Social Ministries Update
September, 2009
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, the ‘in-kind’ donations. What price is put on changed lives---of the receivers as well as the givers?
Major areas of volunteerism at Trinity:
SSS (Supper/Sack Lunch/Shower) every Sunday night here at Trinity. SSS has grown to average 110 (from 80 a year ago) guests each week. About 25% are homeless, the rest are income challenged and need to stretch their food dollars to cover other basics such as rent, utilities, and transportation. We have 4 separate teams to work one Sunday per month. Five additional teams make lunches on Saturdays. Hair cuts by professionals are offered the second Sunday of each month. 110 meals and 110 lunches become 11,000 meals per year. Over half of our budget is used for SSS expenses besides the many in-kind gifts of food and clothing. Pastor Justin has begun a 12 week Bible Study on Sundays at 2:30 for SSS guests. We appreciate help from volunteers from other churches. We ask Trinity to step up further. The leadership team is visioning ways to serve the growing number of guests. Four of the Social Ministry leaders attended the ServeSafe class and passed the test for certification. We have made recommendations to Trinity’s Board of Properties on things that we feel can be done better in our kitchen.
MCREST shelters 60 pre-screened homeless in our pre-school wing for one week (August 2-9, 2010). Three meals, laundry, bus tickets, transportation to work, laundry, showers, clothing, supervision, and 3 meals per day are provided. About 300 Trinity volunteers make the week go smoothly. About 1500 meals are provided during MCREST. The $5000 budget is not a general fund line item; the funds are raised separately each year.
NSO (Neighborhood Service Organization—a shelter at MLK and Third in Detroit). Teams to create a meal, transport to the NSO and serve have expanded to all Saturdays of the month. Trunk lids are opened like tail gating and food is served to 125-150 homeless. That is 8,000 meals per year.
Metro Meals A meal is provided in Mt. Clemens the first and third Mondays with Trinity volunteers. (About 1500 meals per year)
MOTOWN Soup involves volunteers all year as they make and sell soup mixes. In the past 4 years the project has provided $77,000 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 $4000 raised for local ministries we partner with.
Used Book Sale generated $6500 last year with the proceeds used for projects such as Surf Detroit, school supplies for children in need, breakfast bars for a city children before school Bible Study, healthy snacks for Lutheran City Ministry, tires for a Pontiac church van, spices for DRMM, and materials for Trinity’s ‘Grace Garden’.
Surf Detroit (students coming to Trinity to work up to a week at ministries) may be morphing into an adult event that combines service with learning how to shape social ministry in their own congregations.
Salvation Army Bell Ringing. We ring for 70 hours each year and raise over $5000 for the S.A. local use.
Clothing Bank volunteers sort and bag clothing for partner ministries.
Pancake Mixes are made the first Friday of each month by a volunteer team. Mixes are given free of charge to partner ministries’ food pantries.
Cards to 800 prisoners are sent at Christmas, Easter, and on prisoner birthdays.
‘Walk-ins’ receive resources, a meal, a listening ear, and prayer on a daily basis.
Resources Trinity has experienced a lot of ways to serve others. Using these experiences and new ideas we have been a free consultation to ministries and events that saves other ministries a lot of time and money.
Recent additional developments:
Grace Garden - Volunteers have taken 900 square feet of space behind the youth house and turned it into ‘Grace Garden.’ Vegetables raised have been shared by the workers, and by Social Ministries.
Little Dresses For Africa takes pillow cases and turns them into dresses for orphaned girls in Malawi. Organizer Rachel O’Neill came to Trinity to share her project.
We are grateful for food that is donated to us. Not only Trinity members who bring us leftovers from events as well as signing up to bring salads and desserts for SSS and NSO. We receive gleanings from four Pizza Huts, two Lone Stars, two Starbucks, a Dairy Queen, Lipari Foods, and Great Harvest Bread. What we are unable to use we share with New Fellowship in Highland Park and Macomb Christian for work at Peacemakers and along the Cass Corridor in Detroit. 90% of the food from these businesses is shared with other ministries rather than used here. We are grateful. We share. Thank you to the dozen volunteers for their faithful picking up of food.
We network through Gifts For All God’s Children, Project Amos, and The Macomb Homeless Coalition. Project Amos gives an opportunity for ministries to share their excesses and notes their needs. 15 tickets to the free Leadership Conference were shared with others in the network. Dan attends bi-monthly District “Outreach Ministry” meetings and serves as a resource person at monthly Detroit East Side’s “Minister’s United.”
The Board of Christian Outreach began meeting in August 2009 to pull together Missions and Social Ministry. One of the things that this board will be looking at, is the ‘sustainability’ of our Social Ministry program in a ‘post Dan’ world.
Social Ministries has planned a Dec. 7 Cookie Walk to benefit (total proceeds plus matching funds from Thrivent for Lutherans West Macomb Chapter) Abigayle Ministries.
Bloggers for coupon savings and frugal living have helped us to organize coupon collection, organization, and distribution.
“Simply Living” DVD/Bible Class series is being presented in the fall, 2009 line-up of studies. We hope to continue education through “Servant or Sucker” in the winter series.
We deeply appreciate ALL that is done to further God’s demands of helping the poor, the widows, and the children. These are the least, the last, the lost, and the lonely. The command to the church is to put these needs above our own.
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