Southern Baptists Serving Their Neighbors: Service Initiatives of Southern Baptist Churches

Transcription

1 Southern Baptists Serving Their Neighbors: Service Initiatives of Southern Baptist Churches Compiled by Marshall Griffin EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, consisting of approximately 50,000 churches in all 50 states. A key component of the Southern Baptist identity is a commitment to serve one s neighbors by actively addressing social service needs on both local and international levels. With few exceptions, these service initiatives are independently funded and facilitated entirely by Southern Baptists who voluntarily give of their money, time, and talents. The particular needs and the methods employed to meet those needs are wide-ranging. Domestic initiatives include services that address hunger, poverty, homelessness, adoption and foster care, disaster relief, health care, human trafficking, community service, children and students needs, counseling and addiction recovery, pregnancy support, ministry to prisoners, and needs of refugees and immigrants. These efforts also extend globally. Southern Baptists coordinate to meet needs such as hunger and disaster relief in countries across the world. Numerous examples can be given to show the tangible results of these service initiatives. A few highlights include: New Seasons Church in Spring Valley, CA operates a non-profit food pantry. In 2014, this food pantry served more than 12,000 households. The pantry s specific programs provided a monthly community distribution of food for about 5,000 households, about 4,500 hot meals for the homeless, homebound, and disabled, and 1

2 child nutrition programs at 13 sites after school and during the summer that served nearly 75,000 meals or snacks to children. 1 The Journey church is St. Louis, Missouri is home to Mission: St. Louis, a nonprofit that carries out initiatives such as the Affordable Christmas program, which provides affordable Christmas gifts for low-income families, serving more than 150 families and 600 children with help from over 1,200 volunteers in 2008 and Southern Baptists have more than 1,550 mobile disaster response units on call for local, state, and national emergencies, with more than one hundred thousand trained volunteers scattered across the nation. 3 In 2014, volunteers served a collective 59,583 days and provided 2.3 million hot meals to people directly impacted by natural disasters. 4 Internationally, in 2014, Baptist Global Response administered 335 projects appropriating $8.4 million in almost 60 countries. 5 These efforts include water projects that benefitted 322,586 people, health assistance that served 123,000 people, and temporary housing after disasters for 2,972 people. 6 2

3 T he Southern Baptist Convention is a voluntary association of approximately 50,000 churches, the largest Protestant Christian organization in the United States with churches in all 50 states. These Southern Baptist churches serve their neighbors by providing a wide variety of social services in their local communities. The Baptist Faith and Message expresses both the inspiration and expectation for this voluntary service: Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. 7 The particular needs and the methods employed to meet those needs are wide-ranging. With few exceptions, this work is funded and facilitated entirely by Southern Baptists voluntarily giving of their money, time, talents, and other resources. While by no means exhaustive, this document provides a helpful introduction to the efforts that Southern Baptist churches undertake in their communities. DOMESTIC INITIATIVES Hunger More than two in ten Americans (22 percent) say their family has received help from a church-run food pantry, LifeWay Research reported in November New Seasons Church in Spring Valley, CA established Heaven s Windows in In 2014, this non-profit served the community through a five-day-a-week food pantry that served more than 12,000 households, a monthly community distribution that provided food for about 5,000 households, a child nutrition program at 13 sites after school and during the summer that served nearly 75,000 meals or snacks to children, about 4,500 hot meals for the homeless, homebound, and disabled, and a block party celebrating Thanksgiving that welcomed 3,600 guests and gave away 700 turkeys and 20,000 pounds of food.9 Trace Creek Baptist Church in New Johnsonville, TN partners with other local churches to provide snacks and other food items for students whom teachers have identified as likely having a need for nutrition, serving about 60 students. 10 3

