Sasha Brady, Dave Davis, Vern Neuhaus, ... Mike Rowe (Senior Pastor), Ward Rau (Team Leader), Sasha Brady, Dave .... Chi
We are all humans. Let’s help each other.
Outreach & Service Opportunities Spring 2013 Presented for Small Groups & ABFs by Pastor Dave Steel and the Outreach Team
Outreach Team: Mike Rowe (Senior Pastor), Ward Rau (Team Leader), Sasha Brady, Dave Davis, Vern Neuhaus, Karen Romanovich, and Vadim Romanovich
Outreach & Service Opportunities Spring 2013 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’”
- Matthew 25:34-36
Dear Small Group Leaders and ABF Leaders of First Baptist Wheaton, Our Outreach Team has done us a wonderful service by preparing this catalog of local outreach opportunities. Recognizing the impact that groups of Christ followers can have when mobilized to serve in Christ’s name — and the spiritual benefits groups enjoy in the process — we asked the Outreach Team to help resource us with possible avenues by which Christ’s life in us might overflow into the lives of others. The Team has come through with a significant menu of options, some of which are bound to suit your small group or Adult Bible Fellowship. The first section features opportunities led or sponsored by members of First Baptist Wheaton. Community organizations needing volunteers are highlighted in the second section. And the third section lists some helpful
resources on the practical and theological foundation of serving and reaching out in Christ’s name.
So let me encourage you to put this resource to good use in mobilizing your group or ABF for meaningful outreach together. If I or anyone on the Outreach Team can be of assistance, please let us know. And be sure to let us know where you see God at work in the midst of it so we can rejoice with you! Thanks for your partnership in this ministry. Grace and peace, Dave Steel
Pastor of Discipleship & Leadership Development
The Outreach Team consists of: Mike Rowe (Senior Pastor), Ward Rau (Team Leader), Sasha Brady, Dave Davis, Vern Neuhaus, Karen Romanovich, and Vadim Romanovich
On-Campus Opportunities
Service Through Relationships
W
e want to encourage you to serve while growing in relationships with our neighbors. Consider partnering with others from First Baptist Wheaton in the following ways. Because time is essential for developing relationships, these opportunities require regular commitment. Most take place either on-campus at First Baptist Wheaton, or at the next-door Wheaton Square Apartments.
Wheaton Square Homework Club
Help elementary students with homework, reading, and other academic enrichment. Meets at Wheaton Square Apartment C8 on Mondays 6:45–8:00pm and Thursdays 3:45–5:00pm. Commitment is one day per week, September through May. Training provided. Contact: Sasha Brady - 340.626.4877;
[email protected]
Toddlers Campus Neighborhood Open Gym (Winter)
Join other First Baptist Wheaton moms of preschoolers and neighboring Wheaton Square Apartment families in a weekly open gym time. Come as often you can to interact with women from different cultures as your children use the Toddlers Campus ride-on and sports equipment. The open gym will be offered most Mondays during the winter months (February through April). Contact: Karen Romanovich - 630.303.3493;
[email protected]
World Relief Citizenship Classroom Aides (January through July)
World Relief, in partnership with First Baptist Wheaton, will offer a Citizenship Class two nights per week. The class will assist refugees and immigrants who have resided in the U.S. for at least five years to prepare for a difficult, 100-question exam including English, American history, geography and government. An experienced teacher will lead the class, and classroom aides will offer students more individualized attention. Time commitment is 7:00–9:15pm on Tuesday or Thursday evening weekly for a 12-week session (January 29 – April 18 or April 30 – July 18). Training provided. Contact: Jamie Daling at World Relief - 630.462.7566 ext. 1046;
[email protected]
First Baptist Wheaton Garden (Spring – Fall)
Work alongside Wheaton Square residents to till the garden in the spring, preparing it for planting. Then, work your own garden plot or share one with a friend. Meet immigrant neighbors from Wheaton Square while you water and weed. Enjoy the fresh vegetables with friends and family or donate them to a local food pantry. Contact: Dave Davis - 630.668.7585;
[email protected]
S Service Together
Growing through Awareness
erving together, whether as a small group, family, or with a friend, is a great first step in outreach. As you serve in important support roles, you will be able to learn and reflect on the needs of our community and world while supporting those who minister directly to the vulnerable and needy. Most of these opportunities are one-time events.
