Still thinking about Thank you's

A (non-blogging) friend of mine actually might take me up on my offer to write a letter to their pastor on this subject, so here goes.

Dear Brother,

I believe the saints in your church would like to spend more time helping each other with their day-to-day needs, but they need your help.

I'm sure you remind them from the Word that they are to bear each other's burdens, but I think I can suggest a way of encouraging them that will supplement what you are doing. This would be a "carrot" approach, and I think it will line up well with the outreach efforts that you are working on now.

It's as easy as adding an insert to your weekly bulletin. It would start like this:

Thank you's

These anonymous thank you's are sent from one member of the church to another to let the church know how much their help with the little things was appreciated.

After this heading would follow a dozen or so anonymized thank you notes from one member of your church to another. Maybe someone watched a single mom's kids so she could shop alone one day, or maybe someone mowed a lawn or changed a headlight, or some other small but important thing. We all could use a little help from time to time, and some of us need it more than others. No matter the case, the body needs to be helping each other all the time.

On the other side of the insert would appear contact information for anyone who wanted to volunteer to serve others in the church, and for anyone who had a need that they wanted to share. There would also be a place to write a quick thank you note, and slip it into the offering plate for next week's bulletin.

Seeing the things that members of the body are doing for each other will encourage others to serve as well. It will serve to warm relationships between believers, and caring for each other will strengthen the bonds between their hearts. The whole atmosphere of the church should be warmed a little bit.

The last piece of the picture is a little team to match helpers with helpees. This little thank you team will have to be brothers and sisters cut from the mold of Acts 6.
"3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

That's it. No big deal. Just a chance for brothers and sisters to serve each other and to thank each other in a public, but anonymous way. If the idea seems to have merit to you, then share it wherever you can.

May the Lord continue to bless His work through your church.