Portals of Prayer devotions have proved to be a blessing for thousands of Christians since 1937. In fact, many churches have subscriptions so that they can offer free issues in their narthex, on pastoral visits, and so on. Sometimes though, extra copies remain. Check out these ideas for how you can put extra copies of Portals of Prayer to good use in your community!
1. Church Library
Does your church have a library full of Christian books and resources available for checkout? If so, consider offering your spare copies of Portals of Prayer for people to keep alongside whatever materials they might be borrowing. Perhaps someone visiting your church library is new to Christianity and wants to learn more; a free issue of Portals of Prayer could help them learn more about what Jesus has done for them.
2. Homeless Outreach
Care for people experiencing homelessness in your community by assembling care kits to give to them (or to nearby shelters). For example, your church can pack ziplock bags with supplies like hand warmers, granola bars, hygiene items, and warm socks—and add a copy of Portals of Prayer to each bag! This way, you are helping people in concrete ways that they desperately need, and also offering an opportunity for them to hear the hope of the Gospel.
3. Homebound Care
Being hospitalized, in a care facility, or homebound for other reasons can be isolating. Even if your church distributes Portals of Prayer issues as they are released to homebound members, think about giving them a spare copy too. Even if the dates are past, extra devotions can fill with hope and encouragement the heart and time of the person who is homebound.
4. New Member Gifts
Sometimes churches give new members gifts or goodie bags upon joining. If you wish to begin, continue, or add to this tradition, make sure extra Portals of Prayer issues are included in the gift! After spending some time in Portals, these new members will want to grab the next issue from your narthex as soon as it’s available.
5. College Student Gifts
Whether you’re thinking of college students who are displaced from your community or you have a local college that brings new worshipers into your midst, you can care for them with extra copies of Portals of Prayer. Send a simple care package or mailer for students who are away from home or hand out copies at church events catered to college ages. Midterms, homesickness, dating, and finances can all be stressful in this stage of life, so help out your college students with Portals.
6. Community Outreach via Members
There are plenty of ways in which your church (or someone on behalf of your church) can share extra copies of Portals of Prayer—but what about challenging your members to do the sharing? If you have 50 extra copies, for example, challenge ten people to each pass out five copies of Portals of Prayer to friends, family, and community members who would benefit from these uplifting daily devotions.
7. Support Groups
What kind of support groups exist in your community—AA, cancer support groups, or others? Maybe some are even hosted at your church. Think about sharing extra copies with these groups. It’s excellent that people lean on each other in various times of need, and even more excellent if they know they can lean on Jesus too. Drop off spare copies and see how the Holy Spirit works through them.
8. Community Events
Does your church ever have a booth at a community fair or farmer’s market? Try offering free copies of Portals of Prayer at your booth alongside any other pamphlets, stress balls, bookmarks, or other freebies you typically see at events like these. People tend to mosey through booths, choosing when and where they stop for more information—so this type of event won’t make visitors feel cornered if they’re not interested in grabbing a copy.
9. Seasonal Events
Within the same vein of community events, think about any seasonal events your church participates in or hosts. Trunk or treats? Fall festivals? Parades? Christmas caroling? Any of these seasonal events would be great opportunities to hand out spare copies of Portals. Keep in mind that people who attend a seasonal parade might not be seeking a religious conversion or to be “preached at,” but devotions like Portals of Prayer can open the door for further prayer, reading, and consideration without a lot of pressure.
10. In-Kind Donations
Finally, consider any in-kind donations your church collects, such as tangible food, clothing, school supplies, or hygiene items for local or global organizations. If and when you distribute items to people or organizations in need, consider supplementing donations with your extra copies of Portals of Prayer. For instance, if you are collecting coats for people in need in the winter, slip a copy of Portals in each coat pocket to further bless recipients.
If you have some extra copies of Portals on hand, we pray that these ideas help you put them to good use in your community. Thank you for shining the light of Jesus!
Don’t have a Portals of Prayer subscription for yourself or your church yet? Get Christ-centered, comforting devotions in the size and quantities you need by signing up now.
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