15 Ways to Practice Your Faith During the Summer

Donate to an Organization Serving the Hungry

Feeding was an important part of Jesus' ministry, and he made clear to his followers that their responsibility to feed the hungry was non-negotiable. (See Matthew 25:31–40.) During the holiday season in November and December, countless churches, schools, and community groups organize or participate in efforts to provide food to hungry individuals and families. But hunger and food insecurity are problems year round, not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas. This summer, consider organizing a food drive through your church or workplace. Or simply make a cash donation. Because food banks can purchase food in bulk at a discount, cash donations go further than donations of non-perishable foods.

Attend a Baseball Game With Your Faith Community

God created us to be in relationship with one another. The early Christians in Acts devoted themselves not only to the prayer, worship in the temple, and the apostles' teaching but also to fellowship. (See Acts 2:42–47.) America's pastime gives faith communities many occasions for summer fellowship.

While fewer than 30 North American cities have Major League teams, minor league teams—whether AAA, AA, A, or independent—abound. Minor league tickets are very affordable and many franchises go out of their way to welcome church groups, hosting “faith nights” that sometimes feature Christian recording artists and testimony from Christian athletes.

Head Out on a Mission Trip

Early in his ministry Jesus sent his twelve disciples on a mission trip, instructing them to “proclaim the good news” and to “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:7–8). Since then missionary work has been an essential part of the Christian experience. And summer is prime time for church mission trips.

Check on the mission opportunities available through your congregation. If it lacks the budget and the resources to organize mission trips on its own, look into mission opportunities through your diocese, district, conference, or presbytery, or check with mission-oriented congregations in your community. Churches and Christian organizations send missionaries all over the world, particularly to developing nations, to perform all sorts of tasks: building churches, building schools, treating ailments, training church leaders and teachers and doctors, digging wells, and distributing supplies. While many missionaries initially plan to serve others, they soon discover that the job of a missionary is to work alongside others, to learn while teaching and to receive while giving.

There is much work to be done throughout the world, but some of the most meaningful and effective mission experiences take place only a few miles from the missionaries' home. Churches that invest in mission and outreach close to home can forge lasting relationships with their neighbors and make long-term investments in their communities.

Host a Cookout

Throughout his ministry, Jesus relied on the hospitality and generosity of friends and acquaintances who invited him to come to their homes for dinner. When he appeared to his disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee following his resurrection, Jesus had a cookout on the beach (John 21:1–14). Cookouts are as much a part of summer as lemonade and baseball. This summer, emulate the hospitality and generosity shown by Jesus' hosts by hosting a cookout. Drawing inspiration from Jesus' parable of the great dinner (Luke 14:15–24), go out in your neighborhood and invite anyone who is willing to come. (And, if you're serious about following Jesus' culinary example, serve bread and fresh fish at your cookout!)

Take Sabbath Seriously

God commanded the ancient Israelites to “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). This commandment applied to everyone in the household and to the livestock. Leviticus adds a Sabbath year in which even the land would be allowed to rest. But the practice of setting aside time for rest has become counterintuitive in a culture that never stops and places a premium on productivity. Since many people, especially in the West, grow up in school systems where “summer” is synonymous with “vacation,” summer is a natural time to think about rest.

Taking Sabbath seriously isn't about doing nothing or spending long hours watching television or playing video games, but about restoration and a renewed focus on one's relationship with God and others. Worship, restful time with family and friends, and time outdoors enjoying God's creation, all are healthy ways to honor the Sabbath.

Enjoy God's Creation

When God finished the work of creation, he looked at the heavens and the earth and declared all of it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). If God enjoys the forests and mountains, seas and skies, and plants and animals, we should, too. Summer offers many opportunities for us to spend time outdoors enjoying God's very good creation.

Spend a day this summer navigating the hiking trails at a state park or enjoy a long weekend camping. Pay close attention to the sights, sounds, and smells around you. Listen to the birds that “sing among the branches” (Psalm 104:12). Take in the scents of flowers. Look out on “the work of [God's] fingers” (Psalm 8:3). Then give thanks for all that God has created.

Get Involved in Vacation Bible School Programs

Vacation Bible School is a beloved summer activity in many North American churches. For one mid-summer week, children (and sometimes adolescents and adults) gather for Bible study, games, crafts, and snacks, all geared toward teaching important spiritual lessons. This summer, check with your congregation's vacation Bible school leaders and find out how you can get involved.

Even if you don't have the gifts or disposition to spend five consecutive evenings teaching a group of second graders, you could lead a game or a song, provide a snack, or help with decorations and setup. All of these contributions help create an environment where young people can learn important faith lessons and experience Christian fellowship.

