This is a draft
Mission Statement for Volunteers
The primary goal of 4th Man Ministries is to preach the Gospel, not only in word but in deed as well.
As volunteers we want you to understand that our ministry is encouraging people to read their Bibles, dig for the true and honest interpretation and build a living relationship with God. The food is simply a tool God has given us to meet that calling. We need to understand that God is multi-tasking, He's meeting both the spiritual and physical needs of the people who come.
This portion of the ministry is especially based on faithfulness and service. We'd like to see a consistency in our volunteers, (we know this may not always be possible.) Almost every single week I tell people we are trying to be a living, breathing example of who God really is and I really do mean it. We are not a ministry that preaches one thing and does another. Especially in today's day and age actions speak much louder than words and will make a permanent impression on people. We tell people we love them with our deeds and our attitude. Jesus Himself came to serve, we should strive to follow His example and serve as well.
Although I hear Luke 10:7 (see below) quoted a lot to justify taking food first, we believe since God gave us His first fruits, the best He had to offer, that we follow His example. Our ministry strives to be a just that, a living example of who God really is. The attitude of the ministry should be reflected in our volunteers. Even if you need food, as a volunteer the people come first. Read James chapter 2. We need to not only tell people we love them, we need to put it into action. As long as it doesn't become a habit, as a volunteer you may take one item before the line starts. Every one of us has seen their favorite or something they haven't had in a while come through. We have no problem with you taking a special cake etc. What we don't want to see is our volunteers shopping and taking the best of everything while the people wait and watch, I don't believe that this shows the attitude we want to exhibit.
(Luke 10:7) And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
Store pickup
When we pick up at the stores we want to let them know that we are there to serve them, not argue about their policies or what food they won’t give us (even if it's sitting right there in a box). God is in control, so He orchestrates what we get. As a ministry we do not subscribe to the “Go out and appropriate God’s blessing” doctrine.We have found that God is faithful, when we're polite and gracious to the store managers and department managers we are further fulfilling our mission. This ministry is not about having the most or best food, it's about being faithful to what God has given us and showing them a living example of Christ.
We have seen over the years different stores give an abundance and at times trickle down to almost nothing. We have seen managers come and go, some were great some were down right rude. We want to maintain the same gracious attitude no matter how they treat us or whether they give us a truckload or simply a loaf of bread. Remember our ministry goal is to show a living, breathing example of Christ.
Food Distribution At the Church
As a ministry we have a lot to overcome. Many of the people we minister to have had some bad experiences with organized religion. We want to show God’s love in word, and deed. As servants we should take last, after all God has already provided for us. Other than what’s polite, we don’t want to dictate a lot of rules and regulations to them. We want them to see God for who He really is.The really important thing is not how they treat us, as ministers what is important is how we treat them. Please always try to keep in mind that we are there to show them who God really is.
Our volunteers do have some authority over the people we minister to. Please use that authority sparingly, patiently, and above all in love. If you have a problem, please get Tammy or Tony and let us deal with the problem. We never ask our volunteers to do any type of confrontations.
There are countless times in the Bible where God and His people were taken advantage of. We expect no less in this ministry. If someone takes more than they should let God take care of it. We understand the need to control some of this activity, but we are not police officers we are ministers.We will eventually publish policy or guidelines for the people who come for food. However, the attitude and ministry starts here with the volunteers.
Tree of Life
Since our return to North Village, the church is working with us more closely than they used to. Our liaison is Tree of Life ministry, more commonly known as April and Evan. It's both exciting and challenging to work with Tree of Life (growing in spirit is always challenging and exciting). Exciting because we can see first hand how God is growing His body and adding to both ministries. Not only do we get to watch God work, we get to be a part of what God is doing. By working together as a body both ministries are made better and stronger. As 4th Man Ministry volunteers we need to recognize their authority in matters pertaining to Tree of Life. They are our hosts and should be respected.
When it was just us, we pretty much did everything. Now that Tree of Life has become involved we have made the decision at the ministry level to support their outreach and ministry. Now, instead of just placing clothing donations out on the table like we used to, we're directing clothing and other donations directly to Tree of Life. They have an established system and can better serve the people in need. This also allows us to support their ministry and North Village.
The challenging part comes in the fact that we never know what to expect. Church members or other ministries may come in and leave donations any time. Tree of Life may have no idea that something has been left until we get there and call them. Since the church fellowship hall (where we meet) is in a state of flux we can count on things changing at any given time and without notice. We may come in and find the tables moved, our supplies moved or used etc. Until the construction is complete, we're just going to have to work with Tree of Life. Some of what happens they can control, some of it they can not. I'm including this so you have an idea of what's going on and don't complain too much to Tree of Life, it may not be their fault. We are actively encouraging Tree of Life to communicate better with us concerning things affect our ministry. We will pass that information on to our volunteers as we get it.
We have also requested printed information on church service times, events and other outreach efforts so we can encourage people to take part in North Village's outreach activities.
Discussion and/or suggestions can be posted at the Cross Roads, Please note that you'll need to be registered in order to post in the volunteers section.
