Local Partnerships: Sharing Hope, Meeting Needs

Local Partnership Ministry

We have so many opportunities to serve our neighbors at this time of year. It is a joy to participate in and pray for events such as Coats for All, Christmas in Q’ville, and the Solid Rock Christmas Decoration Event.

Our other local ministry partners are also busy serving our neighbors in ways that we may not always see. Here are highlights from two of our ministry partners.

Solanco Neighborhood Ministries, Christal Pritchard

“Over two years ago our client lost housing after her significant other forced her out. With her limited social security fixed income, affordable housing cost was unattainable. With the help of Solanco Neighborhood resource advocates, we walked alongside our client with understanding, love, support, and helped her find a room rental. This arrangement soon became clear that this rental was not a safe place emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  Through the ongoing support of SNM were able to find housing through a program from the Office of the Aging.  Our client is now safe and connected with supportive friendship within the home and in her local church. The client is now reaching out and supporting a young homeless couple by walking alongside and reminding them of their need for a Savior.  

This brief testimony reveals the hardship and heartache that many of our clients walk through every day. I have seen over and over again, it is listening, caring, loving, sharing the love of Christ that makes all the difference.  It is not done in an hour but over the long haul.” 

Please pray that Christal and her colleagues at Solanco Neighborhood Ministries are strengthened by the Spirit as they walk daily with their clients through overwhelmingly difficult circumstances. Pray that both SNM representatives and their clients experience Christ’s love through it all.

Good Neighbors, Greg Baldwin

“I am a local coordinator for Good Neighbors, an organization based in northern Delaware which seeks homeowners who have been able to pay their bills but are unable to afford needed repairs to their homes.  For such people, Good Neighbors provides the materials and labor to perform these repairs at no cost to the homeowner.  Typical projects involve fixing exterior steps and decks and sealing windows to framing and electrical work.  In short, we do essentially everything necessary for the home to be warm, dry and safe, and to function as intended.

I gathered a crew of volunteers mostly from Oak Hill Fellowship three years ago and have performed many Good Neighbors projects with them.  Among the groups of volunteers for Good Neighbors, mine is unique – my foreman is a devout Catholic.  Our goals are always twofold: One, to make the necessary repairs for the home to be warm, dry and safe; and two, to share the love of Jesus with them, which is the motivating reason for us to be performing this work to begin with.  And our clients have run the gamut from those who would barely answer the door (and not allow the use of their bathroom) to those who are very happily saved and well churched.  And we share the love of Christ with all of them. 

One very simple thing about working for Good Neighbors is that we have the simple satisfaction that comes from a job well done.  We can look back on the work of the day and see progress toward a goal.  Also, as I use this work for teaching our younger people in basic home construction, we can see THEIR progress as well.  So many people have work that doesn’t provide this immediate feedback.  It is gratifying.   But the most extraordinary thing about this is that we can show our clients the love of God right up front, and that in turn provides us the opportunity to share our love of God and our expression of that love in our actions for them.  This reflects Scripture: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.“ (1 Peter 3:15, NIV). 

Please pray that Greg and his team continue to both see and share the love of Christ as they serve our neighbors. Also pray about how you might get involved. If you have or want to learn the skills needed to participate on a work team, contact Greg. If you would like to be on a team that prays with clients and gives all the glory to God when a project ends, contact Monica.