Bold Step: Refocusing Community Outreach Report Abiding Love Lutheran Church April, 2010 Team Members: Kurt Armstrong Laurie Donovan Tom Hokanson Dale Sump (Team Coordinator) Vesna Sviglin Hal Schultz Coleen Thompson Bob Thonhoff
Table of Contents Purpose...3 The Research...3 Abiding Love Current State...3 The Abiding Love Food Pantry...3 The Abiding Love Children s Center...4 Other Outreach Programs...4 Bold Step Team Recommendations...4 Meeting Physical Needs of People...5 Meeting the Spiritual Needs of People...6 Developing opportunities that enhance the Family experience...6 Better Communicating our Outreach Design to the Congregation...7 Abiding Love Vision of the Future...8 Bold Steps for our Boards...8 Appendix A: Resource Book Study...9 Appendix B: Internet Survey of Area Churches...9 Appendix C: Study of the Food Pantry Guest Zip Codes... 10 Appendix D: The Demographic Study... 11 Appendix E: Congregation Survey... 12 Appendix F: Survey of Community Leaders... 12 Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 2/12
Purpose The Refocusing Community Outreach Bold Step Team was first convened at the end of September 2009 to study Abiding Love Lutheran Church s Community Outreach programs and determine how we can refocus our efforts to be more effective in serving our community. The full report with all background information referenced in this document can be found at www.abidinglove.org/community. The Research The Bold Step Team performed the following research: 1. Resource Book Study. The following books were read by individual team members who reported their conclusions to the team (Appendix A). These books are available in the Church Library. a. Breaking the Missional Code b. Fling Open the Doors c. Churches That Make A Difference d. Field Guide to Neighborhood Outreach 2. Internet Survey of Area Churches to determine what services they provide to the community (Appendix B). 3. Study of the Zip Codes where the Food Pantry Guests live (Appendix C). 4. Analysis of a Demographic Study that was purchased by the Congregation (Appendix D). 5. Congregation Survey to determine how the Congregation is involved in Community Outreach and how Community Service is perceived (Appendix E). 6. Survey of Community Leaders to determine the current and future needs of our community (Appendix F). Abiding Love Current State We must first stress that, when studying current Abiding Love Community Outreach programs, we found our congregation does some pretty amazing work. Abiding Love has two prominent community outreach efforts that are well known in our community: The Food Pantry and the Children s Center. Beyond these, there are many great outreach events throughout the year that have varying degrees of success and member involvement, as well as varying degrees of exposure to our community. The Abiding Love Food Pantry The Food Pantry just celebrated its 5 th year in existence and is supported to a greater degree than any other continuous outreach program at Abiding Love. Of the Congregation Survey participants, 70% contributed in some way to this ministry. The 2008 Christian Service Board thanked 70 people for their participation in this ministry! Beyond those who directly work with this ministry, members of Abiding Love regularly contribute food, clothing, toys and money to this ministry. Our Vacation Bible School children even get involved each year through Community Service Week. Over a thousand families have been served each of the past two years. During our research into effective church ministries, it was concluded by the team that the Food Pantry is right on track. Under dedicated leadership and enthusiastic workers, the Food Pantry Ministry is striving to go beyond meeting the basic food needs of our guests. The workers are friendly and supportive of the guests. Special programs such as a nutrition seminar have been provided. Throughout the year, special gifts are offered such as Christmas toys, Easter baskets, books and clothing. Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 3/12
The Abiding Love Children s Center The Children s Center has been in existence since 1986. This ministry provides quality, Christian Childcare to about 160 children and is highly respected in the community. This ministry has capable and effective leadership both at the center and through the Children s Outreach Ministries Board. The Congregation supports the workers by providing the building, recognizing the teachers annually during a Worship Service and providing gifts at Christmas but there are opportunities for greater involvement.. Other Outreach Programs Abiding Love provides a myriad of opportunities for Community Service where Abiding Love reaches out to the community. Often these programs are supported by a dedicated champion a member having a special interest in a particular ministry or cause. Having so many ministries available is a double edge sword. On the positive side, the opportunities are great and members can find a way to participate regardless of their schedule and other constraints. However, as you will see, we may not be as effective as we could be by spreading ourselves so thinly. Appendix E summarizes the Congregation Survey that was performed and lists the involvement of members in the Community Outreach programs at Abiding Love. This provided the Bold Step team with an idea of what programs our members were passionate about and how these programs should fit into the life of our congregation. Bold Step Team Recommendations The Vision Statement of Abiding Love is: Growing together in God s love and sharing that love with our community. The Mission Statement is: Growing in the Holy Spirit to serve God and celebrate the love Jesus Christ has for all people. By refocusing our Community Outreach, Abiding Love can come closer to meeting these aspirations. Based on our research, this Bold Step Team recommends a four-fold focus on Outreach. 1. Meeting the physical needs of people in our community and the world. 2. Meeting the spiritual needs of people in our community. 3. Developing opportunities that enhance the Family experience for serving the Community. 4. Better communicating our Outreach Design to the Congregation and Community. Regarding these areas, the team makes the recommendations discussed in the following sections. Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 4/12
