There is no denying that local churches face many challenges and many expectations during these uncertain times, including financial and demographic. The other day I read the summary of new research by Empty Tomb, a Christian service and research foundation. They report that in the mainline Christian congregations they studied, the average percentage of individual income donated to the church in 2009 was 2.38%, the lowest in 40 years. Unfortunately, also down was the percentage of the budget committed to benevolences outside the congregation – 3.4%, which is down from 6.6% in 1968 – as congregations invest an increasing percentage of the offerings they receive in their operating costs.On the expectation side, local faith communities are being asked to increase their human service activities as local, state and federal governments cut budgets for important programs that serve those without economic means to pay for these services. I find it interesting that at the same time churches are being asked to increase their caring efforts, there are also voices in congress questioning their tax exempt status. But, this is a topic to write about at another time.
Of course, it is not a burden for our congregations to serve as centers of health and healing in their community. It’s wonderful to see people in congregations respond to the Gospel by reaching out to those in need. The Spirit-inspired leaders in congregations seem to have an ability to identify and unleash the assets of the congregation to touch lives in significant ways. Perhaps more than any other type of organization, congregations possess the ability to engage volunteers.
I had a first-hand experience at one such congregation recently when I served as a volunteer for “The Clinic,” an initiative of Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle, Illinois. Trinity continues to be a strong partner with Wheat Ridge through its support and encouragement for the seeding of new ministries.
Like many suburban congregations, Trinity is located in a community where one might assume there are very few people in need of food, clothing or medical care. Of course, this is not the case. The northwest suburbs of Chicago, where Trinity is located, include a large number of people who are among the millions nationwide who are currently underemployed or unemployed and lacking access to affordable health care.
The Clinic is a one-day intensive effort to provide a wide range of caring services to people in need. It is based on a model developed by Touched Twice United that is designed to help congregations touch lives in Christ’s name. Perhaps you are familiar with this model. If not, check it out at http://www.touchedtwiceunited.org/
This was the fifth year Trinity has sponsored The Clinic and it has continued to grow in the number of people served and the scope of services offered. This year, 949 people, including 411 family units, were served. The range of services included medical, dental, vision and hearing screenings, chiropractic screenings, haircuts and even family portraits. 30,000 pieces of clothing and 640 quilts were distributed. Over five tons of food was given away, and everyone received a hot meal. Pretty amazing!The organization and dedication to service was also amazing. Under the able leadership of Trinity staff member Amy Herring, over 550 volunteers served in some capacity before, during and following The Clinic. I was impressed to learn that among the volunteers were many members of other congregations as well as others from the community.
My job at this year’s Clinic was to serve as one of over 200 “advocates.” After a thorough training session, I was “on call” and during the course of the day I was assigned to two different families. My task was to help each family understand the services available and make sure that they were able to find and access the services they needed. The most important items on the list for the families I served were clothing and food. A mother whose medical issues prevented her from taking full-time employment led one of the families. The other was a family of five who had recently moved to the Chicago area. The father was having difficulty finding a stable job. They were most grateful for the help they received.Whether your worshipping community is large or small, urban, rural or suburban, thanks for the ways you touch lives in the name of our healing Christ. Thanks for responding generously to opportunities to serve, for using your gifts of organization and motivation so effectively or, if you don’t possess these gifts, for allowing others to lead, and thanks for sharing the abundant resources with which you have been blessed.
May God bless you as you live out your Christian vocation as a leader, a volunteer, a care provider, or an encourager in your workplace, congregation and neighborhood. May you experience the healing touch of Christ even as you share it with others during the coming weeks of Advent and Christmas!
