Each summer, mission trips and opportunities abound. Last Sunday, we commissioned a team for Nicaragua and a youth missions team for Smoky Mountain Outreach will be leaving this week. Other teams will leave for a teaching mission in the Czech Republic in July and a medical mission in Nigeria in August. The team members range in age from 14 to much older (I’m not asking specifics). The teams include both youth and adults.

What about the kids and families? We previously organized an overnight family mission trip to Camp Collinswood, which you can read about here. But what if you have just a Sunday afternoon?

SAM Sundays are Sunday Afternoon Missions Sundays offering mission opportunities for children and their families to serve on local mission together. Children, along with their parents and grandparents, can sign up online for various on-campus and off-campus missions that take place on a particular Sunday afternoon.

Last Sunday, we packed our own lunches and gathered for instructions from the SAM Sunday Leader, who had made all the necessary preparations to support the SAM teams. The start time was firm. The end time varied and ran no later than 5pm.

This month’s SAM Sunday included a visit to a local senior saints’ living center to chat and play games.  Senior saints who have poured themselves into the lives of the disciples of our church were visited with joy, news, and prayers.

Additionally, we stayed on campus and decorated lunch bags and placemats for The Table on Delk. Table on Delk provides a safe place for those who are currently, or at risk of, being sexually exploited to have a meal and get connected to resources that they might not know about. Table on Delk is one of our church’s mission partners. Two Sunday school classes packed 40 lunches, which were prepared and delivered on Monday.

SAM Sundays involve participants of all ages, from couples and singles to families with children, teens, and seniors. These multi-generational opportunities allow everyone to serve our neighbors together.

Summer SAMs are scheduled for June and July to encourage disciples of all ages and abilities to engage in hands-on missions in our community. Based on what we learn from these two SAMs, we’ll schedule more to follow.

I’ve taken older elementary students on SAMs to pull up carpet at a local church receiving new flooring, clean out an unused nursery at another church, and teach sign language to children at a special event at a church re-starting their ministry with children.

Think of SAM Sundays as a Great Day of Service, but on a Sunday afternoon. One or multiple projects invite people of all ages to serve together, using their hands and hearts to love extravagantly and witness boldly.

How are your family members serving together on mission this summer?

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13