Seeds of Vision eNewsletter - Summer 2021 |
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As communities of faith engaged in the hard work of lifting up the least among us, there is so much that we can learn from one another.
It is our humble hope that Seeds of Vision will help make that possible by providing a platform for ecumenical social service agencies from across the East North Central region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Ohio, and Wisconsin) to share their knowledge and experience.
This issue offers a peek into some very unique programs, including the following:
- A food pantry that developed an online shopping platform in response to COVID
- An agency that serves free weekly restaurant style meals to everyone in the community
- A program that provides intensive life and job skills training to women through a combination of therapy, classes, and their own onsite business
- A drug rehab program that expanded to provide long-term sober living apartments for their graduates
- A profile of a homeless services agency that switched from a church host model to a static shelter
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"Smart Choice" Online Market - Central Ohio |
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WARM - Westerville Area Resource Ministry |
Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM) runs a large food pantry in central Ohio that operates on the choice model. When COVID forced them to switch to a drop-off model, WARM responded by partnering with Smart Choice to create an online shopping platform similar to that used by large grocery stores. Clients are now able to sign in 24/7 and select their groceries from more than 325 different items.
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Supper House - Grand Rapids, MI |
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North End Community Ministry |
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Supper House is a weekly community meal run by North End Community Ministry in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Participants get a free, hot meal served restaurant style by volunteer waiters. It’s a place where people who live alone can find fellowship and support, where members of the community can gather for an informal discussion of important issues, and where friends and family can meet over a shared meal.
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Soup of Success (SOS) - Elkhart County, IN |
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Church Community Service’s Soup of Success (SOS) is an intensive 20 week program that provides job and life skills training to women in Elkhart County, Indiana. The women meet five days a week from 8:45 to 1:15. Half of that time is spent in a combination of therapy, career counseling, resume building, and classes. The other half is devoted to working in SOS’s social enterprise business, where the women make a wide range of products that are sold in some 250 small stores all over the country.
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Iron House - Grand Rapids, MI |
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Iron House is a program of Guiding Light Ministries in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It’s a long term sober living housing complex, open only to men who have completed their residential drug and alcohol recovery program. Iron House provides a supportive community where the residents can live with other men who are all working to stay clean and sober, maintain employment, and reconnect with their families and loved ones.
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Help for Families Experiencing Homelessness |
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Family Promise of Greater Lafayette, Inc. |
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Family Promise of Greater Lafayette (FPGL) is the only shelter in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, providing shelter and support solely for families with minor children who are experiencing homelessness. For the first decade of their existence they operated on a host model, housing families in area churches. Now they operate out of a static shelter, but still seek support and volunteers from their member churches.
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Invite Your Colleagues - Grow Our Network |
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If you know of other ecumenical social service agencies in your area who should be receiving Seeds of Vision, please send their contact information to dreamteam@lumserve.org.
If you would like to see your agency, or one of your programs, featured in Seeds of Vision, please contact dreamteam@lumserve.org. We would love to work with you. We’ll conduct a brief telephone interview before drafting an article and sending it to you for your approval.
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