Kingdom Work

Metro Hope

2006-06-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

I received this letter from the adult ministries pastor at my Church.

June 20, 2006

Dear Body of Christ,

A week ago, our construction crew leader on our Healing House renovation project passed away suddenly. This has left us with big shoes to fill. We are now up against a deadline of being approved for occupancy mid July and need lots of volunteer help! Please post this info in your church bulletin or spread the word to your network. We really need the body of Christ to work together to complete our renovations.

Healing House projects*

Painting
Installing Phone & Computer Cable
Landscape Labor
Ceiling Tiles
Build Fence around dumpster

*These projects are time sensitive with our top priority being painting.
To schedule your volunteer group, please call or email me @ 612-721-9415 or marym@metrohope.org

We appreciate your prayer and volunteer support.

Mary Marshall
Events/Volunteer Coordinator
Metro Hope Ministries
www.metrohope.org
612-721-9415 x.103

Metro Hope has other volunteer opportunities that you can research here www.metrohope.org but please consider helping with the Healing House at this critical time.

Second Harvest Heartland

2006-05-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

This month's organization of the month comes as a request of my 7 year old daughter. With her Girl Scout troop, Abby toured Second Harvest Heartland in St Paul. Her favorite 'fact' was that for every $1 that she gives, Second Harvest is able to provide $9 worth of food to someone in need.

Second Harvest is Minnesota’s largest hunger-relief organization with a mission to fight hunger through community partnerships. Their hunger-relief partners include non-profit emergency food providers, like food shelves and shelters, local and national food manufacturers, government agencies and individual, community, corporate and foundational support. They serve thousands of hungry families, seniors and children who need emergency food.

Second Harvest has two current locations - St. Paul is their main building and they have a service center in minneapolis. They rely heavily on volunteers and require over 2000 hours a month of volunteer time. Because of this, they are able to put 96% of every dollar donated directly to their programs. They operate 5 days a week - into the evening hours Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have numerous opportunities to volunteer and are an excellent option for youth groups, small groups, neighborhoods and families.

Second Harvest is committed to education and promote on site visits for individuals and groups. They also have a dedicated area on their web site : https://www.2harvest.org/get_informed/

Please visit https://www.2harvest.org/give_help/give_time/ to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Kinship

2006-04-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity for your WHOLE FAMILY? Kinship of greater Minneapolis has an incredible ministry - it pairs children ages 5-15 in need of additional adult support with individual adults, or couples, or even entire families.

There are over 100 children waiting for an adult friend/mentor or family throughout the Twin Cities area. These are kids that need to experience the social, physical, spiritual and intellectual development that can come from a mentorship program.

The requirements for this program are pretty simple:
-love for kids
-an hour or two free a week
-one year commitment
-wide variety of interests
-must be reliable

Please contact Kinship at (612) 588-4655
or visit their website:
www.kinship.org

To learn more about this unique mentoring opportunity or other volunteer opportunities that exist.

Meals On Wheels

2006-03-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

Kudos to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. In todays paper they ran a story - on the front page of the local section titled 'Hungry For Volunteers' - promoting the Meals on Wheels organization and how they are in desperate need of volunteers.

"It's time for the next generation of Meals on Wheels drivers to step forward"

I know that I've mentioned Meals on Wheels in a previous post (Under Bill's Pantry) but I thought I would spotlight this organization this time; the least I could do given the front page treatment from the paper.

The article points out the growing problem in both the increase of those that need Meals On Wheels and the decrease in volunteer drivers to deliver those meals. In many cases, the drivers themselves - many who have been volunteering for 10 or more years - are getting to points in their lives where they now become the clients. When drivers are not available, people simply don't get their meal that they need.

Meals on Wheels delivers the lunch time meal, Monday through Friday, to senior citizens and other individuals that are temporarily or permanently home bound throughout the twin city metro area. They rely exclusively on volunteers to deliver these meals to those in need. Each route is set up to take about an hour and routes can and are often shared. This makes Meals On Wheels a great opportunity for businesses that want to be involved as well as Faith based organizations like a Church Small Group.