Meeting Physical Needs of People Jesus gave us many great examples of meeting the physical needs of people. I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry Matthew 15: 32 We recommend that we follow His example in serving our local and world communities in the following ways. 1. Food Pantry Innovation. The current needs of the people in our community are great and, based on our research, will continue to grow. The Food Pantry has proved to be a highly effective ministry for the needy in our area. Continued innovation will help our guests work towards becoming more self-sustaining. Our recommendation is to enhance this effectiveness in the following ways: Support this ministry by re-designing the space provided, thereby increasing the storage capabilities for non-perishable goods and clothing that could be provided to our guest. Continue to find ways that go beyond meeting the guest s basic needs and work toward improving their situation which may include job training, language tutoring, medical help, family counseling, and making a computer with a printer available for supervised use. Abiding Love does not need to develop these programs on its own! Rather, identify and develop partnerships with other agencies that provide these services. Research shows that transportation is a huge barrier for many. So we should study ways to help improve this situation. For example, in addition to referring the guests to other agencies, perhaps we could provide transportation or bus passes for the guests. Based on our experience and the home location of our clients, look at partnering to expand our proven formula and organization to another site. 2. Focus on Seniors. The demographics study reveals what we already knew. Our community is growing steadily older and therefore the future physical segment of our society will continue to increase. Abiding Love should examine how we can better serve these needs, not only in our community but also in our membership. Currently, Abiding Love has a great foundation for serving our senior members through the Membership Care Board. Seniors are very active in our congregation in many ways and the Monthly Games Day is well attended. Our recommendations include: Intentional, scheduled programming for seniors that emphasize issues where they are affected most. This may include computer assistance, yard work, Bible Study, tax help, health awareness. Provide transportation help to appointments. (Note: the Membership Care Board as started organizing such a program.) Reach out to seniors outside of our membership. Again, we do not have to program this ourselves, as there are many organizations, such as Meals On Wheels, that serve seniors effectively. Recognize that, regardless of age, our members are valuable contributors to the needs of others. 3. Finding Your Place. There are many programs at Abiding Love that provide for the physical needs of people and include champions who inspire our members to get involved. Our recommendation is to continue to support these champions and programs where there has been the greatest involvement and passion such as: Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 5/12
Ambers Angels serves children in the hospital 1 House at a Time improves low income housing Kairos Prison Ministry serves prisoners Water to Thrive water wells in Africa Financial Peace University instruction on sound financial practices In addition, our commitment to Habitat for Humanity should be examined. There has been no Abiding Love champion to this effective ministry over the past couple of years and only one member participated in the last opportunity that was advertised to the Congregation (2008). Meeting the Spiritual Needs of People "The water that I shall give you will become in you like a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14 As a Lutheran Congregation, our primary purpose to provide opportunities for spiritual growth to our community. 1. The demographic study provides some interesting findings regarding what our community desires spiritually. This includes statistics regarding styles of worship, interests in programming, and more. These should be examined by each of our Boards. 2. An increase in the number of apartments in our immediate vicinity should call us to find ways to reach those people in some way spiritually. 3. Our members who are involved with community outreach programs should be trained on how to effectively minister to people s spiritual needs. We need to help those that serve learn how to evangelize in a natural, caring way through the development of an intentional visitor system and through education. 4. Our Church needs to be an part of our South Austin Community. We should examine our policies regarding making our facilities available to community activities. Developing opportunities that enhance the Family experience Abiding Love has a rich history of supporting families and children through a variety of programs. This then is our third area of re-focusing our community outreach. 