Posts Tagged ‘benevolence’
How Deacons Impacted my Faith and Family
“God brought light back into my family’s world through the deacons at Hope Fellowship, who supported us and showed the love of Jesus,” shares Amanda. Here’s her story…
Read MoreNew Year… New Approaches(?), Part II
A food bank that doesn’t give out any cans??
What if food banks are making people dependent on short-term solutions, focusing only on symptoms while dismissing long-term answers and/or underlying problems?
Watch this interview with John Klein Geltink about a different way to help!
Read MoreNew Year… New Approaches(?) -Part I
What if food banks and community fridges and a lot of our well-meaning efforts are actually making people dependent on short-term solutions, focusing only on symptoms while dismissing long-term answers and/or underlying problems? What is a church to do?
Read MoreHelping that HELPS During Christmas (and beyond!)
We all like to be helpful, don’t we? Opening a door for the elderly man walking with a cane, making a meal for a neighbour or friend when they are sick or just overwhelmed with life, lending a hand at the school fundraiser, and the list goes on. These kinds of ‘helps’ are wonderful and meaningful and are a wonderful way to bless another person.
So as we enter into the Christmas season, many of us are looking for even more ways we can help those who are less fortunate than us. But what if I told you that some helping doesn’t really help?
Top 10 Ways Deacons Can Help During Covid-19
In this Easter Season, it’s good for us to pause and reflect on the fact that Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. As Christ-followers, we are called to imitate this – both wisely and efficiently and not as spineless, people-pleasers, pushed and pulled by every need we see. Now (and always), Deacons exist to…
Read MoreWebinar Addresses Helping that Helps at Christmas (and beyond!)
Christmas is almost here! I’m sure you didn’t need that reminder (at all!). Costco shelves and dollar store aisles have had their Christmas supplies out since October, if not sooner. Churches and charities have been busy planning and promoting their Christmas programs and ministries for a while now. Social media has been buzzing about who…
Read More#GivingTuesday coming up November 28, 2017
Have you seen this video recently? It has been making its way around Facebook and other Social Media platforms. It’s not a new video (it came out December 2016). It’s also not a new concept: being grateful for EVERYTHING we have! If you haven’t seen it, we’ll give you a minute to watch it now.…
Read MoreResources for Deacons: “Guidelines for Benevolence”
In the charge to the deacons, it states that “benevolence is a quality of our life in Christ, and not merely a matter of financial assistance.” Benevolence involves a lifestyle of love, respect and compassion. To that end, Diaconal Ministries Canada (DMC) has developed “Guidelines for Benevolence” to help address attitudes and behaviors that deacons…
Read MoreBeyond a Bed: tools for deacons who want to walk alongside
A deacon is in the waiting room of a community walk-in clinic. There is a woman beside her, slumped in her seat. She is dozing lightly; she looks exhausted. After a number of minutes, the woman seems to abandon hope of a nap. She stretches, sighs and sits up. The deacon beside her begins a…
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