Ministry: Tea Basket Ministry

The tea baskets are given to any woman in our military community as a reminder to take care of themselves and also to let them know that we are praying for them.

Tea Baskets are given to women regardless of their denomination or involvement in our group. Many of our women have given these baskets to their non-Christian neighbors and have opened the door to telling them about what Christ has done in their lives.

We have a binder with tea basket request forms. Our women complete these forms to "nominate" someone to receive a tea basket. The form asks for a contact name and address and the reason for sending the tea basket. Some ladies choose to remain anonymous in their gifting. Once the form is complete, it is given to the woman in charge of the tea basket ministry. Her job is to keep track of the baskets and the supply of items needed for each one. We accept donations at our weekly Bible study, but this outreach was initially started with a small budget ($50.00) that was used to purchase basic supplies and the baskets. The woman in charge of this ministry fills each basket with items such as soaps, candles, devotion books, music, etc.

The basket is then delivered to the recipient with a note attached that says, "You have been blessed with a tea basket. We are praying for you." A personal touch is then added to the note and then it is closed by stating, "The items in this basket are for you but please return the basket so that we can bless another woman with this ministry."

We often receive our baskets back with an item or two that can be used in our next tea basket. The thank-you notes received from this ministry are very encouraging and bless us in return.