Ideas for Sunday School’s Ministry to Homebound Adults

Diana Davis has written a great article about homebound ministry entitled Fresh Ideas for Your Homebound Ministry. There are so many ways for a church to provide ministry to homebound adults, but, in my experience, ministry through the Sunday School is most effective. Allow me to share ideas about how some of the ideas Diana has shared can be carried out by the Sunday School. Diana’s ideas are in all capitals while my comments follow:

• HAPPY DAY. Why not ask classes to adopt homebound adults to celebrate special days like birthdays and holidays? Take a card or gift. Make a visit. Sing. Listen. Celebrate. Celebrate with other residents in the home or nursing home. Celebrate with nurses and staff.
• TRAVELING TEA PARTY. One Sunday School class could visit several homebound adults in one day with a traveling light picnic. Think of the memories of days gone by that such an experience could provide. It could be a simple fare of cookies and drinks with fancy tea cups, napkins, etc. brought in a picnic basket.
• PERSONAL DELIVERY. Delivery is a great excuse for a regular class visit with a homebound adult. Take a weekly Sunday School lesson. Deliver a class picture. Take a worship or Sunday School class recording, church bulletin, or book from the church library.
• READ THE WORD. When making any of the other visits, why not take time to read God’s Word to the homebound adult? Diana Davis said that by reading 15 minutes each week, you can finish the New Testament in two years. Why not read the passage from Sunday’s lesson?
• ADOPTION. Take your relationship with a homebound adult to the next level. “Adopt” him or her. Claim him or her as a part of the class family. Treat them special. Do light home projects like replacing light bulbs and heating/cooling filters as well as light cleaning. Some ideas Diana provides here are rake her yard, give her a manicure, record interviews, and take a picture with her.
• JUST A PRAYER. Every visit should make time for prayer with the homebound adult. Ask for requests and share class requests. Diana even suggests making a phone visit and prayer when a face-to-face visit is not possible.
• SHUT-IN SING-A-LONG. Why not take your class caroling homebound adults? It could be Christmas, but it does not have to be. Go at Easter. Go during revival or other times of the year. Sing well known hymns. Our Lord is concerned with widows and orphans and so should we be.

What other ministry ideas have you used with homebound adults? Share them by pressing the comments button below. Help others with your ideas. Pray for homebound adults. Touch them. Love them. Be revolutionary!