T M HE ISSION OF A C S DVENTIST OMMUNITY ERVICES “To serve the poor, hurting and disillusioned in Christ’s name.” Minnie McNeil, Director Patricia O. Lewis, Administrative Assistant Adventist Community Services Adventist Community Services Allegheny East Conference Allegheny East Conference [email protected] [email protected] www.visitaec.com www.visitaec.com 610.326.4610 x315 610.326.4610 x313 C E HRIST THE XAMPLE “The world needs today what it needed nineteen hundred years ago – a revelation of Christ. A great work of reform is demanded, and it is only through the grace of Christ that the work of restoration, physical, mental, and spiritual, can be accomplished. Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me’.” Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, page143 ACS F L T EDERATION EADERSHIP EAM Baltimore Area South Jersey Area Mrs. Bernice Webster Mrs. Belinda Best [email protected] [email protected] Delaware Valley Virginia Area Mrs. Vernessa Wilson Elder Keith Charles [email protected] [email protected] Del-Mar Area Washington Metro Area Mrs. Mildred Polk Dr. Cecelia Lester [email protected] [email protected] North Jersey Area Mrs. Felice Williams [email protected] Minnie McNeil, Director Patricia O. Lewis, Administrative Assistant Adventist Community Services Adventist Community Services Allegheny East Conference Allegheny East Conference [email protected] [email protected] www.visitaec.com www.visitaec.com 610.326.4610 x315 610.326.4610 x313 January 2015 Dear Adventist Community Services Team, Happy New Year to Each of You! We pray God’s richest blessings for you and your families as we are privileged to begin yet another year. If you have previously served in Community Services as a leader or volunteer, thank you! If you are new to Community Services, we welcome you. The booklet you hold in your hand has been prepared to give you tools to which you can refer throughout the year as it relates to community outreach ministry. You will find in this compilation a general gathering of tools from a variety of resources that we pray will be useful as you develop plans “to help poor, hurting and disillusioned” men, women, youth, and children of your community during 2015. The key to success is in knowing that the Supreme Model for ministry to community is found in Christ Jesus. Permit me to share a reference regarding the foundation for your work as written by E.G. White so many years ago; these words remain relevant today: “The divine commission needs no reform. Christ’s way of presenting truth cannot be improved upon…He sympathized with the wary, the heavy laden, the oppressed. He fed the hungry and healed the sick. Constantly He went about doing good. By the good He accomplished, by His loving words and kindly deeds, He interpreted the gospel to men….Christ’s work in behalf of man is not finished. It continues today. In like manner His ambassadors are to preach the gospel and to reveal His pitying love for lost and perishing souls. By an unselfish interest in those who need help they are to give a practical demonstration of the truth of the gospel. Much more than mere sermonizing is included in this work.” Ellen G. White, Welfare Ministry; pages 56-57 I encourage you to read the entire Chapter 6 for your encouragement and enrichment. The theme of Christians throughout the world today is the soon return of Jesus. Remember your “first love”; remember how it felt to want to tell the whole world about Jesus? Well, as ambassadors of Christ, let’s commit to that first love, and tell the world using the time honored method of Christ; demonstrating in practical ways the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am pleased to work with Patricia Lewis as Administrative Assistant for the department. As you may have already experienced, she is responsive, knowledgeable and eager to help advance the ministry. Please continue to pray for Patricia and I and our families as we serve you this year. Grateful for What God has done, and continues to do. Minnie McNeil, Director; ACS/AEC ALLEGHENY EAST CONFERENCE OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS 2015 CALENDAR OF EVENTS JANUARY 2015 20th ACS Monthly Teleconference (cancelled) 18th Washington Metro ACS Federation Training / Crisis Intervention FEBRUARY 2015 8th Delaware Valley Area Officers’ Training / West Church 10th ACS Monthly Teleconference 22nd Delaware Valley Area Officers’ Training / Western area MARCH 2015 1st Virginia Area Officers’ Training 8th Baltimore & Extended Area Officers’ Training 10th ACS Monthly Teleconference 15th Bay Area Officers’ Training 23rd - 27th Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program / Federal Way, WA APRIL 2015 14th ACS Monthly Teleconference 19th ACS Federation Officers follow up to Strategic Planning / Pine Forge, PA 20th Resource Development Workshop for Pastors and ACS Leadership / Pine Forge, PA MAY 2015 3rd ACS Conference-wide Federation / Maryland 12th ACS Monthly Teleconference 12th - 14th NVOAD / New Orleans, LA 15th - 17th NAD ACS Advisory / New Orleans, LA JUNE 2015 9th ACS Monthly Teleconference JULY 2015 2nd - 11th General Conference Session / San Antonio, TX 14th ACS Monthly Teleconference AUGUST 2015 5th - 8th ASI, Spokane Convention Center / Spokane, WA 11th ACS Monthly Teleconference 25th NAD, ACS Board Meeting SEPTEMBER 2015 8th ACS Monthly Teleconference 13th ACS Federation / Virginia Area 14th - 17th Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program / Federal Way, WA 27th ACS Federation / Delaware Valley Area OCTOBER 2015 4th ACS Federation / South Jersey Area 13th ACS Monthly Teleconference 18th ACS Federation / North Jersey Area 25th ACS Federation / Washington Metro Area NOVEMBER 2015 8th ACS Federation / Delmar Area 10th ACS Monthly Teleconference 15th ACS Federation / Baltimore & Extended Area DECEMBER 2015 8th ACS Monthly Teleconference 12th NAD ACS Offering (formerly Inner City Offering) 15th NAD, ACS Board Meeting Table of Contents Mission Statement ................................................................ 