Faith in Action
What's Faith in Action?
Faith in Action is a team-based ministry led by men to people with long-term practical needs in the Christ Community family and community ... such as widows, the elderly, the disabled and single parents. It's a way for us to apply the following verses from James 2:14-22 ...
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without action is useless? Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.
Click HERE to watch a brief video of one of our Faith in Action teams at work back in 2005.
On an ongoing basis, the Faith in Action Leadership Team seeks to recruit, train, organize and deploy teams of men that adopt widows, single parents and others with long term needs, revealing the love of Jesus to them in practical ways.
How Does Faith in Action Work?
Teams are normally comprised of 4-5 men each, and each man is asked to donate three hours of time, one Saturday morning a month. On a typical service day, all the teams meet at the church for prayer and Bible study. Then the men break up into their pre-assigned teams and go out and work in the home of their care receiver. The men do basic chores around the home such as fix leaky faucets, clean windows, haul trash, etc. At the end of their time, the men gather around their care receiver and pray with him or her.
Each month, the team returns to the same care receiver, so their ministry to him or her extends over months. The men are asked to pray for the street they are working on and to make their services available to other widowed or single parents on the street, as the opportunity presents itself. In this way, their ministry often extends into the community.
While completing projects is important, of greater importance is the establishment of a relationship between the Faith in Action team and the care-receiver ... listening to them, praying for them, taking them out to breakfast, and other ways of communicating care and concern.
How Can I Get Involved?
Here are the next steps if you'd like to explore involvement on a Faith in Action Team:
1. Contact Bob Giertz, Faith in Action Team Leader, to let him know of your interest. He can also answer any specific questions you might have, as well as describe current and emerging teams, and care-receivers awaiting teams. He can also let you know the next scheduled Faith in Action Orientation Meeting. Bob may be reached at 353-1057 or bob_giertz@msn.com.
2. Attend a Faith in Action Orientation Meeting. These meetings are usually held on a Saturday morning, but may be scheduled at other times as needed. This is an opportunity for you to become more familiar with the vision and strategy of Faith in Action. It's also an opportunity for us to get to know your unique skill set. This will allow us to be intentional in matching you with an existing team or forming a new team. It's certainly not essential to have highly developed skills in the trades. We are primarily looking for people with basic home repair and maintenance skills. If you can do more than that, great!
3. Complete An Application Form, including permission for Christ Community to perform a background check. Please feel free to talk with Bob Giertz or any of the Leadership Team about this process in advance of the orientation meeting. Our goal isn't to eliminate people with "a past", but to ensure that our ministry to those who are highly vulnerable is carried out with integrity and trust.
4. Placement on a Faith in Action Team, once the application is returned and the background check favorably completed.