The key is simply having the desire to bring a hot nutritious meal to someone in need.

Please go to http://www.meals-on-wheels.com/ to find out more and to get a volunteer application.
Or call 612-789-5007.

World Witness

2006-02-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

While I am an adamant supporter of charitable community involvement and local volunteer work - I am humbled by those that pursue 'the call' to Full Time Overseas Ministry. While many of us struggle to find 5 or 6 hours a week to 'give' to others - these folks truly give 24 hours a day - and do so away from hometown family, friends, homes, churches, etc. They start over in a foreign land. And that amazes me.

So this month I wanted to highlight one such organization: World Witness

My information comes from a close source - My brother in law and his wife - as they serve with World Witness in East Berlin, Germany. I will use Jeff's own words as I asked him how people can get involved:

"... besides prayer and financial support, we are also looking for interns who would be interested in living here and working here for a summer or a year. Housing would be provided. We’re looking for younger people especially, who could reach out to teens and young adults. Music and sports are two of the most successful outreaches here, so interests in those are a plus. (Sarah Kaiser—on the CD’s we’ve given you—directs a youth Gospel Choir that is very popular and does concerts all over the city). Naturally, some previous German experience would help too. I’m looking for a young basketball player in particular—I can still school the young kids, but I’m feeling it more the next day!
Another way to get involved is to host a German exchange student (one from east Berlin would be great for us, of course). Several of the teens in our church were first introduced to the Gospel through their Christian host families."

While foreign Missions is not everyone's calling - Prayer should be a standard practice for us all. Financial support should be seriously considered. And for those that feel that pull - look into an internship! And as stated, hosting an exchange student is another way to be involved locally with foreign missions.

Here is a link to World Witness:
www.worldwitness.org - They have opportunities literally all over the world.

Here is a link to the Ministry that Jeff and Suzanne are with:
www.jugendkirche-marzahn.de - in the bottom of the left frame there is an English Version link.

Here is a link to Sarah Kaiser:
www.sarahkaiser.de - This is here simply because her CD's are FANTASTIC! Especially if you like Jazz with a gospel flavor! (She's got at least one CD at Amazon by the way)

Here is a final link to the Missions site for my denomination - the Evangelical Covenant Church:
http://www.covchurch.org/cov/mission/index.html - Another wonderful Missions Organization

SAVE - Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education

2006-01-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

If you are over 20 years old there is an extremely good chance that someone you know has had serious thoughts of committing suicide.

There is a very good chance that someone you know has actually attempted suicide.

And there is - unfortunately - a good chance that someone you know has ended their own life.

And if you're like me, you can put names and faces in each category.

SAVE - Founded and headquartered in Bloomington, MN - is an organization with national exposure and is a member of the National Council for Suicide Prevention. They rely HEAVILY on volunteers who are integral in EVERY aspect of the organization. The mission of SAVE is to prevent suicide through public awareness and education, eliminate stigma and serve as a resource to those touched by suicide.

If you are interested in learning more about Suicide Prevention and resources - or want to find out more about volunteering opportunities:

www.save.org

Or call:

(952) 946-7998 ext. 19

Christmas Giving Options

2005-12-07T10:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a special season. However, many people simply don't experience the joy that we take for granted. Please consider supporting any of these organizations:

Toys for Tots - Providing gifts to needy children for over 50 years
www.toysfortots.org

Courage Cards - A great place to buy your Christmas cards as proceeds go to Courage Center.
www.couragecards.org

Secret Santa - Another 'toys for needy kids' option.
www.secretsanta.org

Operaton Chrismas Child - Franklin Graham's organization with an international goal.
www.samaritanspurse.org

Mercy Corps - Helping those in dire straits around the globe for over 25 years.
www.mercycorps.org/mercykits

World Vision - The 'Sponsor a Child' organization with a Christmas gift option.
www.worldvisiongifts.org

My Pastor - Phil Print - challenged our congregation to match 'present' giving dollar for dollar with 'charitable' giving. Are you up for the challenge?