1 Vision ............................................................................... 1 Goal ................................................................................ 1 Core Values ....................................................................... 1 Ministry Text ...................................................................... 1 Local Church Community Services Leader’s Ministry Description ......... 2 Federation President & Area Coordinator Ministry Description ........... 3 AEC ACS Constitution & By-Laws ............................................... 4 Scope of ACS Ministries .......................................................... 9 Levels of Social Ministries ...................................................... 10 Inter-departmental Ministry Suggestions .................................... 11 Member Involvement Survey .................................................. 13 Sample Introductory Statement ............................................... 15 Community Felt Needs Survey ................................................ 16 Community Agencies Survey ................................................... 17 Action Plan Worksheet ......................................................... 18 Program Development/Logic Model .......................................... 19 Personal Care Kit Contents .................................................... 20 Cleaning Bucket Contents ...................................................... 21 ACS Quarterly Report Form .................................................... 22 ACS Annual Report Form ........................................................ 25 Annual Federation Dues per Church Membership ........................... 28 Uniform Order Form ............................................................ 29 10 Steps to Building a Community Ministry .................................. 30 100 Ways to Make a Difference in Your Community ....................... 31 Getting the Word Out .......................................................... 34 AEC ACS Grant Application Process ........................................... 35 Resources ......................................................................... 36 Pathfinder Honors ............................................................... 37 Five Core Ministry Practices ................................................... 47 T M F - R EACH E TO ISH EVISITED “If you give me a fish You’ve fed me for a day If you teach me to fish Then you’ve fed me until the river is contaminated Or the shoreline seized for development. But, if you teach me to organize Then whatever the challenge, I can join together with my peers And we will fashion our own solution” ~ By Ricardo Levins Morales ALLEGHENY EAST CONFERENCE OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS MISSION, VISION, GOALS, CORE VALUES AND MINISTRY TEXT MISSION To interpret God’s love to the poor, hurting and disillusioned through Christ-centered ministries. VISION To have an active and relevant Adventist Community Services (ACS) ministry in every church by years’ end 2015. This emphasis was initiated in March 2014. 2015 AEC ACS GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Encourage Pastoral Support and Familiarization of ACS  Encourage the appointment of a designated ACS liaison for each area Ministerium Enhance the Function of ACS Federations in each of Seven Areas  Federation presidents to attend monthly conference calls with AEC ACS director  AEC ACS director and federation presidents will develop and monitor evolving ACS goals and objectives. An annual planning meeting will be held for this purpose.  AEC ACS will provide name of churches/ACS leaders to the federation annually in an effort to facilitate communication between the federation and the local church.  Help to plan at least one coordinated ministry initiative specific to each of seven areas  Help to plan a minimum of one disaster response training per area; and others as relevant AEC ACS to Support Community Service Ministries of the Local Church  Encourage the election of a designated ACS leader/coordinator in every church  Provide all-inclusive member & community assessment tools for use by the local church  Assist churches to fill a minimum of 700 ACS DR yellow buckets prepared for emergency distribution by year end 2015  Encourage ACS in partnership with the youth department to intentionally engage youth and young adults in creative outreach ministry. Pathfinder Honors included in the initiative.  Foster increased use of technology for purpose of sharing and gathering information  In collaboration with the area federation, help local churches develop goals specific to their ministry area with action steps, named responsible person(s), resources needed and timelines; including outcome accountability  Encourage partnerships/bridges between church and community  Provide resources and training according to availability and the need(s) to be met.  