Community Service Ideas

[feo]

What are ways that you guys improve your neighborhood... or even the world we live in?

One place I enjoy volunteering is for a company called "Project CURE", has anyone heard of 'em? They provide medical relief for third world countries... from donated items in hospitals. More information can be found at their webpage, as well as locations close to your home... www.projectcure.org

What do you guys do when you volunteer?

 

[caitlincares]

Thanks for the link.

My dentist volunteers his services in third world countries.

 

[feo]

Thanks for the link.

My dentist volunteers his services in third world countries.

Dentists are so cool I'm sure to see mine at least 3 or 4 times a year. Its not needed, but it's good to take advantage of my insurance my job provides

On another note, why are these forums so dead?

Jesus was all about social justice!

 

[Echoes Peak]

Dentists are so cool I'm sure to see mine at least 3 or 4 times a year. Its not needed, but it's good to take advantage of my insurance my job provides

On another note, why are these forums so dead?

Jesus was all about social justice!

I have no idea why they are so dead. It's kinda sad, really.

I used to be an Americorps volunteer. I moved to New Mexico to teach at risk kids who were kicked out of local public schools. While there I also was a volunteer at the local sexual assault center.

I don't if I could call what I do volunteer, right now. I am a short-term missionary in the Washington, DC area doing work in various parts of the city.

 

[Treasure the Questions]

I sell Fair Trade products at my church on a voluntary basis, because I think it's a scandal that the people who grow the tea and coffee we drink and many other food items we eat don't earn enough for medical bills, to send their kids to school, or even, sometimes, to buy enough food for the family.

I have also begun to befriend a woman with learning disabilities to help her stand up for herself and get her problems sorted out.

For the last couple of years I've also volunteered to do a door to door collection during Christian Aid Week.

Little things, perhaps, but many drops make an ocean.

Karin

 

[Sharp]

Jesus was all about social justice!

I am all for social justice -- that is laws and policies must be based upon the principles in God's Word, the Bible. That means, for example, that sexual sins are not rewarded, that marriage is not preverted or subverted, and that the proper roles of males and females are respected. The death penalty should be enforced as part of God's social justice as well as making divorce difficult to obtain. It also means employers pay fair wages to employees, that soldiers and police do not steal or sell out justice, and the we pay our taxes. That is what social justice means.

But as important as these are, they are not the gospel of Christ. Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Forgiveness of sins comes first. Only after a person is born-again can he change society.

I served in churches teaching about social ministry... to those who were already saved. This is important after we know salvation, but it is strictly of secondary importance.

If your church majors in social justice, drop it like a hot potato. The real gospel of Christ is not politics or law of so-called justice. The gospel of Christ is that sinners must repent and turn from their sins and receive infinite forgiveness from Christ.

Now having said that, let's work together for Bible-based social and poltical values. Good day! For starters see these groups:

These Christ-centered, non-profit, civil rights and religious freedom law firms offer FREE LEGAL REPRESENTATION to victims of unlawful anti-faith bias including employees, students, teachers, churches, and cities:​

Alliance Defense Fund​

Christian law Association​

American Center for Law and Justice​

The Thomas More​

The Becket Fund​

The Rutherford Institute​

Pacific Justice​

Christian Legal Society​

Libery Counsel​

Liberty Legal​

Home School Legal and Defense Association​

They all have great websites! ​

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/
http://www.christianlaw.org/
http://www.aclj.org/
http://www.thomasmore.org/
http://www.becketfund.org/
http://www.rutherford.org/
http://www.pacificjustice.org/
http://www.clsnet.org/
http://www.lc.org/
http://www.libertylegal.org/
http://www.hslda.org/

 

[christiangal522]

What are ways that you guys improve your neighborhood... or even the world we live in?

I think first of all you need to be aware...especially about your local neighborhood. I took my youth group to an innercity missions and we learned all about the local major city...what the reality behind the situation was, what has/hasn't been done, what needs to be done, and what we can. When people hear the realities, they can be moved into action....but a lot of things arent always spoken about. For example we learned that the city cut funding to local homeless shelters, causing hundreds of beds to be lost...at the same timethe city spent the money to put up blockades/barriers under bridges to stop homeless from sleeping under them. I just about got ill when I heard this...

One thing that a lot of churches in Minnesota (esp. in the Twin Cities) are doing is to collaborate with local non-profits to work together to help each other out. This effort was actually put into motion by the mayor. I am in contact with a large non-profit in Minneapolis to help them out when they need it. Church members often have resources (time, money, etc) but they dont always know what to do or where help is needed.

I am very passionate about social justice and I feel as a Christian we need to be passionate about it. Jesus was a social minister.

 

[Treasure the Questions]

I am very passionate about social justice and I feel as a Christian we need to be passionate about it.

Jesus certainly showed as much concern for people's physical well-being as he did for their spiritual well-being, and if we don't do likewise we are in danger of appearing to be frauds in the eyes of the world.

Karin

 

[ahab]

I am not sure Jesus ever really dealt with social justice, or at least not what I understand as social justice. Jesus came to change the hearts and minds of people for the Kingdom, rather than any social or political systems. I would say that if we are not actually doing some sharing, caring and serving others in some way we are not doing what Jesus commanded us to do as disciples to serve the poor and needy.