4 Feeding children has also become part of their Wednesday night programming. The church now feeds about 70 children each Wednesday evening. 11 In Austin, TX, Lake Hills Church partners with other churches as part of the Mobile Loaves and Fishes ministry. In Austin, 11 catering trucks make daily runs to 150 places of need. Lake Hills manages two of the catering trucks and 740 church volunteers who serve monthly. Each day volunteers meet at the church to make sandwiches for 100 sack lunch meals. 12 Poverty, Unemployment, and Underemployment The Journey church is St. Louis, Missouri established Mission: St. Louis, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that partners with churches all over the city promoting empowerment, education, and community development. 14 One ministry of Mission: St. Louis is the Affordable Christmas program, which helps provide affordable Christmas gifts for low-income families, serving more than 150 families and 600 children with help from over 1,200 volunteers in 2008 and NewSpring Community Church in Anderson, SC reports that its members donated 7,265 pairs of shoes, 13,600 articles of clothing, and 55,307 pounds of food in First Baptist Church of Durham, NC partners with Jobs for Life, a global nonprofit organization that engages and equips the local church to address the impact of joblessness through the dignity of work. 17 Homelessness Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, TN supports several non-profits that serve the homeless, including the Samaritan Center, Nashville Rescue Center, Room in the Inn, and The Bridge Ministry. These organizations offer meals, groceries, toiletries, laundry, financial assistance, and coaching towards self-sufficiency. 18 Houston s First Baptist Church in Houston, TX participates in the Star of Hope program, an organization that serves homeless people through structured programs which focus on spiritual growth, education, employment, life management, and recovery from substance abuse. 19 Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, TX partners with Champions 4 Hope Homeless Ministry, which serves the homeless of Northwest Houston by serving home-cooked meals every Saturday. 20 4

5 The Church at Rock Creek in Little Rock, AR has a homeless ministry that works to meet the basic needs of the homeless in our community and give them hope through opportunities such as serving breakfast at the Salvation Army, distributing clothing and toiletries, and collecting needed items. 21 Adoption and Foster Care Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA supports Family Life Services, a private, licensed, adoption agency that provides free adoption counseling and information to expectant parents anywhere in Virginia and home studies, adoptive parent preparation, and post-placement services to Virginia families pursuing international adoption, domestic adoption with another agency, or private adoption. 22 Cross Church in Springdale, AR partners with national organizations to provide resources, coaching, and financial support in order to help facilitate adoption and orphan care amongst its members. 23 First Baptist Church of Woodstock in Woodstock, GA seeks to serve children and families in the foster care system through the WeFoster program, which mobilizes church members to be mentors, respite families, and foster families. 24 Brentwood Baptist Church of Brentwood, TN has established a ministry named Orphan Care, which equips its members to adopt and foster children through classes, seminars, and partnerships with other adoption and foster care organizations. 25 Disaster Relief Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams respond to fires, ice storms, tornadoes, damaging winds, hurricanes, and flooding across the United States. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is one of the three largest relief organizations in America [along with the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army]. Southern Baptist volunteers prepare most of the meals distributed by the American Red Cross. Southern Baptists have more than 1,550 mobile disaster response units on call for local, state, and national emergencies, with more than one hundred thousand trained volunteers scattered across the nation. 26 In the most recent reporting year, volunteers served a collective 59,583 days and provided 2.3 million hot meals to people directly impacted by natural disasters. 27 As of October 7, 2015, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is now included within the newly established Send Relief initiative, which will further expand Southern Baptist 5

6 efforts to meet needs across the country. Send Relief will launch in 2016 and include compassion ministries to combat hunger, poverty, serve children through foster care and adoption, combat human trafficking, minister to migrants through international learning centers and meet inner-city needs with construction and medical teams. 28 Health Care Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA strives to minister to people affected by HIV and Aids, both locally and internationally, through their HIV&AIDS Initiative. 29 Saddleback also offers support groups focused on mental illness to provide an informative, supportive, and safe experience for families and friends with loved ones suffering from severe or chronic mental illness. 30 Southern Baptist churches in Georgia support the Baptist Mobile Health Ministry, a not-for-profit for the underserved of the state. The ministry mobile unit is equipped with three dental operatories and the equipment and supplies necessary for dental professionals to render dental care. 31 The Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, TX partners with others in the community to provide a monthly care program for people with Alzheimer s and Dementia. 32 First Baptist Church in Indian Trail, NC operates a health ministry with a team of licensed medical professionals and other volunteers who are part of the church. The goal of this team is to minister to those in our congregation and community by providing healthcare, education, health promotion, community resources, medical support, and spiritual support during a healthcare crisis. 33 Human Trafficking Grove Avenue Baptist Church in Richmond, VA started the Precious to God ministry to help women who are being exploited through human trafficking. Precious to God aims to raise the community s awareness of human trafficking, train others to serve exploited and oppressed women, and network with other ministries working in prevention, intervention, and aftercare. 34 Members of Ashworth Road Baptist Church in Des Moines, IA started a local outreach to local strip clubs to open opportunities to talk to girls who may have been exploited and are in the process of raising funds and completing repairs to open a home for sex trafficking victims. 35 6