HSI - Human Services Inc

2005-11-16T09:54:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to introduce an organization that I am just beginning to learn about myself. For over 30 years HSI has been focused on providing help to:

Seniors, Troublued Youth, Persons with mental illness, Persons with physical disabilities, Persons recovering from Chemical abuse, Persons recovering from sexual and physical abuse.

They have four main locations - all in Washington County.

They are in continuous need of people to engage in 1 on 1 relationships with folks that simply have a need for a friend to talk to. Typically 2 hours a week is all that would be expected.

They also help construct 'group adoptions' where a team of 4 to 6 people collectively fill voids. This would be a once a month type commitment.

They also have numerous other openings such as an Art Mentor, a Dog Walker, Kitchen help, Drivers, etc. These roles are continually changing based on the needs of each community.

Please go to the HSI Website:

http://www.hsicares.org/

Or call Celinda Doyle at 651-439-9691 to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Crisis Connection

2005-10-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

Imagine an organization with a goal of providing free help to any problem immediately 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Impossible? It is without volunteers. Crisis Connection is a non-profit mental health telephone counseling service in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul metro area. They are dedicated to helping people with personal and family problems and crises through telephone counseling as well as through professional training and community education services.

Individuals call Crisis Connection for help with a wide variety of issues, including depression, suicide, abuse, family and relationship problems. If you are interested in being a volunteer phone counselor you will receive extensive training and ongoing support. You can also be involved 'off the phone' in a variety of capacities: administrative support, newsletter support, fundraising and special events to name just a few.

The mission of Crisis Connection is clear - Provide a listening ear to anyone with a problem 24 hours a day. And even though they have helped thousands of people in the Twin Cities in desperate situations - due to a lack of volunteers more than 10,000 calls went unanswered last year.

Please visit their website: www.crisis.org for more information on how you can get involved with this essential organization.

Sponsor A Child

2005-09-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

There are many organizations through which you can sponsor a child. I am including four in this week's posting. Each of these is a well respected organization that you can feel confident in supporting. The current monthly range for sponsoring a child is $25 - $30. Before you conclude that you don't have 'any' extra money in your budget - please ask yourself these questions: How much is my cable bill? How much is my internet bill? How much is my cell phone bill? My intention is not to browbeat anyone into sponsorship. But truly, the LEAST we each can do is to help one child.

Save the Children
www.savethechildren.org

World Concern
www.worldconcern.org

World Vision
www.worldvision.org

Christian Children's Fund
www.christianchildrensfund.org

Please 'dig around' each of these sites and find the one that you feel most comfortable with. While the main goal of these organizations is to raise money for child sponsorships - many are also looking for volunteers. Who do you think stands at the booths at community events, religious conferences, and even in your church? Usually it's volunteers!

Hospitality House

2005-09-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

For over 40 years the Hospitality House has been an organization dedicted to the underpriveledged youth of North Minneapolis. They have maintained a simple Four Point Purpose:

1. Go where the youth are
2. Meet the real needs of youth--a holistic ministry
3. Keep the programs Christ-centered
4. Raise up a new generation of young people who will assume leadership roles in our communities

This is an easy place to get involved with because their are SO MANY different opportunities. If you have any desire to work with youth - boys and girls ages 7 to 18 - there is undoubtedly something for you to do here.

There are four main categories that volunteers fall under: Education, Athletics, Outreach, and Administrative. And there are numerous opportunities within each category. There are also regular special events as well as group opportunities. They operate primarily M-F after school and into the evening as well as occasional Saturdays.

