Simplified—but magnified.
Deeper into the community. 

ALL APRIL

What is DIY Serve Local ?  

DIY Serve Local is an invitation to live out the love of Jesus right where you already are. It’s faithful, intentional obedience—one act of service at a time.

This is Serve Local simplified so anyone can participate, but magnified as God multiplies small acts of obedience into lasting impact.

Whether you’re serving alone, with your family, or alongside your Life Group, DIY Serve Local helps you step deeper into our community and love people well—in Jesus’ name.

How Serve Local DIY Works 

Pray first.

Ask God who He wants you to serve and how He wants you to show His love.

Pick a card—or follow the Spirit.

Choose a DIY Serve Local prompt from one of the categories below, spin the wheel, or let God lead you to serve in your own way.

Spin The Wheel Below

Go serve.

Step out in faith. Serve intentionally. Love generously.

Make it relational.

Look for opportunities to connect, listen, and encourage—not just complete a task.

Share what God did.

Tell us how you served and what you experienced so we can celebrate together what God is doing in our community.

Share Your Story

Keep it going.

Keep looking for ways to serve all throughout April and beyond!

Make Your Service Evangelistic (Without Making It Awkward) 

DIY Serve Local isn’t about forcing conversations—it’s about creating space for Jesus to be seen through love. Here are a few simple ways to point people to Christ as you serve:

  • Tell them why you’re serving. “Jesus has blessed me, and I wanted to bless you.”

  • Invite them to church—naturally. Offer a Join Us at The Crossing card and let them know they’re always welcome.

  • Give a ‘Jesus Loves You’ bag. A simple reminder that God sees them, loves them, and cares about their life.

  • Pray if the moment opens. If someone shares a need, ask if you can pray for them right there.

You don’t have to have all the right words—your presence, kindness, and obedience speak loudly.

Jesus Loves You bags and invitation cards will be available when you pick up your DIY Serve Local cards.



Ways to Serve 

DIY Serve Local cards are organized into simple categories to help you find a starting point—but don’t feel limited by them.

Meet needs right where you live. Build relationships. Turn ordinary moments into holy ones.

  • Bake or buy treats and introduce yourself to a neighbor you don’t know yet. 
  • Offer to mow a lawn, pull weeds, or shovel for someone who could use help. 
  • Leave a kind note or small gift on a neighbor’s doorstep. 
  • Pick up trash on your street or in a nearby park. 
  • Host a casual front-yard hangout and invite neighbors to stop by. 
  • Paint scripture on rocks and disperse them in your neighborhood or at a local park. 
  • Reach out to your neighbor and let them know you have a few hours that you’d love to spend helping them! Give them some ideas of what you’re capable of.

Care for those who may feel overlooked—seniors, families under pressure, or neighbors in need.

  • Visit or write letters to residents in a nursing home or assisted living center. 
  • Run errands or grocery shop for an elderly neighbor. 
  • Assemble care kits (socks, snacks, hygiene items) for people experiencing homelessness and pass them out as you see the need. 
  • Support a family with young kids with a meal, babysitting, or gift cards. 
  • Who has God already placed in your path this week that you can serve? Surely God has put them on your heart for a reason! Ask Him what He wants you to do for them.

Encourage teachers, staff, students, and school communities with gratitude and generosity.

  • Write encouraging notes for teachers or school staff and deliver them with a flower arrangement. 
  • Offer to take a basket of sweets to one of our local schools to thank the teachers and staff for their dedication to our community. 
  • Donate tissues, dry-erase markers, wipes, and pencils to a local school to get them through the end of the year. 
  • Offer to bring fueling snacks to a sports team at one of our local schools.
  • Serve the janitors at one of our local schools! Take them a basket of treats and encouraging cards. 
  • Think of the students or kids in your life. Take some time to intentionally highlight the good you see in them! Maybe send them a letter in the mail or a text. 

Step beyond your block to bless local organizations, businesses, and shared spaces in our community.

  • Volunteer at a food pantry or soup kitchen. (Love INC, Milton Community Food Pantry)

  • Walk the beaches and pick up trash.

  • Ask a local business owner if you can donate and plant flowers (in the ground or potted) at their business. 

  • Get your life group together & go pay for people’s laundry at your local laundry mat. Be curious and ask about their story while they wait for their laundry to be done! 

  • Chat with the person pumping gas across from you & offer to fill their tank. Let them know that Jesus has blessed you and you’d like to bless them! 

Use words, prayer, and presence to lift up those who feel unseen or weary.

  • Send handwritten thank-you notes to first responders or healthcare workers.
  • Call or text someone who may feel lonely or forgotten.
  • Pray intentionally for your coworkers and look for ways to encourage them.
  • Leave a generous tip and a note for a service worker. 
  • Publicly affirm someone who often goes unnoticed. 
  • Send encouraging notes in the mail to The Crossing’s local mission partners. You can find their contact information at thecrossingde.com/local-mission-partners. 

Offer what God has already placed in your hands—practical skills, creativity, time, and experience.

  • Offer free car help (oil checks, car washes) for single parents or seniors. 
  • Help someone update a résumé or apply for jobs. You could connect with our mission partners at Love INC to find someone who needs this help! Contact Hannah for more details.
  • Use your creative skills (photography, art, music) to bless others.
  • Ask someone you sit next to at church if they have anything they need fixed in their home. Offer examples of what skills you have! 
  • Think about what you already have that you could use to bless someone else. 
  • Reach out to our mission partners at Delmarva Christian Service Camp to see if they need some handyman help. 

Partner with trusted local ministries already serving faithfully in our region and strengthen their work.

  • Gather your life group & reach out to our mission partners at Delmarva Christian Service Camp, offering to clean their dorms. See the button below for contact information.
  • Reach out to our mission partners at Love INC to see if their building or residential houses need a deep clean. See the button below for contact information.
  • Gather your life group & reach out to our mission partners at Delmarva Christian Service Camp, offering to rake their leaves. See the button below for contact information.
  • Gather a few people & reach out to our mission partners at Delmarva Christian Service Camp, offering to paint their stage backdrop white. If they don’t have the paint on hand, offer to donate it! See the button below for contact information.
  • Reach out to our mission partners at Love INC to see if they need water bottles, chips, or fruit cups restocked. Restock their pantry for them and deliver it! See the button below for contact information.
  • Reach out to our mission partners at Love INC to see if they need new linens for their shower ministry. Offer to donate towels and wash clothes! See the button below for contact information.
Email Delmarva Christian Service CampEmail Love Inc.

DIY SERVE LOCAL WHEEL

Pray about where God would have you serve and spin the wheel! You can of course, do your own DIY project. 

A Reminder as You Go

This isn’t about checking a box. It’s about obedience. It’s about availability. It’s about trusting that God works powerfully through simple faithfulness.

You may never see the full impact of what you do—but God does.

Serve Local—simplified but magnified. Deeper into the community. For the glory of God and the good of others.

Questions? Contact Hannah.

Email HannahJoin The Missions Team