Social Outreach Ministries

Organized Spring, 2000.
Social Ministries Coach: Dan Karlin
Contact: Phone 586-731-4490 ext. 116 office
dan@trinityutica.com or
tontotis@hotmail.com
Fax 586-731-1071

Social Ministries Update

April, 2007

 

Social Ministries empowers volunteers to become the hands and feet of Jesus.  Some things are done through Social Ministries, while others are done by individuals---things that we may hear about, but not organized by us.  We are grateful for both as the impact of this ministry goes way beyond the general budget, the funds raised, and the ‘in-kind’ donations.  What price is put on changed lives---of the receivers as well as the givers?

Trinity has taken on major responsibilities as well as minor and temporary duties.  Majors include:

 

• MCREST - the first week of August that uses 300 volunteers to provide lodging, meals, transportation, laundry, etc. for 60 people each night for a week (considered as 420 shelter-nights and 1200 meals).

• Macomb Warming Shelter - (the week between Christmas and New Years) providing a place to sleep and 2 meals for about 60 people each night (420 shelter-nights and 800 meals).  We are not sure at this time if we will continue the Warming Shelter the last week of 2007.

• SSS - (Supper/Sack Lunch/Shower) every Sunday night here at Trinity.  SSS has grown from 25 a year ago, to 35 in August, to 55-60 in January.  About 1/3 of the participants take showers (homeless or living with no water) with 2/3 being working poor who need to stretch dollars to pay utilities/rent/etc.  Our volunteer base tripled in January in time to work with an increased group of guests.  We assume the program will grow with the downturn of the local economy.  We have 4 separate teams to work one Sunday per month.

• Metro Meals - While we have had teams provide a meal twice each month in Mt. Clemens, the sale of the facility provides new challenges.  At this time, we are not sure of the extent of our future participation.

• MOTOWN Soup - involves volunteers all year as they make and sell soup mixes.  In the past 2 years the project has provided $27,500 to area shelters and soup kitchens.  Major recipients have been Detroit Rescue Mission and the MCREST office.

• Family Feud - provides a night of constant food, fun & fellowship, silent auction, much laughter during each of the three Feud games played….and $5000 raised for the local ministries we partner with.

• Used Book Sale - generates $4-7,000 each year with the proceeds used for projects with partner ministries.  Due to a major source of books drying up (we have only 10,000 books this year), the sale might become an every 2 or 3 year event.

• Room Rehabbing - at C.O.T.S.  A Trinity member volunteered to take on the task of painting and purchasing new twin mattresses & bedding, etc. for 25 rooms.  The purchase of items for the rehabbing came from individuals, small groups and families which would have been in the $7-9,000 range.  The volunteer is now coordinating rehabbing of rooms at DRMM’s Oasis Shelter.  Another volunteer is organizing woodworkers to trim in and around the interior of windows at the Genesis III facility.

• Mission Fair - A superb quality event was held March 24 here at Trinity.  Speakers, music, exhibit booths, and workshops offered praise, education, and networking.  In spite of extensive advertising, the attendance was very low.  We are not used to taking a loss at events.  We will look at what we can duplicate on a shoestring and possibly offer a Mission Fair/Ministry Event again in 2008.

• Surf Detroit - has been scaled back from a high school event advertised through the LC-MS Youth office (at a cost of $275 booking fee and $22 per participant) to a college event.  Students from Concordia Mequon came to work last year.  Students from Concordia River Forest will be here the first full week of May to work in soup kitchens, nursing homes, community gardens, painting, and black-top parking lot sealing.

 

Minor events vary widely from 1000 Christmas, 500 Easter, 500 Birthday cards to the incarcerated to pick up/distribution of pizza from Pizza Hut, loaves of bread from Great Harvest, and cleaning supplies from two Target stores on a weekly basis.  Trinity members have shared items with ministries ranging from appliances to a $4000 piano to drum sets.  The Lions Club has helped us with MCREST week and the Rotary has helped with Christmas food baskets.   Members have continued to give through ‘door offerings’ of well over $10,000 in the past year alone.  They respond positively and with great speed to requests for everything from clothing to household items.  While more than ‘minor’ we have a group of volunteers who faithfully meet each first Friday to make 200+ packages of pancake mix that are distributed to area food pantries---that is over 2500 mixes per year.  We network through Gifts For All God’s Children, Project Amos, and The Macomb Homeless Coalition.  We pray and counsel with people who stop by with needs—some of which we can assist with, some that are beyond our resources.  We are grateful for the continued opportunities that God places in front of us to be His hands and feet.

Goals:  In the next year we expect to initiate a clothing bank that will be sorted by men/women/children’s winter as well as summer.  Some clothing will be used at Trinity, the rest made available to partner ministries.  We will submit an application for a grant to the Joyce Foundation for a study of car care/oil changes/car clinics for single moms of limited income.  A Board for Social Ministry will be established this summer with the aim of expanding and preserving ministry opportunities.  We hope to apply for the Peter Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation in 2008.