Maintain an active and resourceful website  Actively encourage local churches to complete ministry reports as a means of sharing LONG RANGE GOAL– AEC Churches to become community Centers of Influence. CORE VALUES  The distinct value of every human being, without reserve  Service as demonstrated by Christ MINISTRY TEXT God Himself assures Joshua, and that assurance is ours today. “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NKJV - 1 - ALLEGHENY EAST CONFERENCE OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS LOCAL CHURCH COMMUNITY SERVICES LEADER’S MINISTRY DESCRIPTION The responsibilities of the person elected by the local church to be community services leader are as follows:  Discover the needs of the community. A needs assessment of the area should be completed every two or three years by visual inspection; by talking with police, fire, mental health, human resources, and economic development authorities; by reviewing public information and the news media; and by conducting surveys.  Mobilize a response to specific concerns. The community services leader is to help the church identify social concerns to which it feels called to respond. Usually this decision will be made by an official group such as the Church Ministries Council or Community Services Committee. Once the decision is made, the community services leader has the task of getting the word out and consistently encouraging the congregation to action.  Develop programs. The community services leader will be asked to recruit volunteers and plan disaster response training and response activities; promote health screening events in collaboration with the Health Ministries Department; coordinate emergency assistance as identified and other relevant community-based initiatives.  Establish cooperation. The community services leader is asked to work with other organizations in the community so the church does not replicate services. Contracts have been negotiated at national levels with government agencies, the Red Cross and other nonprofit agencies, specifying what ACS will do in the event of major disasters and related to certain social problems. Similar agreements are needed in the local area. This means that the community services leader, or a church member appointed by the leader, will meet regularly with inter-agency committees to represent ACS.  Communicate. The community services leader is the individual the congregation expects to keep it posted about Adventist Community Service (ACS) activities; as well as provide information on current issues that may affect ministry with the community. He or she will also place announcements in the bulletin and church newsletter, maintain an informational bulletin board, and/or maintain current information on the website of the church. Leaders are also encouraged to share articles and pictures with the Union and Conference communication departments. The leader is to develop and widely distribute a comprehensive statistical report at least once a year. And most importantly, the community services leader maintains continuing communication with the pastor and local church board. Source: Responsibilities in the Local Church (1997, AdventSource, Lincoln, NE) Revised by ACS/AEC, 2015 - 2 - ALLEGHENY EAST CONFERENCE OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS ACS FEDERATION PRESIDENT & ACS AREA COORDINATOR MINISTRY DESCRIPTION SUMMARY In coordination with the Director of the Allegheny East Conference Adventist Community Services (ACS) Department, the ACS Federation President and ACS Area Coordinators will work collaboratively with the Director, Local Churches, Adventist Agencies and Community Providers to plan, develop, implement and evaluate community-based ministry and outreach programs throughout the conference. Priority given to sustaining and expanding existing ministries while strengthening and supporting current start-up initiatives. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Church & Inner City Ministries  Collaborate with pastors, community services directors, and community services leaders to develop resources and community connections to enhance current outreach programs.  Collaborate with pastors, community services directors, and community services leaders to design and develop effective community-based ministry and outreach programs.  Develop and implement systems and processes to evaluate the impact of ministries and facilitate the duplication of outreach programs in other locations.  Identify professional development opportunities and assist in providing technical assistance and training to enhance the skills of local leaders.  Coordinate the collection, compilation, and analysis of program activity data to develop a “best practices” narrative that can be published and shared to facilitate widespread ministry development. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS  Reveals characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit as found in Galatians 22;  Has at least three years’ experience in community-based ministry or related experience;  Demonstrated ability to work with church leadership;  Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in diverse communities;  Capacity to gather data, compile information, and prepare reports;  Skill in program planning and implementation;  Ability to use computers in a PC, Windows-based operating environment PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS It is preferred that the Federation President and Area Coordinator have the following additional qualifications: Knowledge of nonprofit management; the ability to engage in and facilitate “big picture” strategic thinking about the future of ministry in the assigned Federation, understanding how each Federation reflects the mission and vision of Allegheny East; media relations skills; knowledge of budgeting and fiscal management principles; and experience in leadership development, training, and public speaking. - 3 -