Report of Community Ministries
Rolf Lowenberg-DeBoer
Community Ministries Coordinator
The Restoration Center
•On March 2, 2009 the Restoration Center, Central’s outreach/social justice center, became fully operational! Having the dedicated space makes an immense difference as far as the dignified approach we are taking to this ministry. The Restoration Center is a work in progress where ministry and community can be vibrant and thrive. It’s a place where God works in all of our lives. The current hours of operation are 7:30-3:30, Monday through Thursday (hours are subject to change in the winter and as programs develop). There are 55 volunteers who now serve with the Community Ministries program! Thank you to all the volunteers who gave their time and energy to get the center up and running and to all who make the center run week in and week out!
•The Community Outreach Ministry Team helps to oversee all the weekly programs, especially the Clothes Closet and Community Meal. This is a high functioning team with a lot of energy and creative vision for the programs.
•The Clothes Closet continues to flourish in the new space and a new time has been added to the schedule—Wednesdays 10-11:30am. The Community Meal serves an average of 200 people every Monday and the Community Worship attendance varies from 30 to 65 people. The meal and worship are the only programs held in Fellowship Hall, the rest of the programs function completely within the new space.
•A full-time security officer was hired to work in the Restoration Center. His name is George Jackson—we are blessed to have him on board!
New programs in the Restoration Center
•New programs now have even more of an opportunity to flourish. Two computers and a phone for public use have opened the door for job coaches to work with our guests on a daily basis. Job Coaches help folks create resumes, cover letters, and navigate the web for employment. They also maintain an employment board and two other informational boards which post everything from employment opportunities to information on housing and education.
•Pastoral care and spiritual direction by retired pastors and a spiritual director from City House are now a constant in the Restoration Center. One chaplain has been conducting small group conversations about God, life, and Jesus on Thursday mornings! Hopefully this can expand to be a permanent piece of the ministry in the center.
•The Augsburg Nursing Center, a Community Health Specialist from Hennepin County, and couple educators have been working hard to make the Women and Children’s Room a better service to women and women with small children who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. Central’s partnership with the Augsburg Nursing Center continues to thrive.
Restoration Center Office
•There is a reception office in the Restoration Center that is run and organized primarily by volunteers. This office functions as a place of financial assistance (co-pays for prescriptions, glasses, and dental work, transportation assistance, and rental assistance), community resources, referrals, and overall hospitality. Having one central office for all things community ministries (in addition to the coordinator’s office) is a major benefit for everyone who comes through the center.
Heading Home Central—A new social justice ministry team
•Heading Home Central is a new ministry team focusing on the systemic and structural issues surrounding homelessness and poverty. This team has eleven members as of May and is full of passion!
•The idea for this team came from The Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness (DCEH). Their recommendation was for every downtown church to have a “heading home” team so that we can collaboratively take action to create change. Along with the Inter-Faith Team of the DCEH this team will operate the Take 5 Minutes Table (an advocacy and information table set-up between Sunday services) and help create educational opportunities focused on homelessness and poverty for the congregation and the greater community. Heading Home Central will also partner with the Peace with Justice Forum to create a joint educational opportunity this coming year.
Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness (DCEH)
•Heidi Johnson was hired as the Congregational Organizer for the DCEH. Heidi comes with many gifts for the work of organizing eleven downtown congregations in our mutual outreach and social justice work.
•The Inter-Faith Team of the DCEH, which has three members from Central, continues to thrive in its planning, organizing, and educating.
•A number of new and creative ideas for collaborative programs are in the works. One of these is a bike ministry which could be a shared outreach project by all the churches who provide direct services to those in need.
•The DCEH is growing into an amazing organization! The collaborative efforts range from a shared website and calendar (both under construction) to educational opportunities for multiple congregations to attend. Heading Home Central will work with the DCEH Inter-Faith Team and the Steering Committee to create awareness and to help others use their civic voice.
Project Homeless Connect (PHC)
•The last two Project Homeless Connect events took place on December 8th 2008 and May 11th 2009. The event gets better and better every year! In May over 3000 guests were served by over 1500 volunteers.
•Central has increased its involvement in the event as Rolf Lowenberg-DeBoer (Community Ministries Coordinator) has joined the Steering Committee of PHC. Central also sponsors some parking for the event as well as an early breakfast for guests and volunteers.
It has been my pleasure to serve the congregation over the past 13 months as the Community Ministries Coordinator. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and to live out God’s call to ministry to those in need. I hope and pray that we may work together for many years to come! The community of Central Lutheran Church has been a major blessing in my life, God is at work here!
return to table of contents
333 South Twelfth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Infoline: 612-767-9101
Main line: 612-870-4416