Local Ministries Serving God in Various Forms
by Michelle Lewis

by Michelle Lewis


Did you know it was possible to watch football and minister God’s love at the same time? Christian Embassy in Niles, Michigan figured out a way. “We go to each football stadium—Niles, Buchanan, Brandywine, we just take the team that has a home game . . . and we sit as a group, we cheer, blow the shofar, we bring the cowbells, we’re pretty noisy!” Pastor Kathy Moore chuckles as she describes the boisterous group that spends their Friday nights at “Football River.” “We come just to make noise and let them know we’re here for them. We just wanted to support, and be a presence out there.”
“Football River” started as tailgating parties and morphed into today’s high-spirited cheering and encouraging section. It’s a unique, subtle approach to ministry. As Moore says, “Invariably, someone asks, what’s that horn? And we can say, that’s a shofar!” Explaining what a shofar is naturally leads to stories of Joshua and the battle of Jericho and other Old Testament stories that, unfortunately, many high school students have never heard. Call Pastor Jeff or Kathy Moore at 269-683-3518 to find out where the group will be on a particular Friday night.
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Then, if you’re not worn out from last night’s football game, Nappanee Missionary Church in Nappanee, Indiana, hosts “First Serve Saturday” on the first Saturday of every month. Kristy Mikel describes it as an “opportunity for really anyone that wants to join us, to reach into the surrounding communities. . . . Our main focus is stepping out into the community for places that need help.”
Some months Nappanee teams up with another organization such as Faith Mission or Feed the Children for local work projects, and other months they do their own projects or ministries such as nursing home visits. “First Serve” began in November 2006, growing out of an early September board meeting.
“We were discussing how to focus our ministry both globally and locally,” said Mikel. “The term ‘glocal’ quickly emerged from the conversation . . . we began calling up local organizations within the surrounding communities to see about partnering with them and sending volunteer help their way.”
According to Mikel, the purpose and focus has always been “stopping our busy schedules to make time to serve others,” and so far, the ministry has experienced exciting results. Bringing people together in service has “brought our church community closer together, bonded in a common goal,” said Mikel. “It’s kind of blown us away, how well it’s worked out in that sense.” Their multifaceted success proves that when God is in the mix, anything is possible! To get involved, call 574-773-7773, or visit http://www.nmconline.net for more information.
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On the other hand, even though anything is possible, who would expect something good to come out of Mardi Gras, a day of carnal pleasure and utter abandonment to revelry? For Terry and Eileen Shuff, Mardi Gras 2004 marked the beginning of Raven Ministries Midwest, whose mission is “taking Jesus to the streets and doing what he did.” During the infamous celebration in New Orleans, they met the founder of the nationwide Raven Ministries, and soon came on board as the directors of Raven Midwest, based in Elkhart.
The goal of Raven Ministries is “to reach the lost in a lost and dying world,” said Terry Shuff. “We do Friday night street evangelism, where we minister outside of bars and project areas. We do a lot of ministry to the prostitutes, gang-bangers, drug-addicts.”
On Saturdays, the team travels to various locations around Michiana as the Lord leads, including Elkhart, South Bend, St. Joseph, and Benton Harbor, and “feeds the multitudes.” Part of the purpose of this practical ministry, according to Shuff, is “to take care of their physical needs, and then we can meet the spiritual needs also.”
Terry and Eileen minister on the streets nearly seven days a week, helping families in whatever way they can, whether it’s cooking a filling meal on their commercial grill or painting the faces of kids who don’t have the opportunity to go to Six Flags or Cedar Point.
Rather than having a traditional church building and services, and waiting for the needy to come to them, Raven Ministries takes the offensive. “We’re in a place where there’s so many hurting people,” Terry shared, “and these people are not going to go to the churches, and we have to take the church to them. It’s really a relationship ministry.”
If loading up a 15-passenger van with clothes, food, and face painting supplies sounds like the service opportunity you’ve been looking for, call Terry or Eileen Shuff at 574-612-6800. Like many ministries, Raven functions on donations, which are always appreciated. If you’d rather get your hands dirty on the streets of Michiana, the Shuffs are “always looking for people with a heart to go and reach the lost.”