1. Children s Center. A renewed emphasis needs to be placed on engaging and supporting the families of the children center. This includes: Create a community at Abiding Love that includes the children and families of the Children s Center. Not that they need join the Congregation, but that they feel welcome, included, known and cared about by families and children at Abiding Love. Providing for the needs of the families of the Center in new ways. Some examples may include: Parent s night out, working through the parent s organization, improving communication of church events, Financial Peace University opportunities, temporary tuition assistance scholarships, and counseling services. Improved support of the childcare workers beyond Christmas gifts and once-a-year recognition. Continue to work financially toward improving the physical facility. Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 6/12
2. Family-centered Community Outreach events. We suggest that a calendar of community outreach events be developed that make it easier to involve the entire family. We suggest a program where a Family Outreach of the Month is emphasized. Some ideas include: January Senior Focus Games Day Transportation assistance Yard cleanup April Caring for God s World Church grounds cleanup Recycling emphasis July Volunteer Appreciation Food Pantry Workers relief day (families serve) Volunteer luncheon October Neighborhood Month All Saints Carnival February World Community Water to Thrive CROP Walk perhaps even our own local version of CROP Walk on our campus Supporting members who may be called to overseas missionary work May Camping Ministries Men s Work Retreat Family Retreat Scholarship drive August Campus Ministries Month Teaching youth about ministry careers Scholarship awareness Recognizing college-age members November Hunger Awareness Can Food Altar, Thanksgiving offerings. March Share and Care Garage Sale City-wide park cleanup June Give Back the Blessings Vaction Bible School Community Outreach Week September Affordable Housing 1 House at a Time family day Habitat for Humanity Hands on Housing. December Angel Ministries Angel Tree Amber s Angels Angels in our Midst. Better Communicating our Outreach Design to the Congregation Abiding Love has a good web site and an excellent newsletter. The e-mail system used to communicate events seems to be effective. However, if you examine the Outreach Ministries area,, perhaps a more cohesive message should be developed. So, the Bold Step Team recommends the following: 1. Examine our web site to better emphasize our two main outreach efforts, the Food Pantry and the Children s Center. 2. Remove the Ark Almighty link. This is a great idea but, unfortunately, the congregation did not embrace it. 3. Reduce the number of programs listed on our community service page. If there are not specific events involving an organization, then remove it. 4. Emphasis major programs over smaller ones and Abiding Love programs in a different way the outside programs. 5. Brand a common theme for Community Outreach. The web site, e-mails, newsletters, bulletin inserts and announcements use this theme. 6. Recognize our member volunteers and the value of what they do. Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 7/12
Abiding Love Vision of the Future With Bold Steps Abiding Love could become a more visible and effective catalyst for community service. Our 5-year vision then is: 1. One hundred percent participation in the Outreach of the Month whether through hands-on service, planning, giving or prayer. 2. A Food Pantry, celebrating its 10-year anniversary, which reaches beyond our walls to serve our guests and help them toward self-sustainability. 3. A renewed ownership of the Children s Center as a ministry of Abiding Love with the parents of the children fully aware of the programs provided by Abiding Love and the members of Abiding Love fully involved in serving the needs of the Center s family. 4. Vibrant community outreach activities led by dedicated champions who are recognized for the efforts. Events that are easy for families to become enthused about and participate in 5. A clear message to the Community of how Abiding Love serves. Bold Steps for our Boards This report is meant to lay down a road map for Refocusing Community Outreach. The vehicles that will drive our Congregation through these steps are our existing boards. Over the next year, the members of this Bold Step Team are committed to assisting the boards as they develop their own ideas for Community Outreach. Some of the boards that should be involved in this effort include. Christian Service Board oversees community service events and our Food Pantry. Likely the coordinator of a 12-month outreach calendar, should one be developed. Childcare Board oversees the Children s Center. Membership Care Board coordinates the Games Day and other programs to care for our members. Evangelism Board reaches out to our community to tell the story of Christ and how we serve God. Christian Education Board teaches us about Christ and how we fit into God s plan. Youth & Children s Ministry Board Involves our youth and children in the programs of the Church. Properties Board oversees the care of our facilities and how they are used. Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 8/12
