Continuing with ideas on how your church can serve the community, I'd like to share with you what we call 'House to Home'
We have some in our church who, for various reasons, have fallen on really tough times. When you struggle to clothe and feed your family, your house is the first to go. And, sometimes it can get pretty bad!.
A few times a year, carefully chosen people or families are picked to be the recipients of our House to Home project. Volunteers from our church who are handymen, builders, electricians etc will sign up for this weekend, as well as others who are willing to get their hands dirty. They go into the recipient's home in mass and do whatever needs to be done to make the home a safer and more enjoyable place to live. Because of their large numbers, the work is done quickly.
We have some money budgeted for this in our Outreach budget but most of the supplies are donated by local builders, companies and contractors. It is a tax break for these companies but we also find there are many with good hearts willing to give.
House to Home Highlights
We do have a church of around 4500, with a Global Outreach staff of five, so have an operating budge higher than many congregations. However this can be done on a much smaller scale. In my parent's church of about 350, there have been times when my father along with two or three other men have gone in to someones house to remodel the kitchen or fix the plumbing. It takes longer with a few men but it can still be done. Just having a list of electricians, plumbers, painters, construction workers etc can be beneficial so as to have people to call upon should an urgent need occur with people in your church who have to means to pay for their work to be done.
Where there is a will, there is a way, when the heart of the church is to serve the community.
Other posts on the church serving the community
Go Outside The Walls
Bumper Bag Sundays / Service Project