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Michigan congregation creates culture of collaboration
A man went to court held in a homeless shelter. The judge allowed him to work off his fines by playing piano at centers for the homeless and disadvantaged.
Nearby, God’s Kitchen and Guiding Light Ministries merged their weekday meals.
An educational campaign addresses panhandling and offers another way to give.
This is what collaboration looks like in the Heartside area of Grand Rapids, Mich., thanks in large part to a local church’s ministry.
About 40 social service providers meet monthly at Bethlehem Lutheran Church as part of the Heartside Neighborhood Collaboration Project (www.hncp.net). HNCP is a 5-year-old ministry of Bethlehem, a small church with a big focus on social justice.
“We want to pull people in,” said Kate O’Keefe, who was HNCP’s program coordinator and project assistant until March. “We exist to be a catalyst for collaboration in the Heartside downtown neighborhood.”
Bethlehem (www.bethlehemchurchgr.org) played a role in the formation of three initiatives that launched last year:
Community Outreach Court is a first-of-its-kind program in West Michigan. The court helps the homeless and near-homeless gain free legal help and resolve warrants, fines and other hurdles. Court is held at Mel Trotter Ministries, a homeless shelter near Bethlehem (see page 29).
Helpful Charity is a bid to educate volunteers, businesses and churches about Heartside’s needs and discuss how best to meet them. It is HNCP’s response to Robert Lupton’s Toxic Charity (HarperOne, 2011), a book about how good intentions can go awry.
Real Change, Not Spare Change suggests donations go to a Heartside fund instead of panhandlers. The fund helps with prescription co-pays, bus tickets and more. Donations can be made at www.realchangegr.org. This effort ties churches, social service agencies, businesses and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.
The Lutheran Walking the talk Michigan congregation creates culture of collaboration
That court is way cool.
A man went to court held in a homeless shelter. The judge allowed him to work off his fines by playing piano at centers for the homeless and disadvantaged.
Nearby, God’s Kitchen and Guiding Light Ministries merged their weekday meals.
An educational campaign addresses panhandling and offers another way to give.
This is what collaboration looks like in the Heartside area of Grand Rapids, Mich., thanks in large part to a local church’s ministry.
About 40 social service providers meet monthly at Bethlehem Lutheran Church as part of the Heartside Neighborhood Collaboration Project (www.hncp.net). HNCP is a 5-year-old ministry of Bethlehem, a small church with a big focus on social justice.
“We want to pull people in,” said Kate O’Keefe, who was HNCP’s program coordinator and project assistant until March. “We exist to be a catalyst for collaboration in the Heartside downtown neighborhood.”
Bethlehem (www.bethlehemchurchgr.org) played a role in the formation of three initiatives that launched last year:
Community Outreach Court is a first-of-its-kind program in West Michigan. The court helps the homeless and near-homeless gain free legal help and resolve warrants, fines and other hurdles. Court is held at Mel Trotter Ministries, a homeless shelter near Bethlehem (see page 29).
Helpful Charity is a bid to educate volunteers, businesses and churches about Heartside’s needs and discuss how best to meet them. It is HNCP’s response to Robert Lupton’s Toxic Charity (HarperOne, 2011), a book about how good intentions can go awry.
Real Change, Not Spare Change suggests donations go to a Heartside fund instead of panhandlers. The fund helps with prescription co-pays, bus tickets and more. Donations can be made at www.realchangegr.org. This effort ties churches, social service agencies, businesses and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.
The Lutheran Walking the talk Michigan congregation creates culture of collaboration
That court is way cool.