Wheaton Area Churches Cooperative Food Packing with Feed My Starving Children (June 13–15, 2013)
Feed My Starving Children is a Christian non-profit organization committed to feeding hungry children around the world. Children and adult volunteers hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children and shipped to nearly 70 countries around the world. Annually several Wheaton-area churches cooperate to organize and staff a three-day food-packing event with the goal of packing 100,000 meals over three days. In addition to packing the food, participants have the opportunity to contribute to the expense of shipping the food. The financial goal associated with packing 100,000 servings of food is $22,000. The 2013 event will be held at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. Sign up to help for a two-hour shift. This is a great opportunity for First Baptist Wheaton members to cooperate with members of God’s family at other churches. Contact: Ward Rau - 630.293.0512;
[email protected]
Ride for Refuge (September or October)
Organize your small group or family to join hundreds of others to ride bikes distances between 5 and 60 miles raising money for World Relief or other organizations serving the oppressed and vulnerable. Contact: Vadim Romanovich - 630.456.0382;
[email protected]
Outreach Community Center Christmas Store (December)
Donate a gift to the annual Christmas Store, a ministry of Outreach Community Center which enables local families in need to purchase new gifts for their children at minimal cost. Volunteer to help with registration, to be a personal shopper, or to wrap gifts. Details to be announced at First Baptist Wheaton in November.
Card-making for New Name Ministry (Monthly)
Join other women making cards for women reached by New Name Ministry, a local outreach that reflects Christ’s love to women in the adult entertainment industry. More information on New Name Ministry is included in the “Community Partners” section of this catalog. Contact: Karen Romanovich - 630.303.3493;
[email protected]
1 2
3 4
1. Volunteers from First Baptist Wheaton team up with churches across DuPage County to pack and ship around the world at a large-scale Feed My Starving Children event. 2. Local families purchase gifts for their children at minimal cost during Outreach Community Center’s Christmas Store in December. 3. A refugee living in Wheaton Square Apartments plants vegetables at the First Baptist Wheaton neighborhood garden. 4. Sasha Brady gathers with kids from First Baptist Wheaton’s Homework Club at Wheaton Square Apartments.
T Equipping for Maximum Impact
Service with Community Partners
he following local parachurch organizations minister the love of Christ in practical ways to the needy of our community. Consider serving to meet a current need for volunteers.
World Relief’s mission is to empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable. Locally the agency resettles of refugees and offers a number of relationship-building service opportunities for individuals, families, or groups. Visit www.worldreliefdupageaurora.org for more information. Contact: Jamie Daling - 630.462.7566;
[email protected]
Early Childhood Tutors
Be paired with newly-arrived refugee families to play with their children and give them English exposure. This is a once-a-week commitment that involves meeting with the family, playing with the children, and giving them English exposure to help prepare them to start school in the fall. Minors must volunteer with an adult. Urgent Need for Summer Months
Airport Pick-Up Assistants
Good Neighbor Kit Coordinators Organize your small group, ABF, family, or friends, to gather household items that refugees need in their first apartment. A “Good Neighbor Kit” list is provided. Then deliver the Kit, setting up the apartment before the family arrives. Time commitment ranges from 3-5 hours for delivery and setup.
Good Neighbor Team
Welcome a refugee family at the airport. Be the smiling face that greets travelweary refugees by name. Drive them to their final destination and provide a brief orientation to their new home. A rewarding and unforgettable experience. Time commitment ranges from three to six hours.
A group of 6-12 people who together support a new refugee family in their first months of their new life in the U.S. Six individualized roles provide structure for relationship, conversation, and tangible ways to serve. Training provided. Six month time commitment.
Adult ESL Classroom Aides
In-Home English Tutors
Work alongside a teacher in community education classes to help refugees and immigrants learn English. Opportunities are available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings. The time commitment is two hours per week for six months. Special training required.
Friendship Partners
Friendship Partners offer their friendship and help a refugee family learn about their new community and answer many questions about life in America. The time commitment is a two-hour, weekly visit for a minimum of three months.
Help teach the basics of English to an adult refugee in his or her home. The time commitment is two hours per week for six months. Special training required.
Annual Benefit - “Passport World Relief: Creating Change, Maximizing Impact, Engaging the World ” Organize your small group or invite a friend and spend an the evening of April 12, 2013 learning about the difference World Relief makes in our community. Be inspired to donate or volunteer, making a difference yourself. Located this year at The Carlisle, 435 E. Butterfield Rd., Lombard, IL.
