How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 
Isaiah 52:7

You might not think your feet are beautiful, but God does, when you share the good news of Jesus! And no time that is easier than at Christmas as well as the best time of year to do so in nursing home ministry outreach. Doors that have been either closed, or somewhat restricted to the gospel for the rest of the year, crack open just a little in the month of December. Though it is getting close to the holiday, it is still not too late to consider a last-minute Christmas caroling, gift giving or other special program in your community. In our experiences this year with three Christmas outreaches to different senior communities around our area we found some valuable lessons that I hope will be of help to you.

1.  Preparation – Yes, spontaneity is wonderful and just grabbing a guitar and heading for the nearest nursing home might work, a little planning doesn’t hurt a bit. Though I know by heart most of the music and lyrics, I do sometimes struggle with second verse and recalling what key a song is in. Multiply that by the number of folks in your group and you will find that creating a set of song sheets for your people makes for a much happier and more confident caroling experience. We also include handing out, hand-written cards to every single person, and this year that was well over 200 people. That requires, enlisting volunteers to help buy the cards, write the cards and hand them out. I also have found it best to get our spot on the calendar a month or more in advance, but if you haven’t already done so, don’t despair. Ask the activity director at the home you are considering visiting what spots are still available and jump on whatever is left. What may seem chaotic to our schedules is often in God’s perfect timing!

• Presentation – We are going into homes to sing about Jesus and share the most amazing and important story in all of history. How we share the good news, needs to be beautiful, not just in the musical quality but also in a joyful outpouring of our love for Jesus. People need to be reminded that God has not forgotten them, that they are precious to Him and loved by others. Ask God to give you ideas on how to express His grace to others in practical ways. One of our volunteers came loaded with a hundred candy canes. After being told that we couldn’t share them with the residents, they came upon a large Girl Scout troop coming In after us and those kids were delighted to take them off our hands! They may not remember any of our names, but they went home with a sweet impression of our group!

• Follow Up – How you follow up after the holidays can either give affirmation to the message of the gospel or cast doubt on how true it is. What we sing about during the Christmas season, must be followed up with service throughout the year. If weekly visits are not practical, try bi-weekly or even once a month. Every time you return, you are saying, “You matter to God, you matter to me, and we are here for you with the news that no matter what happens, our God reigns and He loves you!”