Does your church have a "Mercy Bank"

[yoyoceramic]

Hi All,

We have a newly-installed diaconate, and they would like to publicly list what skills offerings our congregation is willing to offer to other members in the church. I am curious if you know a good place where some sort of "Mercy and Ministry Skills Survey" may be publicly available?

Here is what they came up with:

Counseling....spiritual, financial, social, substance, gambling abuse, etc.

Visitation...see shut-ins and those in rehab/hospital. Take to lunch/dinner?

Transportation...take infirm to Dr appts and church.

Education....assist with children's church and Sunday school.
Tutoring...assist children and young adults who may be having difficulty with coursework.
Logistics...transport, set up and take down church equipment

Mercy watch...inform Deacons of pending mercy requirements...this should be everyone!

 

[Jack K]

Depending on the demographics of your congregation, I'd think some of the following might also be good:

Meals. You mentioned "take to lunch," but what about people who could use meals delivered? New moms. Those recovering at home from surgery. Those who've just moved. That sort of thing. Making and delivering a meal is a great, easy way to serve someone and it builds connections between people in the church.

Needs at the house requiring manpower. Great for guys. Did someone have a tree fall in their yard and they need it moved? Get a bunch of guys together, especially if the person in need is elderly or can't afford to hire anyone. Builds comaraderie.

Greeting at church services. I didn't see it on the list. I imagine someone is already doing it. But it's a natural to come under the diaconate and a great way to get many people serving.

Photography and creative/design skills. The church will need this from time to time, and those with such skills typically love to be asked—unless it's the same person every time. So build a team.

For what it's worth... When I was a deacon, by far the most difficult service to provide to all who needed it (and do it well) was financial crisis counseling. SO MANY members needed it, most were already under water by the time we found out they needed it, and only a handful of guys in our church possessed both the financial acumen and the spiritual maturity to really be of help. So if you have a wise, mature, kind-but-firm member who maybe works as a personal loan officer or something... well, recruit that person, get him training others (especially the deacons), and be ready to team with the elders in ministering to people who're in financial crisis (often due to their own sinful folly).

 

[jwithnell]

Why not let members disclose what skills they will offer?

 

[Scottish Lass]

Jack beat me to the first one I thought of---handyman stuff, especially for the elderly/widows/single moms.

I don't know of a simple survey already produced, though. Large churches in your area may have something to share, though.

 

[Rich Koster]

In a former congregation, a general survey was taken of what skills/resources people had and were willing to offer. Upon receipt, they were grouped. There was no pre-packaged program, just an alphabetized list such as Automotive Repair / Cooking / Driving / Electrical Repair etc....., with the names. It was held by the deacons and not published. Requests were presented to the deacons for assistance.

 

[Edward]

Jack beat me to the first one I thought of---handyman stuff, especially for the elderly/widows/single moms.

I don't know of a simple survey already produced, though. Large churches in your area may have something to share, though.

We do 4 Saturday mornings a year for the elderly, single moms, and handicapped. It's sponsored by the diaconate, but we recruit from the entire membership. There's a skill survey so that we can match abilities with needs (and releases to sign). I could probably scrounge the paperwork we use if anyone needs it. We kick off with a breakfast at the church and assignments are handed out. (We solicit for needs for several weeks in advance to give time for sorting and matching.).

Counseling....spiritual, financial, social, substance, gambling abuse, etc.

Education....assist with children's church and Sunday school.

These should probably be under the session, with the financial counseling being assigned to accountants, lawyers, or others with skills in that area by the elders. Certainly the spiritual and addiction issues should be a session responsibility, tapping qualified members and available and needed.