Located in Carol Stream, Outreach Community Center offers a variety of services to help families. Its goal is “to help neighborhood residents work together to build a stronger community.” Visit www.outreachcommunityministries.com for more information. Contact: Kathy Christensen - 630.260.7600
Tutoring
Tutors are matched with one student, grades 1-5, and meet with the same student, providing targeted academic assistance in math and reading one day per week throughout the school year (September through May). Tutoring is scheduled Monday through Thursday afternoons, 4:15–5:30pm. New tutors are required to attend an orientation at the beginning of the school year. All tutors are expected to attend two training sessions each year.
Community Center High School Mentoring
Be an academic mentor for a high school students in SALT (Student Achievement Leadership Team), a program for high school students interested in developing leadership skills and pursuing higher education. Meet with your student weekly to review grades and assignments, assist with goal-setting, organization, note-taking, reading strategies, homework, study skills and test-taking skills, and more. Time commitment is one hour per week, September through May.
Re:new exists to transform and invest in the lives of refugee women living in America. Visit www.renewproject.org for more information. Contact: Kari Vandervelde - 630.450.5952
Volunteer
Teach sewing or knitting to refugee women of all levels and abilities, inspiring them to develop their skills while engaging them in a meaningful relationship. Commitment is at least one two-hour class per week for one term (winter/spring or fall).
Shop
Support local refugees by purchasing from a variety of beautiful handbags, placemats, baby blankets, and other sewn items. Shop as a small group. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 250 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 108 in Glen Ellyn (located in the same building as World Relief and Repeat Boutique).
This ministry reflects Christ’s love to women working in the adult entertainment industry in Chicagoland. Volunteers from local churches pray for, visit and walk alongside women in area strip clubs, escort services, and adult massage parlors. Their consistent visits, caring words, and gift bags offer friendship and hope in Christ. You can help by signing up for e-mail prayer updates, joining the weekly prayer meeting, or volunteering for outreach (women only). New opportunities for men to help with awareness are coming soon. Organize your friends or small group to donate gift bag items or make cards and gift bags together, or hold a jewelry-making party. America. Contact: Anne Polencheck - 630.465.0593;
[email protected]
M
aybe the idea of outreach and service is new to you, or you’re not sure how or where to jump in. That’s a good place to be. Pray regularly that God would lead you to opportunities to serve, but also to learn. Expose yourself to new things. Be willing to be uncomfortable. Ask questions.
Read some of the following books or watch relevant films with your small group as a guide for prayer and action. Pray together as a small group. Brainstorm ways that you can respond as individuals or as a group.
Resources and Training
Prayer and Awareness
Here are two general books that can provide a good introduction, addressing the theology and the heart issues of service:
Half the Church
Generous Justice:
by Carolyn Custis James Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.
Books/Films on specific topics:
How God’s Grace Makes Us Just
by Timothy Keller Dutton: New York, 2010.
Community Development
When Helping Hurts
Real Hope in Chicago
by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2012.
by Wayne Gordon Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.
Beyond Charity:
The Call to Christian Community Development
by John Perkins Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993.
Human Trafficking/Justice and Discipleship
The Just Church:
Becoming a Risk-Taking, Justice-Seeking, Disciple-Making Congregation
by Jim Martin Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2012.
Immigration
Christians at the Border:
Welcoming the Stranger:
Immigration, the Church, and the Bible
Justice, Compassion, and Truth in the Immigration Debate
by R. M. Daniel Carroll Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.
by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009.
Resources and Training
Prayer and Awareness
Poverty
Roots and Remedies
Principles and Practices of
of the Dependency Syndrome
The Hole in Our Gospel
Transformational Development
in World Missions
by Richard Stearns Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009.
by Bryant L. Myers Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2011.
by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009.
Walking with the Poor:
Refugees
The Story of My Life:
Of Beetles and Angels:
God Grew Tired of Us:
An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky
A Boy’s Journey from a
The Story of Lost Boys of Sudan
by Farah Ahmedi and Tamin Ansary New York: Simon Spotlight, 2005.
Refugee Camp to Harvard
Directed by Christopher Dillon Quinn and Tommy Walker, 2008.
by Mawi Asgedom and Megan Tingley Chicago: Megadee Books, 2001.
Especially for ABFs
Choose courses that lay theological foundations or equip for service. Courses currently offered:
Evangelism
Teacher: Doug Coen
[email protected]
Witnessing to Muslims
Justice, the Bible, & the People of God Teacher: Karen Romanovich 630.303.3493;
[email protected] Length: 8-12 weeks
Teacher: Dave Davis 630.668.7585;
[email protected] Length: Flexible (1-5 weeks)
Life’s Crucial Questions (Apologetics)
Teacher: Dave Steel
[email protected]
Witnessing to Muslims Teacher: Pete Sanderlin
[email protected] 