A Story Of Giving Hope, Connecting Communities, Changing Lives.
Job loss. Foreclosure. Vehicle repossession. Disabilities. Medical issues. Depression. Broken relationships. Life tragedies. Many of you can identify with one, if not more, of these. LifeHope at Northland exists to provide relief to people in our church and central Florida community who find themselves in challenging situations such as these. People call, walk in or e-mail LifeHope about their needs and to find out what help may be available to them financially to help with such things as mortgage, rent, utilities, car repairs, reliable transportation, gas and other staples, such as food.
Facing the Challenges
Together the staff and volunteers in place to
respond to those of you facing rough times have incredible hearts of compassion
and benevolent spirits, and have gone through pretty tough times at one
point or another also. Many in our Northland congregation continue to tithe,
which enables us to help others facing financial challenges. We thank you so
much for this, as do the recipients of your generosity!
With great and extensive needs comes the need for wisdom, discernment and much prayer. Our motto in LifeHope has become a quote from C.S. Lewis: "The proper aim of giving is to put the recipient in a state where he no longer needs our gift." At first blush, my thought about this was that it is next to impossible to accomplish this goal in one, two or three sittings, which seems to be about the number of times we initially interact with those seeking assistance.
After many interactions over time, we noticed some commonalities among those who struggle the most: isolation, lack of community, limited family, broken relationships, life tragedies, limited education and limited life skills. We began to talk about how the financial issues many are facing are simply the tip of the iceberg with all of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual issues under the surface and much more extensive. Simply addressing financial needs wasn't meeting the goal of putting people in need where they no longer need our gift.
Therefore, the way we serve those who come to us is by connecting them to a place of worship and to opportunities to be equipped and serve others. Through these, people are getting connected, building relationships, developing a sense of belonging and feeling a sense of purpose as they serve others. Oftentimes, the resources they need in their lives come out of the community that they develop along the way.
A gentleman who is a coach and attended here years ago approached us in desperation with his need. At the time, his family was living in separate places until he could sort out their situation. We communicated that our goal was not to just assist his financial need, but to reconnect him to worship. One of his two daughters has special needs. Each week when he brings his daughters to church, he is able to worship freely, and he and his family are served in various ways through our special needs ministry. They also attend classes and are rebuilding and reconnecting. He wonders why he left in the first place.
Another woman who comes from a non-Protestant background has always been in a position where she has been able to serve many. She recently found herself in a place where she needed to be served. She began caring for her grandchildren while her daughter serves in Iraq. Caring for her grandchildren contributed to the depleting of her resources. Because she is in a relationship with a church member, that church member guided her to come here. Her grandchildren, who are from a different religious tradition, thought they would be rejected here. They "tested" Northland in their own way and, to their surprise, discovered people who loved and listened to them, served them, accepted them and cared for them. They now beg their grandma to bring them here when she has them.
Some of our guests have connected with Crown Financial Ministries, Financial Peace University or one-on-one financial counseling to help them become better stewards and stretch what they do receive. Others have connected with the Peacemaker course to help them deal with and resolve conflict.
Still others are served through Grief Share, His Way, the marriage ministry and so many more. There are so many ways those who lead courses, Bible studies and ministries are serving the guests we send their way. Lives are being changed!
Be a Friend You can help us put people in a place not just "where they no longer need our gift," but where they may not even need our gift, because of your influence in their lives. You can engage those you may see every week at worship or in your small groups or ministries. Most people in need aren't going to shout out their needs to just anyone, but are more likely to with those who love and care for them. Resources often arise out of relationships.
Be an advocate. We are looking for those of you with great people skills, knowledge of community resources, a social work background and direct client contact experience to be advocates for those seeking help. These types of gifts, talents and resources, along with a passion to connect people to worship, community and resources that will put them in a position where they no longer need our gift, would be an incredible gift of listening, learning from and serving our church and community!
Do data entry. We need people with data entry expertise to help us capture and store information that we gather to help us more efficiently and effectively engage and serve our guests.
Donate a vehicle. If you have a vehicle that is unused or you are thinking about selling one, consider donating it through Northland's LifeHope ministry for someone who has lost his or her vehicle, or whose current vehicle is no longer working and who is doing everything he or she can to meet financial needs. Call Bud Abt (407-949-7160) if you have a car to donate.
Help in other ways. Other Northland attendees who are serving in LifeHope include a mom and son who come in two hours weekly. She returns calls from people who are asking for assistance to help discern their needs and how they can address their situation long term in addition to their short-term needs. Her son helps enter information into our database. Another woman comes every Monday to verify documents, check references and return calls. Another professional woman enters data one evening a week. A young woman from India helps us create reports and do special projects. Yet another young woman is training other volunteers how to enter data into our database. She is looking forward to when she can start meeting with people. A husband and wife come once a week to file documents. A woman from one of our partner churches comes in once a week to return phone calls. Others are joining as well.
If you are interested in serving, complete one of our "Serve" brochures to the attention of "LifeHope." Someone from our staff will contact you for an interview. We will assess your best fit based on your gift mix, character, competency and chemistry with our team. Orientation, coaching and equipping will be provided as we serve together.
For Those in Need
You may call our LifeHope office
(407-949-7151) if you are in need. Thank you for your patience as we
handle requests in the order they are received.
© 2007–2008 Resource Point. All Rights Reserved