On a side note - a few years back while taking a Media class at Bethel College I had the priveledge of creating a documentary on the Hospitality House and was able to spend some time with the founder Elwood 'Woody' Larson. I also spent quite a bit of time - at Woody's request - simply 'being' with the kids. While my documentary has long since been pulled from the Public Access cable channel on which it aired - there is still a huge need for people to get involved with the kids of our city that have so few of the luxuries that we take for granted. The Hospitality House is a great place to start.

For more information as well as a Volunteer Application:

http://www.hhyd.org/

Bill's Pantry

2005-09-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

This week's organization of the week is Bill's Pantry. This wonderful organization delivers groceries to low income people in the Twin Cities living with HIV/Aids. They are a small, all volunteer organization, and a perfect example of what a group of dedicated people with a vision can accomplish.

There are several ways to get involved with Bill's pantry. They need people to help collect groceries - typically on Thursdays. They need help filling orders and bagging groceries - on Saturday mornings. And they need help delivering groceries - on Saturday morning. They also will accept monetary donations.

The people at Bill's are truly dedicated and wonderful to be associated with. And the recipients of the groceries are a varied collection of races, genders, ages, etc. My 'picture of AIDS' has changed dramatically as I have gotten to know the individuals - and their families - that suffer from this painfull illness.

If you like the idea of grocery/food delivery but can't fit Bill's into your schedule, here are two other programs to consider:

Store to Door : http://www.storetodoor.org/ Serving the elderly and disabled - mostly mornings during the week.

Meals on Wheels: http://www.meals-on-wheels.com/ Serving the elderly. This is a great option for an office volunteer program. Meals delivered as lunches 5 days a week.

Ramsey County Corrections

2005-09-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

This weeks Organization of the week is the Ramsey Couty Community Corrections department or VIC - Volunteers in Corrections.

It is very easy to forget about those adults in prison and the juveniles in detention centers. But it is very hard for those imprisoned individuals to forget someone who lovingly gives of their time to simply be with them. If you are looking for a very personal and meaningful and long lasting opportunity I would highly reccomend this type of program. (This is the Ramsey County program - the one that I am familiar with - however most counties have similar type programs for you to get involved with)

Due to the nature of the correctional system, there is a little bit of leg work needed in order to get involved. Please don't let that deter you. There is an application process as well as a referrence check. There is also a mandatory 'training' that consists of four weekly meetings, each about 3 hours. Even if you're not comletely sold on Correctional volunteering - I would HIGHLY recommend going through the 12 hour training session. It is a real eye opener.

Dana Race is the volunteer coordinator and she is great to work with. She has a real dedication to this work and will definitely help you identify the best role within the volunteer system.

While there is a Prison Ministry opportunity - the real need that comes up again and again is simply having individuals as friends and mentors to the inmates.

Follow this link: http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/cc/volunteering.htm to learn more about the program.

"...I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Introduction

2005-09-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Katrina has brought out the best in people. As we view the homeless, the hungry, the scared, the sick and the desolate the American people have responded - and Rightfully so. However, before Hurrican Katrina, and no doubt after - there were, are, and will be others: Homeless, hungry, scared, sick, desolate....

This blog is simply a way to help share ideas, programs, organizations, resources, etc with each other so that we may faithfully fulfill Christ's command to love.

My plan is to highlight a different organization each week - one that desperately needs our help in order to fulfill its mission. Some will be Christian organizations but many will not be. Some will be local to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and others will be National and/or international. Some will need financial assistance - but most will require your time. I welcome ideas, questions, comments, concerns and relish good discussion.

I will also provide links to some of the preachers/speakers/authors that have had a profound effect on my life - and encourage your ideas on others.

Sometimes it takes a true catastrophe to 'wake us up.' In the aftermath of one of the worst catastrophe's our nation has experienced, perhaps we will all wake up to the real needs of our fellow brothers and sisters on this planet. Let us never forget the words of Christ in Matthew Chapter 25:

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'