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Thanksgiving reminds us to be grateful for our blessings, but it’s also an invitation to share those blessings with others. For families, this season presents a unique opportunity to engage in acts of service together, creating shared experiences that foster compassion, unity, and faith. Teaching teens the value of serving others helps them develop a heart for giving, reflecting the selfless love of Christ in a world that often promotes self-centeredness.

Why Family Service Matters
When families serve together, it becomes more than an individual experience—it’s a shared journey that strengthens bonds and shapes character. Serving as a family shows teens that giving back is not just an obligation, but a meaningful part of living out their faith. By engaging in service, parents and teens alike grow in empathy and humility, learning firsthand that we are all connected by God’s love.

Ideas for Family Service Projects This Thanksgiving
Here are a few simple ways to serve together as a family this Thanksgiving season:

  1. Volunteer at a Local Food Bank or Shelter:
    Many food banks and shelters need extra help around the holidays. Whether it’s sorting donations, packing meals, or serving food, volunteering can be a powerful way for teens to see the impact of giving back.

  2. Partner with Upcoming Love Fort Scott Projects:
    Our church aims to have an outreach project every other month. This could be a great oppurtunity to participate and invite your student(s) to discuss the importance of participating in service or donation projects and the good it does for others.

  3. Make Cards or Care Packages for Neighbors or Community Workers:
    Get creative as a family by making thank-you cards or small care packages. You could give them to neighbors, healthcare workers, firefighters, or other community helpers. This small act of appreciation can make someone’s day while showing teens the value of kindness.

  4. Operation Christmas Child:
    Partner with our Club 56 ministry to pack shoeboxes for kids around the world. See Club 56's page for more details!

  5. Random Acts of Kindness as a Family:
    Together, brainstorm and carry out random acts of kindness. This could be raking leaves for an elderly neighbor, baking cookies for a friend, or offering to help someone in need. These simple actions often make a big impact and teach teens that serving others doesn’t require grand gestures.

Encouraging a Lifelong Heart for Service
It’s important for teens to see service as a natural part of their faith journey, not just something done during the holidays. Emphasize that acts of service are ways of loving others as Christ loves us. Discuss how your family can incorporate service into everyday life, such as by regularly helping neighbors or supporting local causes.

Making Time for Reflection
After serving together, take time as a family to reflect on the experience. Ask questions like:

  • How did serving make you feel?
  • What did you learn from the people you met or helped?
  • How do you think God uses us to make a difference in others' lives?

This reflection helps teens internalize the lessons from serving, making it more than just an activity—it becomes a way of connecting with God’s love.

Family service is one of the most meaningful ways to spend time together. It draws families closer, strengthens faith, and plants seeds of compassion in teens’ hearts. This Thanksgiving, make time to serve as a family and let your actions speak of Christ’s love. When we serve, we are not only blessing others but also allowing God to transform our own hearts and homes.

Scripture Reflection:
"Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." — Hebrews 13:16