Welcome to Ministry Monday. Today’s post is the first in series called Simple Service – easy ideas for taking care of your church family one act of kindness at a time. Take my Simple Service Challenge this month and post your pics to Facebook & Instagram with the #simpleservice hashtag!
Hey, Mom! When you hear your pastor’s call to missional living, don’t be so fast to count yourself out!
Yes, having kids in tow can make participating in ministry outreach events difficult. I’m probably not the only mother who’s wondered how she can ensure the kids won’t run into the street while she’s operating the spin art machine or painting faces at the fall festival.
Typically my husband and I tag-team special missions events hosted by our church because one pair of eyes always needs to be trained on our five-year-old “twin-adoes.” (Trust me. It’s a safety precaution for everyone involved). Or sometimes, as a mom, I’m self-relegated to the home-front so the hubsters can do the heavy lifting that often comes with church planting.
But just because mothers can’t always be front and center for church service, doesn’t mean we can’t be missional right where we are. Some of the biggest and most appreciated acts of service that I’ve ever been on the receiving end of haven’t even occurred within the church walls.
They’ve come in the form of homemade bread, hearty spaghetti sauce, and warm chocolate chip cookies made by precious hands after the birth of the twins. They’ve come in the form of a delicious meal lovingly delivered the week we moved into a new home.
Friends from my church in San Antonio delivered meals to us for weeks after the twins were born! Our church wasn’t large, and I’m sure the sacrifice was great to do so. When we moved into our new home in Pittsburgh, friends from our new church surprised us with a coconut chicken dish that I still dream about – and stayed to enjoy it with us! It was such a blessing!
Service can be simple. In a day of takeout and dining out, sharing a meal with a family in need or under pressure can be a profound statement of God’s love. That means moms can make a difference and be ‘on mission’ right from their home.
These small acts of service have a big impact on others by filling a critical need – caring for our brothers and sisters in Christ. So, Mom, the next time you think you’re relegated to the kiddie pool while everyone else is diving into the real work of ministry, put on your missional eyes and consider this simple way you can serve your church.
This weekend, I heard a church friend was moving. So, I prepped and delivered my standard new mom/new move meal: honey glazed chicken thighs, rice, salad and dessert. It’s easy, tried and true, and makes a bunch! You can find the original recipe below from the freezer cookbook team Susie Martinez and Vanda Howell who wrote their series, Don’t Panic – Dinner’s in the Freezer.
Honey-glazed Chicken Thighs7lb. of chicken thighs on the bone, skin removed1 1/2 c. honey3/4 c. butter1/2c. prepared mustard1T. curry powder2 tsp. saltSTEP 1: Combine honey, butter, mustard, curry powder and salt in medium saucepan. Cook, stirring over medium heat until all the ingredients dissovle into a smooth sauce, about 3 min. Cool sauce and set aside. STEP 2: While sauce is cooling, rinse and divide chicken evenly among freezer bags. Divide cooled sauce evenly over the chicken. Seal and freeze. TO COOK: thaw one entree in refrigerator just long enough to remove from the freezer bag with sauce. Preheat the oven to 350. Place frozen chicken in an ungreased baking dish. Bake for 45 min. Remove dish from oven and separate ck pieces into a single layer, placing pieces meaty side down to keep moist. Bake 1.5 hours.
If I’m only feeding a few, I half the recipe and cook immediately without freezing the portions. I cook for 45 minutes with pieces face down in the pan. Then I flip the meat right side up, so the tops get brown and crispy (typically for another 15 minutes or more until finished cooking). To help with browning you can always broil the tops for a few minutes at the end. But watch carefully so they don’t burn!
I love to serve this meal with basamati rice (using a little chicken broth for the water and adding a stick of celery if I have it.)
Taking a meal to a church family member is a simple way to serve them. It can also be a great way to reach out to new neighbors in your community!
Want to take the Simple Service Challenge with me? Here are my recipes in case you want to try it! Or use one of your own tried and true missional meals. Take a pic when you do and share it on Facebook or instagram with the hashtag: #simpleservice!
Have you been blessed by a missional meal? Share your story in the comments and I just might feature you in this series!
Oh how I love when meals are made for us! Sometimes the best meals have been when my husband has been working like crazy and a friend makes me a meal or invites me over for dinner. Those unexpected meals when you need it the most are the best. Looking forward to trying your recipe:)
Hi Christina! I’ve taken this recipe to 3 people in the last month! So, if anyone else in our church has another baby or moves again in the next year, I will have to get a new “standard” recipe! 🙂
Love this!
That meal looks wonderful, does it apply to new grandmas traveling back and forth from Pa to OH 😉
Thank you for how you and your family serve and bless so many!
Thanks Kim! Yes, I think a hard-working grandmother who takes care of everyone gets a meal! 🙂
no new moms here but i am taste trying and testing it tonight.You had me with the picture.and i how can i forget that you add celery stick to your rice 🙂
Nive – let us know what you think of the recipe and if you tweak it! You are the master chef, after all!
Oooh, I remember that chicken recipe! You brought it over either while I was on bedrest or after Daniel was born. Yummy! Your meal wasn’t all that you did to minister to my family over those 3 long months. The calls, washing our dishes and sitting with me and playing with my 2 yr old in the floor meant so much!! Miss you, friend!
what a sweet time that was! I am so thankful we are friends even though we are miles apart!
I have been on the receiving end of many UBC Missional Meals. One specific memory I have is when you sweet friend, brought HEB blueberry muffins and orange juice to the NICU after we had out first little one. I still remember how encouraged I felt by those store bought muffins and your sweet words.
Thanks for continue to encourage me from afar!
I remember what a scary time that was, having a little one in the NICU. So thankful for what God is doing in our little lives, Jess!
Lis,i tweaked the recipe just to adjust it around the 2-1/2 lb chicken that i had. Delish.
After my brain surgery, our brothers and sisters in Christ set up a calendar for us to have a meal delivered every night for 2 weeks! We were so overwhelmed by the graciousness of that! We got to meet people among us that we had never had a chance to really visit with before! My husband could concentrate on his work and our home, and not have the added stress of preparing a hot meal every night. We ate delicious food and our children saw perfect examples of the love of God made manifest among us here in our present world. Beautiful, all the way around, and nourishing to so much more than our bodies!
A time when I was the giver was when I sat with a friend whose loved one was undergoing a day surgery. I brought a box of warm donuts and a gallon of coffee with cups and fixins. It was so wonderful to get to share that with all who came to sit not only with my friend but with strangers in the waiting area. We met folks we would not have met otherwise, were able to pray with and minister to them.
Oh, Shelly! How that testimony makes my heart sing! I am going to share it on my facebook page! Thank you for sharing!
I’m making this today, Melissa. I’m pretty excited 🙂
Just blessed this week with such a gift, which was humbling. Usually, I am the one taking soup, bread and salad to friends, but this last week we found ourselves in a first-time situation of being down with the flu– five of us, including me and my husband! After a text to fellow pastors for prayer, my husband rec’d a message from a local church (not our own) promising to deliver soup that day (Sunday, no less!). A few hours later, we were blessed with 3 quarts of different soups. What a blessing for these weary mom! I was reminded of the grace of ministering love to one another in simple, practical ways!
Betsy, I love that! It is so humbling to be blessed so generously. But it helps to remind us the important role blessing others can be! Thanks for sharing!