“We’re doing mission right here”
Imagine Ministries is based out of Central UMC in Fitzgerald, GA. Their group of ten people, eight youth and two adults, served in Osage in 2007. Their project was modeled after the YouthWorks work projects, and then they applied it to their home community. They also used that summer’s theme, Imagine, and summer theme verse Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” in the design of their proposal.
Background
On their way home in the van one of the young women mentioned that she wanted to keep doing “something” after the trip. The group agreed that they had to do something to serve when they got back. The group leader made sure that they really wanted to act when they got home, and told them that she was going to hold them accountable to that commitment. One week after they got home, she met them all in a restaurant and she made them stay until they decided on a project to propose.
The Work in Transition
This group received a grant to conduct repair and service projects in their local community. They knew they wanted to serve, but were unaware of what the real needs of their own community were at the time. They met with the director of the local Department of Family and Children’s Services to find out more about the needs and to get his ideas on where they could work. The director gave three initial recommendations that focused on the needs of the very poor and elderly in their community.
These three projects were:
- The first was at a nursing home where the students visited and entertained the residents. This went well, and the students actually enjoyed their time.
- The next project was cleaning up yards for elderly residents.
- The third was work on repairing the home of an elderly man.
The third was perhaps the most impactful of their projects. The group was shocked by what they saw when they arrived at the man’s house. There were only remnants of a tin roof, half of the chimney was gone and the resulting water damage had rotted the floor of the house. An entire wall of the home was falling over and needed to be replaced. The exterior was coming apart, there were rats in the home, and the electricity was not working in parts of the house.
The group leader reported being overwhelmed by the condition of the home and that she “had no idea that type of poverty was right there in our town”. She knew her youth were in over their heads and she decided to put a call out to other local churches for help. Her youth could do some of the work, but they needed more adults with specific skills for the repair.
The response was wonderful. A Multi-Denominational, Multi-Generational response came out. Some of the grant money went to pay for advertising for help, but the majority of the grant went to pay for the supplies on that third project and house. The house was a turning point for the project, in that this group witnessed a greater need and were surprised by the wonderful response from the community.
After completing this project, people were so excited about serving together they kept the ministry going. They were out of money after repairing the first house, but they began to receive donations from local community members and actually incorporated Imagine Ministries, Inc. as a 501c3, so that they could continue to receive donations. They have a board of directors who meet quarterly to discuss upcoming efforts, and work directly with the courts to locate properties of the elderly who own their homes but need assistance.
They have community work projects at least once a month and the youth group is continuing to be involved in the process and has their own work project coming up this fall. Support has continued to come in the form of donations of cash, volunteers, and even funeral memorials, which designate gifts directly to Imagine Ministries, Inc.
The outcomes of this group were:
- Interdenominational partnerships with both youth groups and adults coming together to serve.
- Greater awareness of needs near to home.
- The youth group did not come on another mission trip with YouthWorks. When I asked why, the youth leader responded, “We are doing missions right here.” God is doing mission work through the church.
- Local support for ministry and meeting community needs.
- Opportunity for relational evangelism at home.
In the first year as Imagine Ministries Inc., the group began a multi-week endeavor restoring the home of a 90-year-old gentleman who was living alone, in terrible conditions. The man was apparently extremely grouchy and refused to talk to the volunteers who came to work. The teams replaced his ceiling, rebuilt his kitchen and put a new roof on his house. Slowly some of the men in the crew would engage this man in conversation, and ask if they could pray with him. He gradually warmed up to the volunteers, at one point coming out of his house to ask, “Why are you doing all of this for me? Why are you serving me?” After many weeks, the men in this group of volunteers were finally allowed to pray with this man, who gave his life to Christ in the fellowship of those volunteers. I believe his Savior was waiting for him when this gentleman passed later that year.
©2009 Fuller Youth Institute
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