Grow and Tend to a Garden

Genesis tells us that God put the first humans in a garden so that they could “till it and keep it” (2:15). While our role as keepers of God's garden involves being good stewards of all that God has created, summer gives us the opportunity to till and plant an actual garden. Many gardeners do a lot of their tilling and planting in the spring, but there are plenty of vegetables—such as beets, turnips, and several varieties of beans—that you can plant well into June. Some leafy veggies have a second growing season beginning in late summer.

Tending a garden provides your household a supply of fresh, healthy, and environmentally friendly vegetables. It also gives you a sense of the work that goes into growing and harvesting the produce that is so conveniently and inexpensively available at supermarkets. If your garden takes off, you can share the fruits of your labor with others.

If you don't have the land or the resources to till a garden of your own, volunteer to work in a community garden. Community gardens usually occupy a public space in an urban neighborhood and give residents of the neighborhood (particularly low-income residents) access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Many groups that till and keep community gardens draw inspiration from scriptures such as Leviticus 19:9–10 and Deuteronomy 24:19–20, which instruct farmers not to pick a portion of their harvest and to leave these fruits and vegetables for the “poor” and the “alien.”

Be a Good Steward of Money

Summer is a time of abundance. It is a season of expensive vacations and pricey trips to amusement parks, of blockbuster movies and three-day music festivals. June, July, and August provide ample opportunities to empty our bank accounts. In light of recent worldwide economic woes, many people have found creative ways to have summer fun on the cheap. But Christians should use money responsibly and faithfully regardless of the state of the economy.

This summer, find ways to get by with less. Spend a day at a state park instead of an amusement park. Take advantage of free public entertainment (such as concerts, plays, and outdoor movies) instead of spending money on concert and movie tickets. Instead of going out for dinner, cook out on the backyard grill. All of these money-saving activities allow you to save and be more faithful and generous with your income. By making some minor sacrifices and changes of plans, you can avoid debt and have more money to use in service of God and God's kingdom.

Save Water

In the summer heat we're often tempted to turn on the water. We like to use the garden hose to water our lawns and gardens, satisfying thirsty plants. We like to cool off by running through the sprinkler or sitting in the kiddie pool. We take advantage of the warm weather and wash our cars more frequently than we would in the fall or winter.

But fresh, clean water has become scarce in many parts of the world. And we can no longer act as though we have an endless supply of water—not even during the summer. Showing love to God's creation and following Jesus' instructions to give the thirsty something to drink requires Christians to conserve water as an act of faith (Matthew 25:35). Collect rain water and shower water and use it for irrigation or for washing your car. Instead of turning on the sprinkler or filling up the kiddie pool, go for a swim at a public pool.

Go on a Pilgrimage

For many centuries, people of all faiths have journeyed to shrines or places of religious significance. Christian pilgrims have journeyed to the Holy Land to visit the region where the ancient Israelites settled and where Jesus grew up, taught and healed, died, and rose again. But for many Christians, a summer vacation getaway to Israel and the West Bank isn't affordable or practical.

Fortunately, pilgrimage sites aren't limited to places mentioned in the Bible. There are traditional pilgrimage destinations all over the world. For example, the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in northwest Ohio is a popular spot for Roman Catholic pilgrims to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary each August.

If you're interested in being a pilgrim this summer, you need not limit yourself to traditional sites. Consider sites such as the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas, Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia (the birthplace of Habitat for Humanity), or places that are significant to your denomination's history and tradition. Wherever you go, learn the story of your destination and reflect on what the story teaches you about how to live as a faithful servant of God.

Remember Your Baptism: Go Swimming

Swimming has long been a popular summer activity. It also is an activity that can have a spiritual dimension. In the creation account in Genesis 1, God's breath sweeps across the waters (v. 2). God's promise to Noah took the form of a rainbow, and God used the waters of the Red Sea to save the Israelites from Pharaoh's approaching army. Elisha healed Naaman by instructing him to wash himself seven times in the River Jordan. Jesus' baptism by John (also in the Jordan) initiated his earthly ministry; and, in his final instructions to his disciples, Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

Water—particularly the water of baptism—remains an important symbol for Christians today. Baptism is a Christian's initiation into the body of Christ, the church. It is a sign of God's grace and of God's claim on one's life. A dip in the pool is a great way to cool off or to get some exercise, but it can also serve as an informal way to remember one's baptism. If you have been baptized, go for a swim and remind yourself that you have been washed by the waters of baptism and that God has claimed you and called you to do the work of his kingdom.