Visit my Neighbour
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:40
Some of us already have easy relationships with our neighbours; exchanging the proverbial cup of sugar often and sharing our lives together. Others are yet to exchange more than a 'good morning'.
Whatever your situation is, we encourage you to take an extra step to love your neighbours this winter, especially your older neighbours.
It begins with prayer, and with wisdom, but hopefully this will lead you to knock on your neighbour's door to offer God's love and ease the burden of loneliness this winter.
We have a few ideas and resources to help you, depending on what your next step looks like.
Ideas & Resources
Spend Some Time
When it comes to building connections, there's nothing quite like spending some time together.
Doing a puzzle together can be good fun - choose one that won't take all winter to complete though!
Take a photo album over, invite your neighbour to show you theirs, or bring old pictures of your community.
Reminiscence items can spark great conversations. Take something along from your home, or the library. Church Champion Jan shared some more fab ideas with us.
Love My Neighbour Care Home Services and Visits
In partnership with Embracing Age we have a Love My Neighbour service plan which teams can deliver when they visit care homes. You can download it here: LMN-Care-Home-Service
We also encourage those visiting Christian residents to help them love their neighbour this winter by praying for them regularly. Here are some handy tips to get you started: LMN-Care-Home-Visit
Sharing the Gospel
One of our ambassadors, and author of the book "Finishing Well: A God's Eye View of Ageing", Ian Knox, was interviewed by our CEO, Alexandra Drew this summer on the subject of 'Evangelism among Older People'.
You can catch up with the video
here on our YouTube Channel.
‘I am’ Visiting Cards
This is an excellent tool to help you start evangelistic conversations with your neighbours or when visiting in care homes.
The pack comprises a “how to” guide, and seven individual cards, each with an image, an “I AM” saying Bible verse, and then a prayer on the back of the card. More info and how to order can be found here.
Booklets and Tracts
Popping a booklet or tract in with your older neighbour's Christmas card is a wonderful way to share the hope we have in Jesus in every season.
Different ones are available, inlcuding J. John's 'It's a Wonderful Life'. This one and others like it can be found here.
You might also like to check out Christmas resources on other websites inlcuding Eden, CPO, and The Good Book Company.
Gift Bag Ideas
Making gift bags for older neighbours this winter, either as individuals, a homegroup, or a whole church, is a simple, thoughtful way to show love and care, especially during a season when many older people can feel isolated and forgotten.
What a charming way to brighten someone's day!
For a few ideas on what you could include, download our Goody Bag Shopping List.