As to ideas of what to do corporately or individually here’s a good link to a church with a heart for social action. http://www.alm.org.uk/ministries/cat.htm



Fair Trade has been mentioned and IMO is an excellent idea and well worth supporting but I would have thought it cuts across political, social and economic boundaries rather than just social justice.

 

[Treasure the Questions]

Perhaps Ahab and Sharp should start another thread to discuss the merits of social justice from a Christian point of view.

This thread is about ideas for community service, and I for one have no wish to derail it.

Karin

 

[ahab]

Hi Treasure the Questions,

My apologies for commenting about my understanding of the nature of the thread title, Social Justice, I prefer Social Action, but my post was also about some examples and ideas of community service.
As to ideas of what to do corporately or individually here’s a good link to a church with a heart for social action. http://www.alm.org.uk/ministries/cat.htm
I know they are a big church but they have something in the order of 160 ministries if I remember correctly. Please check out the link.

 

[Treasure the Questions]

C.A.T. - Community Action Teams, not to be confused with CATs - Christian Aid Teachers, who help to educated children and their teachers about the effects of poverty and how people live in the other two thirds of the world, as well as what we can do to make things better.

Karin

 

[ahab]

Yes as the opening post was about in what ways can we improve our neighbourhood .. or even the world we live in. So I wanted to give praise for projects like Fair Trade and also local neighbourhood community social action.

Apart from particular projects in '3rd world' countries there are always the major Christian missions like Tearfund, Christian Aid and Samaritans Purse to support, but spiritually many of the '3rd world' countries are less lacking than say Europe.

 

[Sharp]

Perhaps Ahab and Sharp should start another thread to discuss the merits of social justice from a Christian point of view.

This thread is about ideas for community service, and I for one have no wish to derail it.

Karin

Pardon me but this IS the social justice thread.

Christ honoring ideas for social justice include rewarding police officers when they are condemned by radicals for just doing their jobs.. say shooting and killing drug dealers in a gun fight or arresting homosexual and heterosexual prostitutes, or arresting porn dealers. My local church helped protest porn dealers and got the big porn seller arested and busted by the US FBI for selling "obscenity". We honored the teenagers and children as well as adults who protested.

Other churches fight the homosexual threat by being kind to them. Acts of love, not revenge or hate, go much further than hate. Some homosexuals have come to faith in Christ, and some of those have actually changed orientation and married and raised children. Praise God.

 

[Treasure the Questions]

First of all Sharp, this section of the board is for Social Justice issues, but this thread is specifically for Community Service Ideas

Secondly, it is against the board rules to discuss homosexuality except in designated areas, and this is not one of them.

Why are you so obsessed with homosexuals?????

 

[Sharp]

First of all Sharp, this section of the board is for Social Justice issues, but this thread is specifically for Community Service Ideas

Secondly, it is against the board rules to discuss homosexuality except in designated areas, and this is not one of them.

Why are you so obsessed with homosexuals?????

Sorry. your point is well taken. Let's concern ourselves with other ways to help. Here in my town we evangelicals has a ministry to poor and black resident youth. They have a safe place in a large building to attend and play games and sports. There are no gangs or drugs. There are loving Christian friends to counsel or to listen.

Another area of ministry is to schools. We have friends in prayer ministries who daily pray for selected public school teachers and administrators, not just Christians either. They tell the teachers they are praying for them, and that has led to building bridges and friendships which in some cases have resulted in salvation and in help to Christian students.

Another area of service is in visiting nursing homes and convelescent centers. We bring youth to visit with the oldsters. We also share about Christ as well as socialize. Visits are so appreciated.

We also collect food for the poor. And churches counsel the poor how to no longer be poor. Sometimes this means abandoning the poor who refuse to work. A church I attended gave a lot of money to a widow with kids. We had accountants who were prepared to train her to budget her money, and they discovered she was making a great income on welfare etc.! She refused our advice, but wanted our money. We realized the only way to help here was to stop giving church money to her. That also is Christian social justice.

About why I posted on homosexuality... I don't post here about the issue of homosexuality, only about the areas for Christian social concerns pertaining to that issue. You must understand that sex and abortion are the current battles being fought in America. I post about prohibition of alcohol or the right to free elections or the war on drugs, but they are not so critical. And other issues like fighting porn/obscenity etc. will have to wait until we win the senate. I post only about ideas and examples for social action, not about forbidden issues.

 

[ahab]

Hi Sharp,

We had accountants who were prepared to train her to budget her money, and they discovered she was making a great income on welfare etc.! She refused our advice, but wanted our money. We realized the only way to help here was to stop giving church money to her. That also is Christian social justice.

I am not sure whether that is social justice exactly but seems to be the way Jesus dealt with quite a few people in the gospels in that He laid out the choice and some refused so Jesus moved on. This does seem to be something of Jesus ministry that gets ignored these days, that Jesus had some harsh words to say to people who refused to accept what He was saying. Also He left some who struggled still struggling, the rich young ruler Luke 18:18, Matt 19:16, Luke 17:11 the ten lepers, the hard teaching John 6:66 come to my mind straight away.
However we are blessed to be a blessing as they say and help the needy in our community in what ways we can and thanks to the efforts of your church too.

 

[feo]

yikes! it seems as if EVERYTHING I say opens a can of worms... and I'm not even trying! scary'ness.

 

[ahab]

Sorry feo. I think its and excellent OP for social action, but I am not sure some of us see social justice in quite the same way.