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Every third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon, River Valley Church of Mishawaka, Indiana offers another opportunity to get out on your local streets and serve others. Volunteers join together in “ServeFest,” a time to dive in and “[show] God’s love in practical ways to people all over Michiana!” The outreaches are planned ahead of time, and most are kid-friendly, so River Valley encourages the whole family to come and serve together.
Every month they plan different projects, grouped under Kindness Outreaches, Service Projects, or Mercy-Related Touches. Kindness Outreaches might include: drink giveaways (cold water on a hot day, hot chocolate on a cold one!), newspaper giveaways, Business Blast candy giveaways, or door-to-door light bulb or battery giveaways. Service Projects may involve restroom cleaning, car washes, or seasonal yard work like raking or snow removal. Mercy Touches might entail nursing home visits, feeding the homeless, giving away groceries, or visiting senior citizens.
Donations are not accepted. As their website, www.rivervalley.cc, states: “We’re serious about showing God’s love with no strings attached.” To join the fun, meet at the River Valley Church lobby at 10 a.m. on the third Saturday; the next one would be September 15. For more information, contact Paul Baldwin 574-258-5513.
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Full Gospel Assembly in Berrien Springs, Michigan, offers another “inner-city” ministry option; once a month volunteers load up a bus with clothes, outerware, blankets, and food, and go out “into the streets of low-income areas” with the goal to “be a blessing.”
“Compassion in Action” began in 2004, springing out of “a vision from the First Lady, Lisa Baker,” according to the church’s website, http://www.fgachurch.org/CIA.htm. Volunteers help out their needy brothers and sisters in Christ, since “God has blessed us to be a blessing to others.” More information may be found on the website or by contacting Pastor Starley Baker at 269-471-1871.
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In an exciting effort to strike at the heart of these inner-city (and outer-city!) problems, Beacon Baptist Church in Niles, Michigan is starting a local chapter of S.A.F.E., a nationwide recovery program for people who struggle with addictions of any type. Setting Addicts Free Eternally, or SAFE, is based in Washington state, with chapters across the country. Pastor Terry White said that the program helps “drug addicts, alcoholics, porn addicts, food addicts,” and is “applicable for anger management, strictly based upon Scripture.”
Unlike traditional 12-step programs that teach “once an addict, always an addict,” and warn people that they must struggle with their addiction their whole life, SAFE believes that “who the Son has set free will be free indeed,” said White. “We don’t want them to be addicts—we want them to be new creatures in Christ.” The explicitly Christian philosophy works—one church in Detroit that White is familiar with has experienced an 88% recovery rate with SAFE.
Like other programs, participants receive a workbook that they’re expected to go through three times in the course of a year. The workbook, said White, “is taking Scriptures and working through the issues in your life. You have a counselor that gives you godly counsel and wisdom.” After a year, participants may apply to become a counselor themselves and pass on what they’ve learned.
Training to become a counselor in Beacon Baptist’s program will take place on September 7 and 8; please RSVP to Pastor Terry White at pastor.terry@hotmail.com or 269-313-1520 for lunch-planning purposes. The training is free—counselors from SAFE will train volunteers on how to counsel someone and go through the book. Volunteers will then jump right in on Friday, September 14, at the first session.
Why SAFE? “We’re doing this for a multipurpose reason,” White shared. “We’re a small mission church, about 50, and most ministries are geared toward churches that are bigger and more affluent.” SAFE, in contrast, is a major addiction recovery program that a small church can handle, at very low cost.
Also, as the highway for drugs between Detroit and Chicago, “we live in a community that needs a lot of recovery programs,” said White. “A lot of that spills over into our community.”
A third reason is that SAFE, as an unapologetically Christian program, opens the church doors to people who might otherwise never darken the steps. White said that many 12-step programs avoid using the word God or Jesus, preferring “a higher power.” But while SAFE helps people get their social and physical life back on track, “it also helps them spiritually,” said White. “This is a life-changing experience.”
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Serving others is as much a life-changing experience for the server as it is for those being served. If you are not already involved in a ministry, please contact one of the churches or organizations listed above, and begin fulfilling God’s command in First Peter 4:10: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”