7 Green Street Baptist Church in High Point, NC is one of the partners that support Triad Ladder of Hope, a nonprofit organization that helps human trafficking victims escape from bondage and rebuild their lives, building relationships, providing for physical needs, helping reunite women with their families, and promoting awareness of this issue in the local community. 36 Clear Creek Community Church in League City, TX works for awareness of human trafficking and partners with two local organizations, Redeemed Ministries and Free the Captives, to serve and support safe houses, as well as individuals afflicted by human trafficking. 37 Community Service In 2014, Sandals Church in Riverside, CA sought to invest in their local community through their Our Real Family initiative. Over the last 6 weeks of the year, the church mobilized its members to give 4,872 gifts and $37,450 in gift cards to families in need, serve a total of 875 days in the community, and give $97, to local nonprofits. 38 Second Baptist Church in Houston, TX seeks to serve those who live in their local community by hosting events and building relationships to build unity. Their teams partner with apartment management to provide a community building program hosting social activities such as Saturday morning breakfasts, pool parties, kids clubs, game nights, holiday parties and BBQs, personally welcoming new residents to the community, and caring for residents during special times of need. 39 The Church at BattleCreek in Broken Arrow, OK serves the community through the Clean Slate initiative. For the past 4 years, Clean Slate has helped transform over 21 homes and two public schools all across the Tulsa metro area. In early May of 2012 we focused in on two specific, large-scale projects. One project included a partnership with Union Public School to transform one of the oldest elementary schools in the district: Briarglen Elementary. The second project was to renovate New Beginnings Community Church located in downtown Tulsa. Both of these projects were selected based on their significant impacts in their communities, despite their limited resources. 40 London Bridge Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, VA sets aside one week each year to serve the neighborhood of Magic Hollow, located in the heart of Virginia Beach, through kid s campus, landscaping, and construction projects. 41 7

8 Children and Students West Ridge Church in Dallas, GA has ongoing initiatives to serve families and students within the community. Their programs include free childcare for special needs children and free meals for local football teams before games. 42 Riverbend Baptist Church in Austin, TX actively looks for opportunities to serve alongside local schools encouraging and working with them to help our children have the necessary resources they need. 43 Any donations given to the church can be designated for this ministry to local schools. Oakwood Baptist Church in New Braunfels, TX participates in New Braunfels Kids Club, a faith-based academic program serving elementary aged children and their families free of charge offering students help with their homework, learning, team-building games, and a nutritious meal. 44 Volunteers from the church also visit Connections, a community facility housing at-risk teenagers, weekly. 45 Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood, AL operates a ministry named Kids Connection, which provides items to meet the needs of children, up to age 16, whose parents are unable to meet those needs. 46 Counseling and Recovery The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC offers free personal or marital counseling with graduate student counseling interns, while also supporting Bridgehaven Counseling Associates, a local non-profit that offers professional counseling on a donation basis. 47 Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, TX offers professional counseling on a fee basis, as well as free groups for those seeking recovery from life-controlling issues such as substance abuse, codependency, dysfunctional relationships, and sexual abuse. 48 Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Palmetto Bay, FL offers care, recovery, and support groups to people facing challenges such as addiction, disease, and divorce. 49 Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, TX offers free support groups to meet the needs of adoptive and foster families, people struggling with grief, and victims of sexual abuse, while also operating a fee-based counseling ministry, GraceWorks Counseling, for anyone in the community. 50 8

9 Partnerships with Other Non-Profits Church by the Glades in Coral Springs, FL partnered with more than 20 not-for-profit organizations to provide more than 1,500 volunteer opportunities at 30+ different events as part of their Serve the City initiative in August The organizations served by the church included Alexander Sandy Nininger Nursing Home, Broward Partnership for the Homeless, United Cerebral Palsy for Broward and Miami, and Women in Distress. The Austin Stone church in Austin, Texas launched The For the City Network as an official 501(c)3 nonprofit in January 2009 and The For the City Center in September 2010 in order to partner with local organizations to meet needs in their city. 52 The Austin Stone leases space in The For the City Center to organizations such as Communities in Schools, Capital Area Food Bank, Caring Family Network, and Austin Lifeguard. 53 The church collaborates with these organizations by providing space, financial support, and volunteers. Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC mobilizes its members to serve with over 100 non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity, the Ronald McDonald House, and local schools. 54 Pinelake Church in Brandon, MS sets aside two Saturdays each month for its members to serve with local organizations such as the Genesis Food Bank, Gateway Rescue Mission, Center for Violence Prevention, and McCoy House for Sober Living. 55 Pregnancy Centers Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX founded the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center, which provides free and confidential guidance, pregnancy tests, early pregnancy sonograms, educational classes, and post-abortion support groups. 56 Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, GA meets the needs of women with unplanned pregnancies by partnering with the Atlanta Care Center and Cobb Pregnancy Services, with church members serving as volunteers, making donations of money and resources, and, if properly qualified, helping meet medical needs. 57 First Baptist Church in Dallas, TX partners with the Downtown Pregnancy Center, which offers many practical services and resources to help mothers through unplanned pregnancies, sexual health, and needs regarding a growing family. 58 Abundant Life Baptist Church in Lee s Summit, MO supports the Rachel House, a center that provides free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, and abortion education in the Kansas City area. 59 9

