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What’s a surefire way to cause a stir of positivity in your small church? Are you trying to encourage a culture of caring in your church family? Consider hosting a Care Basket Party!!
This event has a celebratory atmosphere, because who doesn’t love a good party, and it is easy to put together. Guests coming to your event will participate in the construction of gift baskets and writing cards. The gift baskets will be delivered and bring encouragement to people in your church family or in your community. This party is a great step to help your women begin to ‘see’ those in need of encouragement and understand how they can be a part of that solution. It demonstrates an example of caring that can be modeled by all ages in your small church.
This one-night event can actually accomplish many things:
- Share God’s love with others
- Encourages and cares for folks in your church who may be going through a difficult time.
- Models the attitude of identifying and ‘seeing’ those who are hurting and in need of encouragement
- Provides a fun night of fellowship for your ladies’ group
- Shows participants that serving the Lord together can be special
- Builds relationships within the body of Christ
Please note, that this event was hosted as a women’s party, but it could certainly be done as an all-church family event and would be a wonderful intergenerational project as well.
We’ve Got Answers To All Your Questions
What Is A Care Basket?
A gift basket full of various items ranging from personal care items, devotional items, fun gifts to homemade goodies, or anything that can make someone smile and know they are loved! The items are placed in a basket or container, wrapped up, and made special with a bow and a card with words of encouragement, verses, and prayers. Once the baskets are complete, they are personally delivered by members of your group.
How Do I Get The Word Out?
Remember the Small Church Ministry motto: don’t make it a meeting; make it a party!! Send out a party invitation. Snail mail always grabs attention, but email works, too. Try some creative announcements to make people take notice. We know for most churches, the best way to get people to join in is by personal invitation!!
What Do We Put In The Baskets?
You can put whatever you like in your gift baskets, but here are a few suggestions of items that have been used in this event before.
- Personal Care Items – hand sanitizer, hand lotion, hand wipes, tissue packets, sleep masks, fluffy slipper socks,
- Stationary Items – decorative notepads, pens, sticky notes, pocket calendars
- Devotional Items – daily devotionals, booklets, Christian testimony books, biographies. You can find books at thrift stores, discount stores, or in bulk from places like CTA, Inc..
- Snacks – herbal teas, snack-sized bags of chips, crackers, caramel corn, granola bars, chocolate
Your Small Church Care Basket Party Steps
- Decide the recipients
- Promote the Party
- Gather Supplies
- Set Up Stations
- Enjoy the Party And Make the Baskets
- Deliver the Baskets
Who Will Receive The Care Baskets
Look at peoples’ needs in your church. Check with your pastor or elders. Look at what supplies you have or need to purchase. Knowing your supplies can help you determine how many baskets you can make.
Remember, if you make just two baskets, that’s wonderful. That means two recipients will be blessed, and so will those who participate in making them. The main point is to serve the Lord by caring for others!
Promote Your Party & Gather Supplies
Put the word out and gather supplies. Ask each person attending to bring some items to put in the baskets. Post a list on your church bulletin board or email the list of the specific items you are looking for.
If the church budget allows, purchase the baskets, tissue paper, basket wrap, and curling ribbon. Baskets are a bargain at thrift stores, dollar stores, or yard sales.
Set Up Your Basket Stations
Place everything needed at the stations so your volunteers are set up for success.
1. Include Cards With The Baskets
Set up the card-making area. Provide greeting cards and pens. If you want to add another dimension to your party you can provide supplies for volunteers to make greeting cards using rubber stamps, stickers, decorative paper, etc. Ask if someone in the church does paper crafting and can give samples and instructions for simple cards.
2. Add Gifts To The Baskets
Create your basket filling station. Place all items to go in the baskets on a table. Set baskets, tissue paper, and/or basket filler at the head of the table. Determine who the basket is for. Choose the appropriate items. Arrange them neatly in the basket, using tissue underneath to give height and dimension to your basket.
3. Give Home Made Cookies With Your Baskets
A cookie-making station can be a nice touch. Have some ladies make fresh cookies to bag up and add to the baskets. Simple frozen cookie dough or slice-and-bake varieties are easy and fast to make. If you can’t make cookies at the event, it is fine to ask ladies to make them at home ahead of time and bring them to the event. Homemade goodies add a nice touch!
4. Wrap And Ribbon Your Care Baskets
Preparing the basket wrapping station is easy. Have clear basket bags ready to go. Set out scissors and clear packing tape. Use a curling ribbon to tie the top and add some decorative curls. Don’t forget to attach the card to the outside of the basket and set it aside to be delivered!
Make It A Fun Party
Gather. Celebrate. Fellowship. Pray.
Provide snacks and create a party atmosphere. Play lively worship music. Decorate a table to serve your food! Ask two people to serve as hostesses throughout the evening and serve beverages to those who are working on the baskets.
Encourage people to work at different stations. Team up, or if they prefer, watch and cheer others on; that’s okay, too! Fellowship is part of the purpose of this event. People connecting with others! Everyone can contribute items to the baskets, be part of the prayer breaks, and even help with deliveries. There is a place for everyone to serve here.
Remember To Pray For Your Recipients
Throughout the evening, have prayer breaks. Stop and take a moment to pray for one of the basket recipients. Pray blessings over them and for specific needs, if known.
Deliver Your Church Care Baskets
Attach a nice decorative tag and a card to each basket. Tag the baskets for the recipients and ask volunteers to deliver them.
Have a list of all the addresses available for those who are making deliveries. Ask volunteers to pick the basket they want to deliver. If people are nervous about doing it alone, suggest that they pair up to do it! If some of your volunteers are new at this kind of task, encourage and equip them with a few brief words on what to say when they deliver their baskets.
Hello. We’re here with a delivery! This is a Caring Basket for you from your church family, and we hope that it blesses you!
If they are comfortable doing so, ask if they would have a word of prayer with the recipients. This is an opportunity to encourage and bring hope to others!
Before you close out the evening, have one final time of prayer with all your volunteers. Thank the Lord for your time together, and ask Him to use these gifts to touch hearts and speak love.
Completing The Circle Of Care
After your event is done, take time to complete that circle of care by sending out a thank you email to all your helpers. This simple gesture shows them they are valued and you care about them. It can generate excitement for the next opportunity that comes up for them to serve together!
Best of all, just watch what God will do! At your next gathering, ask those who delivered the baskets to share stories of reactions and how the baskets were received. Celebrate the testimonies of those who were touched and those who were blessed by serving!
Develop A Culture Of Caring
Watch how this one event can help to develop a culture of caring in your small church. Encourage your women to suggest other ideas of how they can continue to show God’s love to others, as a group, in small teams, or individually.
Take time and use this article as inspiration to think of ways your small church can invest in caring for others.
- Make seasonal or holiday gift baskets for shut-ins or elderly
- Create baskets filled with art supplies and kits for children in foster care homes
- Arrange coffee and muffin baskets to say thank you to first responders
- Put together fun pencil and school supply baskets for teachers in your community
- Design pastor appreciation baskets at any time of year, not just in October!!
We know whatever you do, it’s going to be awesome. Share your stories and pictures on our Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Page! We love to see where God is working. By sharing ideas, we spur each other to step out, serve, and host their own events!
If your church enjoyed hosting this party, be sure to check out this one-day event to bless your community!
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