25 Community Service Ideas for Youth Groups

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December 11, 2018

One of the most important things a church youth group can do is help teens live out their faith in practical ways. If you're looking for ways to get your youth group serving the community, try one of these 25 service project ideas.

At Church

  1. Spread Cheer - Create holiday or get-well-soon cards for pediatric patients at your local children's hospital. This is easy to set aside time to do during a regular youth group meeting.
  2. Serve Lunch - Have students cook and sell lunch to church members after a Sunday service to raise money for a charity or mission trip. They'll learn a lot about working together!
  3. Wrap Gifts - If your church has a program during the holidays to give gifts to kids in need, such as a toy drive, your youth group can help shop for and wrap the gifts! Genius Tip: Get tips to organize a successful Angel Tree project.
  4. Host a Car Wash - Set aside a Saturday morning in your church parking lot to raise money for a good cause. Schedule adult and student volunteers with a sign up. Include a suggested donation price as part of your marketing efforts.
  5. Plan a Beautification Project - Take a spring afternoon to plant flowers and weed the landscaping of your church. Go a step further by setting up a community garden on church grounds and donating produce to a local food bank. Genius Tip: Organize a summer watering schedule with a sign up.
  6. Thank First Responders - Adopt a local precinct, fire station or hospital department. Write thank-you notes to local police officers, firefighters or nurses in your community. Plan a monthly service day where you drop off treats and care packages for your adopted team.
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