Read how congregations and individuals are taking action to help those living in poverty and addressing the cycles that keep people poor.
Creative Ways to Bring the Love of Jesus in Olympia and Beyond
Our congregation, Olympia (Wash.) CRC, sponsors the Thurston County Furniture Bank. Every week we send out teams of two to pick up and deliver used furniture to those with needs. This gets us into a lot of homes, apartment buildings, and trailer parks we would otherwise drive past without noticing. This month, we gathered three semi trucks of used furniture to distribute to victims of December flooding in the area. An optomitrist, a member of the church, is organizing a no cost vision clinic, in conjuction with the Olympia Union Gospel Mission, to treat those in the community living at 200% or below the Federal poverty level. Others in the church are organizing a mission clinic in Uganda. As a church, we're looking at ways to come alongside these efforts. The church takes on an annual Kingdom project in which we learn about, pray for, and raise $5000-8000 for a project in some part of the world which is effectively building the kingdom. We're planning a trip in June to investigate future partnering with the town of Los Charcos Honduras. The deacons are establishing a Beyond Our Walls mission team to help us think more creatively and intentionally about how we bring the love of Jesus to our community and world.
—Mark Van Haitsma
Basic Essentials for Men in Paterson
"Silk City": that was her designation a hundred years ago. Today this once center city suffers all imaginable social ills including poverty. 175 homeless crowd into Eva's Kitchen for meals daily. It's an adjunct of the Roman Catholic church. Christian Reformed churches in north Jersey have reached out and provided shelter, clothing and food for ten of the homeless men during cold winter months. Midland Park CRC open its doors each Monday night. It's a two way street:. the men are blessed and so are we!
—DH
Offerings Help Poor in Sheboygan and Around the World
Our Deacons at Calvin CRC in Sheboygan, Wisc., take monthly offerings for a fund called "Local Needs". This fund is used to help not only congregation members but community people who have basic needs such as rent, food, and prescriptions. We work closely with the local Salvation Army to help people who go to them. With their assistance we know that the people we help have legitimate needs. Many of these people fall through the cracks and don't qualify for any other assistance but due to life's circumstances have found themselves without a job or without adequate funds to pay their rent or supply food for their families. We also take monthly offerings for CRWRC and in that way can also help needy people throughout the world. It has always been the priority of this church to take the first offering every Sunday for benevolence.
—Marilynn Otte
Kennewick Church Finds Lots of Ways to Serve the Poor
—God has grown in me a passion for working with refugees since I spent time in Uganda four years ago. Many refugees have come to live in the tri-cities area as a result of the work of World Relief—they have an office here in Kennewick. I’ve been volunteering with them as a mentor/English tutor for a Sudanese family initially, and more recently with refugees from many other countries. Our church also hosts a citizenship class for the World Relief office, and I’m praying for how I can start an ESL class in my church for refugee women.
—Our church uses its Sunday school collection to support a ministry to street children in Calcutta.
—One of our members frequently travels to Thailand to minister to the Karen people who are confined to refugee camps there. Recently some Burmese refugees have had the opportunity to come to our area and he is now serving World Relief as a mentor to some of them.
—Two elderly ladies have volunteered for years sorting clothes at the local Union Gospel Mission.
—Some of our church members volunteer or are on staff at Grace Clinic, a local ecumenical medical/dental clinic that served the uninsured.
We are a small congregation, but many of us are involved in serving the poor here in the name of Jesus, and we’re looking forward to hosting the Sea-to-Sea bike tour. Some of us are just sad that we can’t ride along.
—Theresa Roosendaal
Income Tax Preparation in Grand Rapids
Income Tax preparation for low income folks has become a huge ministry to the clients at the Baxter Community Center in Grand Rapids. Last year 10 volunteers prepared income tax forms and Michigan Credit forms for 1,200 families, generating $1,200,000 in refunds. In our county, Kent, all of us volunteers together generated over $6,000,000 in refunds. This was all done free - free preparation, free e-files, and free direct deposits. This volunteer effort saved Baxter clients an estimated $200,000 in commercial tax preparation fees. The Michigan Department of Human Services reports that there is more money available to the poor in the form of Federal Earned Income Tax Credits, Child Care Credits and Michigan Credits than is available in the welfare system. Yet many millions of dollars are going unclaimed because folks do not know about how to file the paperwork. This year we have 15 volunteers, and our goal is to serve 1,600 clients.
—Phil Quist
Mobile Pantry in Zeeland
Bethel CRC and First Reformed Church in Zeeland, Mich., have begun a partnership to operate a Mobile Pantry in a local mobile home park. The first week 117 clients were served with foods such as potatoes, onions, lettuce, cabbage, bread, canned goods and salad dressings. Second Harvest Gleaners is the source for the food that is being distributed.
—Joel Ploegstra
Homeless Care Kits in Denver
The High School Youth Group at Third CRC in Denver, Colo., assembled 50 "homeless care kits" with collected stuff like soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, socks, wet wipes, granola bars, a bottle of water, etc. I took a few on my bike and delivered them to the homeless men and women who live along the bike path near downtown Denver.
—David DeRidder
Cyclist Shares Dream for Lasting Effects of Bike Tour
By participating in this ride I pray that members of our church and others that I meet will understand the impact one person or one church can have in responding to extreme poverty and in growing as a disciple of Christ. I hope my ride will demonstrate and motivate others to end poverty. According to their talents this might take the form of writing letters to our government representatives, taking mission trips to countries where poverty is greatest, sponsoring our Alternative Gift Market, and shopping thoughtfully for fair trade items, and above all, speaking everywhere and with everyone about the tragedy of needless poverty and the real opportunity we have to end poverty by supporting the Millennium Development Goals.
I am a member of Crossroads CRC, a Micah Challenge church, and of Christians Ending Poverty, a regional group of diverse Christians seeking to respond to extreme poverty through advocacy, action and discipleship. Perhaps my action in joining the Sea To Sea tour will encourage others to support the Micah Challenge and CEP.
—Jim Beezhold
