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Stories from around the synod BRINGING EASTER JOY TO THE YOUNG AT HEART – Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Independence, MO, helps brighten the lives of nursing home residents through their annual Easter Basket ministry project. Easter baskets always bring joy to those who receive them, and they aren't just for kids, they are also for the young at heart. In the case of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Independence, MO, we have found Easter baskets to be particularly appreciated by senior citizens. Several years ago our social ministry team began a project to take Easter baskets to The Groves, a nursing home which is about five miles from our church. We chose this nursing home because a couple of our members were in residence there. The Groves is a large facility with a wide variety of people living there. Many of the patients are able to move about from place to place within the facility and some are more restricted in movement because they require more care. We provide Easter baskets for one floor of the nursing home, or approximately 100 baskets. Each year, people at church donate small items such as lotion, bed socks, combs, puzzle books, and notepads to place in the baskets. We often have small rabbits or stuffed animals with an Easter flare donated. These items are special additions to include in the baskets. The residents enjoy the stuffed animals either for themselves or to give as a gift when small children come to visit them. The baskets are finished off with cellophane and tied at the top and make a beautiful gift. A group of five to ten people go to the nursing home to distribute the baskets on Palm Sunday. One year, our confirmation students delivered the baskets, complete with their bunny ears on, which delighted the residents. The joy on the faces of those who receive the baskets at delivery time is such a blessing to behold. We are told that the residents get many visits and remembrances at Christmas time, but during Easter they are often forgotten. In addition to the residents, there is also a thrill that the staff seems to experience. They often comment on how special the baskets are to the residents. We also usually receive several notes of gratitude each year from relatives of the residents sharing how good they feel knowing that others also care and are remembering their loved ones at this time of year by giving them an Easter basket. There is nothing like the
reminder of the Easter miracle to brighten one’s life when living
in a care facility. We feel blessed to be a blessing to others at this
time of year. “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 |