SOCIAL CONCERNS COULD USE YOUR HELP!
You wonder what YOU can do to help others in your community?

We have three projects needing your attention:

PROJECT #1:

The biggest, new project is providing a DVD copy of our Sunday Worship Service to those who are physically unable to attend church. All you have to do is stop by the church on Tuesday or Wednesday each week, pick up a DVD, and deliver it to a grateful shut-in.

PROJECT #2:

What is ECHO? The letters stand for "Emergency Care Help Organization" and it serves people in our own community who have lost jobs or have other problems causing them to need emergency groceries and clothing. Just take a minute each week to drop off some groceries in our ECHO box located in the breezeway. A team member will take the food to ECHO's location in Brandon.

PROJECT #3

Our team shows love to the homeless on the first Saturday of each month. At 9 am, a nourishing hot meal is served picnic-style at Church of the Nazarene on Kingsway near Hwy. 60 (Brandon Blvd).  Please contact Therese Roberts or the church office if you want to help.
Families are invited to participate and teens can receive volunteer hours.

We have many opportunities to go beyond our walls to spread the love, joy, and peace of Jesus.

So often there are situations all over the world that bother us, but how can we help?

The solution lies in that old saying .... we can "THINK globally but we can ACT locally."

Our Social Concerns team is an umbrella over other activities which are already "up and running" as well as new projects that need attention.  We're a busy group of Immanuel people and we can always use more involvement and participation.

Our responsibility is to show the Immanuel Church family many ways to serve our Lord by helping those in need.

Here is a list of areas where people of Immanuel can reach out to others. Some of these are already in place while others require someone like YOU to explore and present as an opportunity to help where there is a need.

ECHO: There is a box in the breezeway where we put non-perishable food for people in need in our Brandon community. Each week the box is emptied and taken to the ECHO location on Parsons Avenue. Going one step further, Volunteers are always welcome at ECHO to help sort and organize donations.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: This is an opportunity to welcome all the children from our community to learn about the love of Jesus. Weeks of planning are involved in order to have a meaningful experience for these youngsters. Plans are already underway for VBS 2012 and you can be part of them.

QUILTING FOR BABIES: The quilters are always hoping that more workers will join them. No special skill is involved because there is always cutting or stuffing that needs to be done by extra hands. The little sized quilts are donated to hospitals to provide cozy comfort for babies.

MESSIAH MIGRANT MISSION: There are four Outreach events for the migrant farm workers and their families each year. We collect shoes and underwear for the Back-to-School outreach. At Christmas and Palm Sunday we gather plastic zip top bags filled with soap, toothpaste, and other personal items. Any other time during the year groups are always welcome to come to the Mission House in Plant City to help with yard work or repairs.

BOY SCOUTS and CUBS: Immanuel is a host location for Boy Scout Troop 79 and Cub Scout Pack 79 (one of the largest in the County). Some of our members are dedicated leaders of these groups.

HAITI: Just because it is no longer in the headlines, Haiti still has needs and the Love-a-Child foundation in Brandon is the shipper. A group from Immanuel needs to get a list from Love-a-Child and let us all know how to gather items for shipping.

STEPPIN' STONE FARM: This is an excellent facility that takes in troubled teenage girls in a country atmosphere. We need a list of items that would be helpful for the girls such as clothes, games,personal products, etc.  Many times there is help needed in maintaining the grounds. Visitors are welcome which is a good opportunity to see how we can help.

TUTORS: Can you imagine how much it costs to hire a tutor for a child who needs a little extra attention? With today's economy this would only be a luxury for some families. Why not organize a "Tutor Group" that can be asked to provide a loving person on short term (or longer if you wish) at a school of your choice.

LIFECARE OF BRANDON: This is a place where pregnant women can get help with concerns about ending their pregnancy and need counseling for many other related problems. This organization always has a list of items that are useful for new moms and their babies. Someone from
Immanuel could get this list and post it on the bulletin board each week.

METROPOLITAN MINISTRIES: Shortly before Thanksgiving and Christmas people are needed to work at the Brandon location to accept donations, sort items and assist those in need. Men, women, even older children can volunteer as individuals or as a church group. It's easy to register on their website.

THANKSGIVING PIES: On the evening before Thanksgiving we are encouraged to bring a pie that does not require refrigeration to church. A volunteer will pick up these pies and deliver them to Lighthouse Ministries where they will be enjoyed by many homeless people.

A KID'S PLACE: Can you imagine the trauma of a child who has to be removed from his home because of abuse or neglect? Located on Lithia-Pinecrest between Lumsden and Bloomingdale is a beautiful, kid-friendly shelter for as many as 60 children. Here we have the opportunity to do our part to bring happiness to these little ones by planning and bringing a "Cookie Party" or preparing an occasional meal and delivering it to the 5 groups homes, giving the "houseparents" a bit of a break.

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Are you ready to jump in?

Do you want to get involved?

Let's have a Coffee Party and share ideas! If you would like more information or want to get started, just call the church office or contact Neoda Dumke at neoda.rae@gmail.com and we'll get the ball rolling!

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