10 Prison Ministry Church Unlimited in Corpus Christi, TX participates in the God Behind Bars network, which offers prisoners opportunities for recovery from addiction, resources for reentry into society, and ongoing support after release. 60 Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch, CA takes part in the Prison Fellowship program, which equips correctional leaders, volunteers, and incarcerated men and women to make prisons more rehabilitative places; advocates for a more restorative criminal justice system; and collaborates with churches and local service providers to support former prisoners, their families, and their communities. 61 Fallbrook Baptist Church in Houston, TX is home to a prison ministry that participates in programs such as Angel Tree, where volunteers arrange for Christmas gifts to be donated to the children of incarcerated parents on their behalf; Pen Pal Program and Men s Mentoring; and In-Prison Life Plan Seminars. 62 Gardendale First Baptist Church in Gardendale, AL provides regular in-prison ministry opportunities for male and female volunteers at a variety of facilities transports Birmingham area children to Tutwiler Correctional Facility every other month for a special visitation with their mothers, sponsored by Aid to Inmate Mothers supports various Prison Fellowship events and participates annually in the Angel Tree program and serves inmates and their families each year during the Christmas season by participating in the Caroling and Cookies event, sponsored by the Jefferson County Jail Ministry. 63 New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary offers courses towards a Bible college bachelor s degree to inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. The penitentiary s warden credits this opportunity for education with increasing cooperation and reducing violence within the prison, which was notoriously brutal and bloody into the 1970s. 64 Following this model, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary operates a similar program at the Darrington Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. 65 Refugees and Immigration The Village Church in Dallas, TX partners with Seek the Peace to aid refugee communities through financial support and one-on-one mentorships. 66 Seek the Peace focuses on building/equipping local-led peacemaking communities, equipping/encouraging refugee youth, families, and community leaders; identity/ 10

11 value/worth building (particularly among women/teens), family/community reconciliation, and cultural integration. 67 Sunrise Church is Rialto, CA is home to an immigration assistance ministry, which exists to provide free assistance to the immigrant community in order to help them acquire permanent status in the United States. 68 Grace Church in Greenville, SC partners with Neighborhood Focus by sending members to volunteer in free ESL classes as conversation partners or classroom teachers. 69 Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula, GA offers free ESL classes year round, as well as citizenship classes with the aim to empower immigrants who have settled in the United States to be fully prepared to pass the U.S. Citizenship Test and thereby become full participants of our citizenry. 70 GLOBAL INITIATIVES Global Hunger Relief Global Hunger Relief receives and disburses designated contributions from individuals in local Baptist churches during the year. All contributions to the relief fund are divided 80 percent to overseas hunger relief and 20 percent to domestic hunger relief. Fifty-six million dollars was contributed and disbursed during the past decade. 71 Global Disaster Relief Southern Baptists also meet international needs through Baptist Global response, a non-profit global Southern Baptist Relief and Development organization. 72 In 2014, Baptist Global Response administered 335 projects appropriating $8.4 million in almost 60 countries. 73 These efforts include water projects that benefitted 322,586 people, health assistance that served 123,000 people, and temporary housing after disasters for 2,972 people Tom Strode, Churches Feed Hungry, Share Love of Christ, Baptist Press, March 17, 2015, accessed October 9, 2015, 2 Matt Carter and Darrin Patrick, For the City: Proclaiming and Living Out the Gospel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 107. Kindle edition. 11

12 3 Southern Baptist Convention, Meet Southern Baptists, accessed October 7, 2015, 4 Southern Baptist Convention, North American Mission Board, accessed October 7, 2015, 5 Baptist Global Response, Annual Update, accessed October 26, Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Faith and Message, Article XV, The Christian and the Social Order, accessed October 7, 2015, 8 Strode, Churches Feed Hungry, Share Love of Christ Bonnie Pritchett, Church Food Ministries Serve Thousands, Baptist Press, November 25, 2014, accessed October 9, 2015, Carter and Patrick, For the City, NewSpring Church, 2014 Annual Report, accessed October 9, 2015, 17 Jobs for Life, About Us, accessed October 13, 2015, 18 Long Hollow Baptist Church, Serve Local Opportunities, accessed October 12, 2015, 19 Houston s First Baptist Church, Star of Hope, accessed October 13, 2015, 20 Champion Forest Baptist Church, Community Missions, accessed October 13, 2015, 21 The Church at Rock Creek, Homeless Ministry, accessed October 13, 2015, 22 Family Life Services Adoption Agency, About Us, accessed October 9, 2015, 12

