Missionary Activities

Just Beginning

Feed the Missionaries – The missionary meal online sign-up form is here, and add your name to one of the open dates.

Call Yourself on a Mission – Read D&C 4 and ponder this universal invitation from the Prophet. So go ahead, and call yourself to a personal mission for 2021! Pray and set some simple goals for yourself, using the Ward mission plan as a starting point.

Practice Bearing Your Testimony – Practice sharing your testimony of the Gospel in a normal and natural way. Begin with someone you trust, such as a family member or another ward member. Evaluate how you did and how it made you feel. Keep it up!

Have a “Blessed” Conversation – In casual conversations, frequently mention how you feel blessed in some way, such as “I’ve felt truly blessed as I’ve looked for a job.” See if that opens the door with family and friends as you talk about the source of your blessings.

Practice the Basics – The Church has found that non-members are initially most interested in 1) feeling a closeness to God, 2) a sense of happiness and peace, and 3) a better sense of purpose and direction, all of which they see in the lives of church members. Practice talking about these three topics in your conversations with others.

Make Testimonies, Talks, and Classes “Investigator Friendly” – Bear in mind that investigators and new members are often in our church services. Remember to share thoughts and testimonies that will inform and inspire them in their spiritual journey. You never know who will be listening.

Show Love Every Day – Begin every day with a prayer that each person you interact with will be able to feel God’s love for them emanating from you. If someone asks you why you have treated them that way, let them know it is because you feel blessed by God and want others to feel the same way. Be prepared to ask them if they would like to know God in this way.

Let Your Church Skills Be Seen – Your Church activity has helped you develop useful skills. Look for ways to use those talents in service to others and make sure they know why you are able to do those things. From packing tight a U-Haul trailer to speaking a foreign language or whipping up a batch of funeral potatoes, you know how to DO things. Make sure your friends know why.

Easy

Practice Your “X-Ray Vision” – Read 1 Samuel 16:7 and ponder the meaning of looking beyond the outward appearance. Seek an opportunity to share a message of hope in Christ with someone who doesn’t outwardly appear “the type” to accept it. Use your spiritual vision.

Invite Friends to Like the Local Missionary Facebook Page – Like “Followers of Christ South of Austin.” Click the three dots on the page and invite your Facebook friends to like the page using the ‘Invite Friends’ button to enjoy inspiring messages.  

Ask the Missionaries to Be Featured on the Missionary Facebook Page – Share your testimony, a talent, or a truth for our friends on the local page! The missionaries would love to feature you! Their email address is 500347813@missionary.org  

Tell a Story On Yourself – Share a story on social media or in person about something worthwhile you learned through church service, such as something that happened while serving a mission, or teaching a class. Be prepared to explain how and why the church gives us opportunities to serve.

Missionary Dinner and Social Media Training – Schedule a dinner with the full-time missionaries that includes a social media training session afterward. Learn how to use social media and emails as a means of spreading Gospel messages of peace and hope. Have your computer or laptop handy! Meal sign-up is kyle.missionarydinnercalendar.com, password: kyleward.

Introduce Friends to Church Resources – Think about the resources available to you as a member of the Church. Most of these resources are available to all, including family history records and research tools, addiction recovery programs, food storage guidance, job and career advancement, JustServe.org, and more. Look at the church website for ideas and don’t be shy about pointing people to these offerings.

Become a Ward Ambassador – Help our ward feel more welcoming to non-members and less-active members. Look for new faces on Sunday and extend a warm welcome. As you prepare lessons, talks, or activities, think about how to be inclusive and relevant to visitors. If possible, help with transportation to meetings as needed. 

Rate your Church – Go to Google Maps and review our Church building so people looking for somewhere new to attend church can learn how you feel uplifted, feel a sense of belonging, etc.

Challenging

Give Someone a Second (or Third, or Fourth) Chance – Have you shared a Gospel message with someone in the past but they haven’t responded as you desired? Consider reaching out again to show your continued love and interest in them. Remember, people’s needs change.

Invite to Serve – Ask a non-member to pitch in on your next service opportunity, such as “Our church women’s group is putting together food kits for the needy. Would you help us assemble them?” Afterward, talk about why it feels good to serve others.

Random Acts of Neighborly Kindness – Plan a week of service in your neighborhood, looking for ways to share hope and peace without asking anything of return. In a “normal and natural” way, show how Christ motivates your actions.

Let Your Light Shine at Work – Sometimes we are led to believe it is wrong to talk about our faith at work. But others feel free to talk about their social lives, hobbies, and sports. Look for a way to share your church experiences in a natural way that reflects how you use your personal time.. 

