauty and fresh landscaping to school.
- Take communion to homebound church members.
- Organize a blood drive.
I’d love to add to this list! Be sure to share your ideas in the comments below. Thanks!
You may also want to read:
The Sonshine Box
No-Sew Fleece Blankets
How to Host an Operation Christmas Child Packing Party
One year ago: Name Tag Tips for Your Retreat
Two years ago: Choosing Worship Music
Three years ago: Icebreaker: 4 C’s
Ana says
This is an amazing list you have put together! As a volunteer coordinator for a large NGO, I admit that you have inspired me towards greater ideas in local missions. Thank you!
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thanks!! 🙂
Virginia Clements says
MY NAME IS VIRGINIA CLEMENTS, I AM THE LEADER OF THE WOMON ON MISSIONS OF WOODLAND HEIGHTS BAPTIST CHURCH, CONWAY, ARKANSAS
I AM LOOKING FOR IDEAS REGARDING ACTIVITIES TO USE WITH OUR YOUNG LADIES WHEN WE HAVE TIME FOR WOM NIGHTS.
I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP IS NEEDED. ALL IDEAS WILL BE APPRECIATED.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Virginia, how wonderful! So glad you found my site. If you look around, you’ll find hundreds of additional ideas. My latest book, Rethinking Fellowship, also has list of event and activity ideas in it. 🙂
Rogel Green says
I see some very good ideas. This is my first year to be over a missionary group, and this the church’s first to have one. I am praying for God to lead me in the way he would have me to go.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thank you! Praying your group will be a blessing to those you serve.
Ruth Anna Driggers says
I’m finding very little about CHRISTMAS in AUGUST other than what is on-line for this year. Some of our people have no clue concerning the background and I can anticipate one question being: When did that project begin? Any additional leads are appreciated. Many thanks
Cyndee Ownbey says
Ruth Anna, I am sorry, I’m not familiar with Christmas in August. Is this something specific to your denomination?
Deborah Richardson says
Good evening. Do you have any updated ideas? It seems most of these suggestions are not wanted since COVID.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Hi Deborah, can you elaborate? Is it the women in the church that are resistant or parachurch ministries in your area? Thank you!
Victoria E Hawkins says
I’m looking for templates to make a greeting card. I was told to look on your website.
Thanks for your help.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Hi Victoria, I’m sorry, I don’t have any templates on my site to make a greeting card. I’d suggest taking a look at Canva. They have lots of templates.
Celia says
Thanks for all these wonderful and great ideas. They will come in very helpful to my ministry.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thank you, Celia! I’m so glad you found it to be helpful! 🙂
Isaac Parbie says
Very Educative and Inspirational. More Blessings
Cyndee Ownbey says
You’re welcome!
Farida says
Thank you for the good ideas
Cyndee Ownbey…
I want you to be my mentor
I was ordained as a deacon in
Church but i would like to engage
In many activities…pliz i need your help woman of God
Cyndee Ownbey says
Farida, thank you for your kind words. Unfortunately, I do not offer one-on-one virtual mentoring. I encourage you to find someone local who can mentor you, perhaps even in another church. I pray God will place the right woman in your path.
Patricia Morgan says
I am being nominated for Women’s ministry assistant as well as head deaconess, assistant family life director, potluck coordinator and collegiate teacher. That’s a tall order but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Wherever he leads I will follow. So with so many hats to wear if I get them all, I need some ideas and that’s how I found you. Love these ideas and I can add some of these ideas to what my family and I do so I can definitely add to my list for church.
God blesses those who are faithful and render kindness without thought or gain. Hope he continues to bless your Ministry as we look forward to serving His people.
Thank you very much and be blessed.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Patricia, thank you for your note and congratulations on becoming the Women’s ministry assistant! So thankful you’ve found this post to be helpful. May God help you to organize your time well so you can serve in all of the areas He’s called you to serve.
Victor Eke says
Wow, this ideas just ended my long search.
My birthday is on the 3rd of June so I’ve been inspired to use it as a medium to reach out to the community of young mothers in my community. I observed that they really need aids on parenting the right way cause I’ve seen them use negative words and constant abuse on their children… This makes my heart sad.
So i just got an idea here which is “delivering a blessing bag” to young mothers in my community. This gives I and my team the opportunity to teach them right.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thanks, Victor. I pray those who will receive the bags will be encouraged!
Robin Tullock says
Love the ideas! My high school classes and children’s ministry class do a lot of different things. Especially at Christmas time. This year my family did a drive for our local Animal Protection League. They have low cost vaccines and spay/neuter for our area. They always have a list of things they need like paper towels, old bath towels, cleaning supplies, etc.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Robin, that’s another great suggestion! Thanks for sharing!
Jobi Ledger says
This is an excellent list! I’m pinning to my Youth Group board for sure.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thanks, Jobi! 🙂
Glennis Griner says
Some comments from an octogenarian:
Everywhere I saw church members shown as the recipients of kind acts I wanted to substitute local community…Christ wants us to reach out to anyone, not just church members. Of course,. members need attention but often people-ole who are not affiliated with a church feel no one cares.
Some denominations only allow pastors to offer communion; but church members could certainly accompany the pastor and observe other needs that could be met.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Glennis, thank you for pointing that out. God certainly calls us to care for the people in our church AND in our community. I’ve updated the post to more accurately reflect the need to serve those in both the community and church.
Ann Richards says
Wow, tanxxx a bunch for this piece. It was indeed
helpful. God bless you.
Cyndee Ownbey says
You’re welcome, Ann! I’m so glad you found it helpful!
Jackie mayo says
I would like to do something for women of domestic violence. Any ideas?
Cyndee Ownbey says
Jackie, that can be tricky as locations are often kept secret and volunteers at the shelters must usually go through a training process. In the past we have collected food and toiletries for women at the shelter. If you contact your local ministries/shelters I’m sure they’ll have some ideas for you. 🙂 At one church God opened the doors so that we were able to partner with the a local shelter and really began to build relationships. You can read more about it in this post: https://womensministrytoolbox.com/asking-your-women-to-adopt/
Gretchen says
Thanks for this list. It is a big help to me and our ladies group. We have been wanting to do more group projects together, and this list has some great ideas. I know it must have taken time for you to compile. Thank you for your hard work. Keep it up. May God bless you.
Cyndee Ownbey says
You are so welcome, Gretchen! I’d love to hear what you try and how it goes! 🙂
Zulma Torres (See See) says
I love it, Iam looking for great ideas for ministry for our group. This is beautiful , thank you kindly
Cyndee Ownbey says
Zulma, thank you for your kind comment! May God direct your steps and use you to bless many in your community!
Annette Miller says
Hi I like the outreach idea of the fill basket of household product but I’m stuff on the the best method of who to issue it to any suggestion?
Thanks, concern leader
Cyndee Ownbey says
Annette, many food pantries will distribute household products. You might also find a local crisis ministry that would be thrilled to have them. A woman’s or men’s shelter might also be interested. You may have to make a few phone calls, but I’m guessing those groups that aren’t interested can probably point you toward someone local who is. Praying God leads and connects you with just the right ministry!
Grace says
I’m going through and I want some ideas to do
Prisca says
This is brilliant and thank you so much.Be blessed
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thanks Prisca! <3
Yvette says
Thank you!!
Cyndee Ownbey says
You’re so welcome! 🙂
Liz Rigby says
Oh, my, soul, this list is amazing! Thank you so much for putting this together!
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thanks Liz! 🙂