13 23 Cross Church, Adoption, accessed October 12, 2015, 24 First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Understanding WeFoster, accessed October 13, 2015, 25 Brentwood Baptist Church, Orphan Care, accessed October 13, 2015, 26 Southern Baptist Convention, Meet Southern Baptists. 27 Southern Baptist Convention, North American Mission Board. 28 Mike Ebert, NAMB Trustees Approve Send Relief, IMB Aid, Baptist Press, October 8, 2015, accessed October 9, 2015, 29 Saddleback Church, HIV & AIDS Initiative, accessed October 9, 2015, 30 Saddleback Church, Families and Friends of Those With Mental Illness, accessed October 9, 2015, 31 Georgia Baptist Convention, Baptist Mobile Health Ministry, accessed October 9, 2015, 32 The Fountain of Praise, The Gathering Place, accessed October 12, 2015, 33 First Baptist Church Indian Trail, Care Ministries, accessed October 13, 2015, 34 Ann Lovell, Overcoming Fears, Volunteer Leads Sex-Trafficking Ministry, Baptist Press, March 21, 2014, accessed October 9, 2015, ttp:// 35 Vicki Brown, Baptists Open Safe House for Human Trafficking Victims, Baptist News Global, June 11, 2015, accessed October 9, 2015, 36 Shawn Hendricks, Human Trafficking Issue Captured Her Heart, Baptist Press, March 7, 2013, accessed October 9, 2015, 37 Clear Creek Community Church, Human Trafficking and Slavery, accessed October 13, 2015, 38 Sandals Church, Becoming Our Real Family, accessed October 13, 2015, 13

14 39 Second Baptist Church, Apartment Outreach, accessed October 9, 2015, 40 The Church at BattleCreek, Clean Slate, accessed October 13, 2015, 41 London Bridge Baptist Church, Missions, accessed October 13, 2015, 42 West Ridge Church, Local Missions Opportunities, accessed October 13, 2015, 43 Riverbend Baptist Church, Local, accessed October 13, 2015, 44 New Braunfels Kids Club, About Us, accessed October 13, 2015, 45 Oakwood Baptist Church, Community Opportunities to Serve, accessed October 13, 2015, 46 Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Kids Connection, accessed October 13, 2015, 47 The Summit Church, Counseling, accessed October 9, 2015, 48 Lake Pointe Church, Recovery Groups, accessed October 12, 2015, 49 Christ Fellowship, ReGroups, accessed October 12, 2015, 50 Green Acres Baptist Church, Graceworks Counseling, accessed October 13, 2015, 51 Church by the Glades, Serve the City, accessed October 13, 2015, 52 For the City, Elevation Church, Elevation Outreach, accessed October 9, 2015, 55 Pinelake Church, City Missions, accessed October 12, 2015, 56 Prestonwood Baptist Church, Prestonwood Pregnancy Center, accessed October 9, 2015, 57 Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Local Opportunities, accessed October 13, 2015, 14

15 58 First Baptist Dallas, Local Missions, accessed October 13, 2015, 59 Rachel House, Home, accessed October 13, 2015, 60 Church Unlimited, God Behind Bars, accessed October 12, 2015, 61 Prison Fellowship, Prison Fellowship, accessed October 12, 2015, 62 Fallbrook Baptist Church, Prison, accessed October 13, 2015, 63 Gardendale First Baptist Church, Local Outreach, accessed October 13, 2015, 64 Erik Eckholm, Bible College Helps Some at Louisiana Prison Find Peace, New York Times, October 5, 2013, accessed October 26, 2015, 65 Keith Collier, Making Theological Education Available in Houston and Beyond, SBC Life, June 2013, accessed October 26, 2015, 66 The Village Church, Partners, accessed October 9, 2015, 67 Seek the Peace, Mission, accessed October 9, 2015, 68 Sunrise Church, Immigration Assistance, accessed October 13, 2015, 69 Grace Church, ESL Classes, accessed October 13, 2015, 70 Hebron Baptist Church, English as a Second Language, accessed October 13, 2015, 71 Meet Southern Baptists. 73 Baptist Global Response, Frequently Asked Questions, accessed October 26, Baptist Global Response, Annual Update