Outreach Ministry
Serving those beyond our congregation
New Life Lutheran Church's has a number of outreach programs and activities such as Ragdoll Making, Prayer Shawls, Food Collection, Used Clothing Collection, ELCA Good Gifts, School Supply Collections, Mission Projects, and Thrivent Projects.
Our Vision, through our Ministries, is to Reach Up, Reach In, and Reach Out.
Outreach Activites
Ragdoll ministry
Ragdolls is a ministry that meets once a week during most of the year and once a month during the summer. Over the years the group has made over 7,000 dolls and distributed them to different Sarasota/Bradenton area organizations that help children in need such as Turning Points, Mothers Helping Mothers, Safe Children’s Coalition and All Star Children’s Foundation. There are many jobs available to anyone with the desire to give back to the community – cutting out the patterns, sewing and stuffing, tying a tag on the doll with an invitation to come to New Life and finally giving the doll a hug before it leaves our church.
Prayer Shawl
This ministry handmakes hundreds of items including blankets, infant and chemo hats, washcloths, soap sacks, pillowcases, slippers, kitty burial blankets, prayer shawls, angel ornaments, eyeglass cases, purses and hair accessories. Crafted items are distributed to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, The Safe Children Coalition, All Star Children’s Foundation, Cat Hospital of Sarasota, Florida Cancer Specialists, Heron East and other organizations in need.
Used Clothing Collection
Our members donate gently used clothing to Friendship Baptist Church on Palmer Blvd in Sarasota. The clothing is given free on Tuesday mornings along with a warm meal to the needy in our area.
School Supply Collections
Each summer the congregation collects school supplies for Wilkinson Elementary School, a Title 1 school that is in need of school supplies throughout the school year.
Our Vision, through our Ministries, is to Reach Up, Reach In, and Reach Out.
ELCA Good Gifts
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Every year, weeks before Christmas, our Christmas tree is decorated with gift tags for gifts like chicks, a goat or cow to bibles, school supplies, vaccinations or a family farm. Members of the congregation contribute towards the gift tags they have selected. These gifts are real examples from projects currently supported through ELCA churchwide ministries: the ELCA Fund for Leaders, ELCA Global Church Sponsorship, ELCA New Congregations, ELCA Vision for Mission, ELCA World Hunger, Disability Ministries and Lutheran Disaster Response. Each of these programs is a long-term, partnership-based ministry that focus on the needs identified by local congregations and global companion churches and their communities. To view the Good Gifts catalog, go to: https://GoodGifts.elca.org
Food Collection
Non-parishable food is collected throughout the year for All Faith’s Food Bank.
Mission Projects
New Life members donate their change on a weekly basis to help the work of missions. Last year, we contributed to The Renutrition Center in Nicaragua, St. Paul’s Community Meal Program, Military Aid to Families, Lutheran World Relief and Southeastern Guide Dogs.
Thrivent Projects
Thrivent members can apply for a Thrivent Dollars action grant. A Thrivent Dollars action grant is a $250 charitable outreach grant given to fulfill a need within your community. From the time of the application, you have 120 days to lead a fundraiser, service project or education activity within your school, church or community. Each Thrivent member is able to lead an Action Team twice a year and receive $250 seed money for each program they organize and lead.
Please visit Thrivent.com