{"id":946,"date":"2009-09-02T19:54:42","date_gmt":"2009-09-02T19:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=946"},"modified":"2010-12-22T12:50:16","modified_gmt":"2010-12-22T17:50:16","slug":"7269","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2009\/09\/02\/7269\/","title":{"rendered":"Church Takes the Next Step to Help the Needy"},"content":{"rendered":"

MONROE, WA (September 2, 2009) \u2013 Monroe Covenant Churc<\/a>h may seem an unlikely place to start a job training and educational support ministry that reached more than 2,700 people last year. After all, weekly worship attendance figures aren\u2019t exactly being highlighted at church growth conferences.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we hit 50 people on a Sunday, we\u2019re doing well,\u201d says member Donna Olson.<\/p>\n

But the church saw a need to help unemployed and homeless people. So they started Take the Next Step<\/a> in the church\u2019s vacant parsonage in 2005, offering a hot meal each week, as well as family and job skills training.<\/p>\n

Since then, the program has become a registered nonprofit organization assisted by 15 different community groups.<\/p>\n

Local churches and a Scout troop provide dinner on Tuesday nights. Afterward, an array of classes is offered on topics such as budgeting, computers, parenting skills, grief management, and Bible study. Take the Next Step also provides bus tickets and gas cards for those who need transportation to work, school, or medical appointments.<\/p>\n

The idea for the project occurred came in 2001 when Olson, who was teaching at a local welfare-to-work program, asked if the congregation would offer its basement for graduation ceremonies. The church eagerly agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin a year our congregation was fixing a luncheon for the families,\u201d says Olson, who is president of Take the Next Step\u2019s board. \u201cSo many of these folks were alone. They didn\u2019t have any place to go where people respected them.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the church continued to host the graduation ceremonies, they started asking, \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be great for these people to get these extra services plus a cup of coffee and people who respect them?\u201d Olson says.<\/p>\n

When Take the Next Step was formally organized, it began offering most of the services it does now, Olson says. No one expected it to grow into such a large ministry.<\/p>\n

The ministry serves people that Olson was not even aware lived in the area and sometimes in extreme circumstances. \u201cI didn\u2019t even know we had homeless kids out here,\u201d says Olson. \u201cWe see about 40 homeless kids a week who come for the sack lunches.\u201d<\/p>\n

She notes that a handful of teenagers ages 16 and 17 live in a nearby wooded area. \u201cThey were thrilled because we had a tent to give them.\u201d Olson recalls that one of the teens teared up when she asked if he would like someone to be praying for him. \u201cHe was a young man who just wanted someone to care for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ministry has changed the church and solidified its identity, says Olson. \u201cIt\u2019s been an experience that has really made us stretch outside our comfort zone a lot,\u201d she explains. \u201cMost of us have not personally known people with felonies or who are drug addicts. We\u2019ve learned a lot about why people are in the situation they\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olson is not surprised that the small congregation was able to make the ministry a success. \u201cIt\u2019s not about size,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s about people\u2019s hearts. We\u2019re very blessed to have a congregation that\u2019s filled with compassion, and who go the extra mile. They\u2019re not just sitting around and coming on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of those who have received assistance now attend the church. \u201cIt\u2019s made our church pretty (ethnically) diverse,\u201d says Olson, who adds, \u201cWe live in a pretty Caucasian community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experience has changed Olson\u2019s view of others and her understanding of God. \u201cI used to always think, \u2018Why don\u2019t people just pull themselves up by their bootstraps? Why don\u2019t they just try harder? Get with the program\u2014finish school, go to college, get a job.\u2019 That\u2019s what we all did. I didn\u2019t realize life wasn\u2019t a level playing field. In so many cases, there\u2019s no way you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olson is grateful for the opportunity to work with Take the Next Step. \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve been very privileged. I know that God\u2019s heart beats for the people who suffer. I\u2019ve gotten to know a lot more about God\u2019s heart. I\u2019m just very lucky that I\u2019ve gotten to be in on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds, \u201cIt\u2019s very exciting. Sometimes I\u2019m so excited, I can\u2019t get to sleep.”<\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MONROE, WA (September 2, 2009) \u2013 Monroe Covenant Church may seem an unlikely place to start a job training and educational support ministry that reached more than 2,700 people last year. 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