This apartment ministry community idea comes from Moriah Morrissey who serves with her husband, Aaron and two children in an apartment community in Asheville, North Carolina. This post was originally published by Moriah in our Mission 98 Community.
Here’s Moriah:
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The first event that we hosted with our apartment ministry was a Clean and Shop. At this event, residents brought items to set-up and exchange with other residents. So, all of the items were free. The biggest wins from this event were:
The biggest wins from this event were:
- Partnering with our church family for donations to kick the event off.
- Partnering with a local thrift store who lent us some items to start us off with the understanding we would donate all items left from the event back to them.
- All of the merch was free so we just had to pay for food, paper/plasticware, and a few boxes (although you could borrow those from someone).
- The people who came to the event were truly blessed by the free offerings. In particular, one family with a son our son’s age was going through a tough spot financially. They were the last ones at the event and were able to grab a ton of items that met felt needs.
- The connections made by being intentional. I met a resident before the Clean and Shop and when we were talking about the upcoming event she mentioned a specific item she needed. I told her I would be on the lookout for her, and we did have it! We saved it for her and that meant so much to her. The resident is also an artist – so when another resident dropped off some beautiful bowls, I showed them to her and told her I thought of her when they were dropped off. She loved them and took them home!
- It was easy to connect and talk to residents. The Clean and Shop was a laid back, chill atmosphere as people shopped. And if we needed a conversation starter – all we had to do was ask questions about the items they were dropping off or what they were looking to get!
- Even one of the staff who was working at our apartment community that weekend stopped by and took some items home.
- Residents raved about this event. From the beautiful set-up, to the creative idea, to the food. They loved it all!
Do you have an apartment ministry community building idea that has worked well in the place you serve? We want to hear about it! Email [email protected] or share about it with our community. Interested in what others are doing to engage residents in their apartment ministry? Peek at what people are sharing in the Mission 98 online community.
Photos: Clean and Swap
Photo Credits: Moriah Morrissey, Apartment Life