Ask for Help – Ask a non-member friend or colleague to share his or her expertise with a church group. For example, talking to the youth about a particular career path, or demonstrating a craft at a Relief Society activity. If feasible, ensure the missionaries are there to say hello and introduce themselves.

Missionary Dinner With a Guest – Schedule a dinner invite with the full-time missionaries and invite a non-member friend (social distancing as appropriate). Keep the conversation focused on Gospel topics relevant for your guests. Meal sign-up is kyle.missionarydinnercalendar.com, password: kyleward.

Set a Date to Find Someone to Introduce to the Missionaries – Elder M. Russell Ballard challenged church members in 1984 to periodically set a date as a goal or deadline by which we would find someone to invite into our home for the missionaries to teach. Ask for the Lord’s blessing to help you meet your goal. Show faith and trust in God.

Teach Someone to Pray – Many people feel the need for a spiritual connection with God, but have never been taught how to engage with Him. Look for an opportunity to share what you know about prayer with someone who is in spiritual need. Keep it simple, with the basics of who to pray to, and how to listen for answers.

Search for the Forgotten Ones – Set a goal to find three people who need a word of encouragement or a helping hand, who may not have an active group of friends or close family, such as a senior citizen in a nursing home, someone who has lost a loved one, or a lonely student. Make a difference in their life and let them know that God loves them and so do you.

Teach the Joy of the Sabbath – Help friends and investigators understand the peace and spiritual power that comes from keeping the Sabbath Day holy. You might look for the opportunity to invite an investigator to your home on Sunday to participate in a family home evening, or do the same to a non-member friend. When others come to your home on Sunday, invite them to join you in your Sunday spirit of worship.

Children & Youth

Host a “Mini-MTC” Meal with the Missionaries – As a family, plan and host dinner with the missionaries to learn about preparing to serve a mission. Ask them to share how they made the decision to serve. Sing sacred music, share a talent, or study a gospel principle. Involve the whole family in the meal preparation. The missionary meal sign-up form is here, log-in with the password “kyleward” and add your name to one of the open dates in light or dark gray.

Share a Family Testimony on the Missionary Facebook Page – Send a family photo with an uplifting story or testimony to the full-time missionaries to be shared on the missionary Facebook page, Followers of Christ South of Austin. The missionaries’ email address is 500347813@missionary.org.

Create a Youth Theme Vision Board – Discuss the Youth Theme for 2021 and what it means to help lay the foundation for a great work (D&C 64:33-34). Create a vision-board poster using your art skills or using pictures and words from magazines or websites to symbolize how you can help others to make and keep sacred covenants. Hang your poster in a prominent place and discuss your progress regularly.

Have a Missionary Movie Night – Watch an episode from one of the Preach My Gospel DVDs (The District 1 or The District 2). Talk about what you learned about missionary work. What skills or experiences do you need in order to prepare for missionary service? Set a goal to gain two or three new abilities that will better prepare you to gather Israel.

Be a Missionary Pen-Pal – Ask a full-time missionary from your stake to be your pen-pal (Sister missionaries for young women, Elders for young men). Share your thoughts about missionary work, ask questions about the work, and provide encouragement, including your prayers on their behalf.

Share a Church Video – Invite a friend to join you in watching a Christ-centered video together. Options are available on the Church website, including “Because of Him,” “Christlike Attributes,” and “His Sacred Name – An Easter Declaration.” One reason the Church has created these videos is so members can share them with others, including friends of other faiths. You can also share via social media.

Be a Social Media Light – Set a goal to spend a month sending only positive thoughts and messages on social media. No matter the temptation to join in with criticisms or complaints, look for uplifting ways to encourage others and spread happiness. Be sure to include Christ as your reason for hope and comfort in difficult times. He is the Light.

Search for Book of Mormon Answers – Assign each member of the family one of the “questions of the soul” on page 107 of Preach My Gospel (children may need help). Discuss how the Book of Mormon answers those questions (see chapters listed with each question in Preach My Gospel). Make “Book of Mormon Answers” a regular part of your FHE and look for ways to share answers with friends.

Be a Friend; Invite a Friend – Be the sort of friend who wants to share the joy of the gospel with others. Invite a friend to accompany you to a church meeting or Family Home Evening. You could ask them to join your family for a meal or treat afterwards. Remember to always treat others with kindness and to think of them as sons and daughters of God.

Be Investigator Friendly – Remember that persons who are investigating the Church are often in our sacrament meetings and other church activities. Work as a family to help create a welcoming spirit at church. In Family Home Evening, talk about ways to be more reverent during meetings and to be friendly with others who join us at church.