Appendix A: Resource Book Study The following books were read by the Bold Step Team to help us understand how congregations develop effective outreach programs. These books are available in the Church Library and a full report of what we learned from each book is available at our on-line site. Breaking the Missional Code, Stezer and Putname discusses doing church ministry in the 21 st century by overcoming cultural barriers. Fling Open the Doors For a church to make a difference in a community, it has to plant itself squarely in the center of community life. Churches that Make a Difference, Sider, Olson and Unruh examination of effective holistic ministries in the Philadelphia area. Field Guide to Neighborhood Outreach Appendix B: Internet Survey of Area Churches To help us learn what programs are available through other churches in Austin, a web site survey was performed and the results summarized in a report that is posted at our on-line site. Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 9/12
Appendix C: Study of the Food Pantry Guest Zip Codes Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 10/12
Appendix D: The Demographic Study The demographic study was purchased by our Congregation for this committee that provided a detailed analysis of persons living within a 5-mile radius of Abiding Love. Some of the highlights of this report include: 1. There are 190,494 persons living in this area which is an increase of 57.5% since 1990. 2. The area is projected to increase by 18,436 persons over the next 5 years (9.7% increase). 3. The lifestyle diversity in the area is extremely high with a considerable 41 of the 50 U.S. Lifestyles segments represented. The top individual segment is Traditional Affluent Families representing 15.3% of all households. 4. Based upon the total number of different groups present, the racial/ethnic diversity in the area is extremely high. Among individual groups, Anglos represent 57.5% of the population and all other racial/ethnic groups make up 42.5% that is somewhat above the national average of 35%. The largest of these groups, Hispanics/Latinos, accounts for 32.4% of the total population. Asians are projected to be the fastest growing group increasing by 21.4% between 2009 and 2014. 5. The largest age group in terms of numbers is Survivors (age 28 to 48) comprised of 68,006 persons or 35.7% of the total population in the area. Compared to a national average of 29.4%, Survivors are also the most over-represented group in the area. 6. The area can be described as mixed family structure due to the about average presence of married persons and two-parent families. 7. Based upon the number of years completed and college enrollment, the overall education level in the area is very high. While 89.4% of the population aged 25 and over have graduated from high school as compared to the national average of 80.4%, college graduates account for 41.8% of those over 25 in the area versus 24.4% in the U.S. 8. Concerns which are likely to exceed the national average include: Achieving a Fulfilling Marriage, Divorce, Parenting Skills, Aging Parent Care, Time for Recreation/Leisure and Achieving Educational Objectives. 9. Overall, the likely faith involvement level and preference for historic Christian religious affiliations is somewhat high when compared to national averages. 10. Based upon the average household income of $75,045 per year and the likely contribution behavior in the area, the overall religious giving potential can be described as very high. The Full Demographic Study is available on-line. Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 11/12
Appendix E: Congregation Survey A Congregation Survey was performed to determine how members are involved in community outreach as well as how the Community Outreach programs at Abiding Love are perceived. The survey, along with reports for each question, is posted on-line. Here are some highlights. Question 1: What programs have you been involved with over the last 2 years? The top programs where members were involved were: 78% All Saints Halloween Carnival 72% Abiding Love Food Pantry 57% Water to Thrive 53% Angel Tree 38% WELCA 34% Ambers Angels 32% Recycle for the Homeless 30% Financial Peace University 29% Interfaith Hospitality Network 25% Fair Trade Sales 24% Crop Walk for Hunger 21% Childrens Center 21% Kairos Prison Ministries 21% Seminary Student Adoption 20% Community Service Week 18% 1 House at a Time 17% Men s Lutheran Camp Work Retreat 16% Habitat for Humanity Question 3: What programs do you participate in outside of Abiding Love? There was no prevailing program. One (Kiwanis) had 3 votes while all others and one vote each. Question 4: I wish Abiding Love was involved with what program? Many were mentioned but there was no program receiving more than one vote. Question 5: Which statement best fits your current situation regarding community outreach? Of the respondents, 37% wished they could do more community service but did not have the time. Additionally, another 18% mentioned time constraints and/or a wish to do more. So, over half (55%) of the respondent members of Abiding Love show a desire to do more community service but are held back by time constraints. Perhaps then it makes sense to offer show up/work hard/go home activities that serve a need but do not require a lot of pre-planning and preparation. 28% felt they did the right amount of community service. Question 6: Rate your reasons for performing community outreach. 62% of the respondents rated our community outreach makes a difference in people s lives in our community as most important. 33% rated our community outreach is bringing people to Christ as most important. These two reasons were the prevailing trend for our members. Appendix F: Survey of Community Leaders Community leader surveys can be found on-line. Personal interviews and e-mail surveys were performed with 13 community leaders in various positions that held some experience with community issues. The results of the surveys were discussed by the team to assist us in our recommendations. Bold Step: Re-Focusing Community Outreach Page 12/12