FAMILIES IN NEED

A Lay Ministry offering assistance and support to families motivated to better their lives.

"There are different kids of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit gives them.. There are different ways of serving but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service. The Spirit's presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all" I Corinthians 12:4-7

FAMILIES IN NEED IS A LAY MINISTRY. It is people of faith, united in the belief that the love of humanity is an expression of God's love, and that service to others is not only an expression of that love but the responsibility of the Christian community as well. It is a call to use our gifts, a call to care. We engage with the family with the goal of helping to progress toward self-sufficiency, to nurture spiritual development, and to support participation in community life.

WHO WE ARE:

Church members who believe in and are committed to the mission of our ministry. Qualifications include a spirit of caring and compassion inherent in our faith, the ability to listen in a non-judgmental way, and good common sense.

• Contact team members (2 or 3) direct the work with the family. We meet regularly with the family to set long and short term goals and assist in identifying resources to achieve these goals. We commit to one year of service.

• Team assistant volunteers work with the contact team in performing specific tasks to help the family. These special services include transportation, tutoring, budget or nutritional help and children's activities, as well as ongoing prayer support, etc.

• The coordinator and ministry advisors provide guidance and support to the teams, plan monthly meetings and the training, and help identify resources within the church and the community.

HOW WE WORK:

Social service professionals in our area identify and refer motivated families to us.

Contact Teams are matched with a family and agree to assist in setting and attaining goals for a period of six months to a year.

Work with the family progresses with the help of assistant volunteers and by making use of resources within the community.

The formal commitment of team and family comes to an end when both sides review the accomplishments and agree that the family has moved to a higher level of empowerment and independence.

• Family members, parents and children are saying "WE CAN DO IT!"
• Parents have received high school diplomas,
• Completed work training programs,
• Found employment,
• Moved into better housing.

The children benefit greatly as stronger role models emerge!

If you have gifts to share and want to learn more about this ministry, contact:

Alexis Peter at (203) 438-8077