Develop a Discipleship System
Coins for Lent 2025
By Kevin Johnson
During Lent, we are reminded to examine our lifestyles and ask, "What can we do for others?" Part of faith formation at any age is compassion and serving our neighbors. Lent is a good time to commit to giving money to a project that helps people in need. You can get the family involved by collecting coins during Lent that will be donated to a charity after Easter. Follow our “Coins for Lent Giving Calendar” as a guide.
If you decide to do this as a family or as a congregation, determine where you would like the money to go. Let everyone have a voice. Perhaps a community food bank could use funds to purchase food for the hungry. Your family or congregation may want to contribute to a larger project beyond your local community.
Heifer International is an agency that addresses needs worldwide and helps families become self-sufficient in sustainable ways. The United Methodist Church and Heifer International share a vision of ending hunger and poverty. You may know of other worthy projects. Visit the United Methodist General Board of Global Missions website to learn more about “Advance” mission projects that need support.
Once you have selected a project, decide what coins you want to collect. You may want to contribute a quarter for every item on the giving calendar. You may want to collect loose change and give whatever coins you have for each item.
Next, make a container to collect the money. Use a plastic tub, jar, or coin bank you don’t use. Decorate it and place it where the entire family can see it (and contribute to it).
Items on the daily guide remind us of all we have and how little others may have. Each Sunday, pray as a family for the project and the people who will benefit from your gifts. Our giving begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes with Holy Saturday. During Lent, Sundays are for worship and praise to God and are reflected with a weekly day of prayer.
The 2025 Lenten Coin Calendar includes the playlist featured in our worship series for Lent. Members of your family may find music a helpful tool for contemplation. The addition of this playlist helps us focus on each Sunday’s prayer as we explore the depths of the heart and soul of the community of faith and the wider community. Find creative ways to incorporate this playlist into this calendar and let music help guide your family this Lent.
MARCH 2025
- March 5, Ash Wednesday—A coin for every lamp (Playlist song, “Fix You” by Coldplay).
- March 6—A coin for every light switch.
- March 7—A coin for every candle.
- March 8—A coin for every flashlight (including the one on your smartphone).
- March 9—Pray today, thanking God for the gift of light. Pray for those who live in darkness. (Playlist song, “Rise Up” by Andra Day).
- March 10—A coin for every room in your home.
- March 11—A coin for every electrical outlet in your home.
- March 12—A coin for every chair in your home.
- March 13—A coin for every window in your home.
- March 14—A coin for every bathroom in your home.
- March 15—A coin for every bed in your home.
- March 16—Pray today, thanking God for shelter. Pray for those who have no place to sleep at night. (Playlist song “Head Above Water” by Avril Lavigne).
- March 17—A coin for every box of cereal.
- March 18—A coin for every can of soup.
- March 19—A coin for every type of bread in your home.
- March 20—A coin for every jar of jelly.
- March 21—A coin for every bottle of salad dressing/condiment.
- March 22—A coin for every jar of peanut butter.
- March 23—Pray today, thanking God for the food you enjoy. Pray for those who have no food on this day. (Playlist song, “Cling to Christ”/”Lights of Home” by U2).
- March 24—A coin for every box of BAND-AIDS®.
- March 25—A coin for every bottle of vitamins.
- March 26—A coin for every bottle of Tylenol in your house.
- March 27—A coin for every tube of Chapstick.
- March 28—A coin for every toothbrush and tube of toothpaste.
- March 29—A coin for every cough drop/throat lozenge in your house.
- March 30—Pray today, thanking God for your health. Pray for those who are sick. (Playlist song, “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves).
- March 31—A coin for every ball or piece of athletic equipment.
APRIL 2025
- April 1—A coin for every electronic video game.
- April 2—A coin for every smart device (phones, tablets, etc.).
- April 3—A coin for every television.
- April 4—A coin for every doll or stuffed animal.
- April 5—A coin for every board or card game.
- April 6—Pray today, thanking God for how you can enjoy entertainment in your home. Pray for those who would be grateful for just one of the items you found this week. (Playlist song, “Cover Me in Sunshine” by P!NK and Willow Sage Hart).
- April 7—A coin for every ball cap or hat.
- April 8—A coin for every pair of shoes.
- April 9—A coin for every pair of jeans or pants.
- April 10—A coin for every coat.
- April 11—A coin for every t-shirt.
- April 12—A coin for every sweatshirt.
- April 13, Palm Sunday—Pray today, thanking God for clothing that protects you from the elements. Pray for those who lack clothing to keep them warm and dry. (Playlist song, “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen).
- April 14—A coin for every Bible.
- April 15—A coin for every book of hymns or sacred songs in your home.
- April 16—A coin for every cross in your home.
- April 17—A coin for every prayer you say today.
- April 18—A coin for every story of Jesus you can tell.
- April 19—A coin for every person in your family.
- April 20, Easter Sunday— Pray, thanking God for Jesus and for the many ways we can gather and worship God. Pray for those who will receive the coins collected, so that they will see God’s presence through them. (Playlist song, “Light of A Clear Blue Morning” by Dolly Parton).
Rev. Kevin Johnson is the Director, Children’s Ministries for Congregational Vitality & Intentional Discipleship at Discipleship Ministries. Kevin’s hero Fred Rogers suggests that we, “listen to the children, learn about them, learn from them. Think of the children first.” This quote defines Rev. Kev’s approach to ministry. Kevin, an ordained elder of the Kentucky Annual Conference, has over fifteen years of ministry experience in which he has thought of the children first. Prior to ministry, Kevin worked with children in the hospital setting and in group homes for emotionally and physically abused children.
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