Non-profit organizations, churches, businesses and governments do so many good things for our community.  However, when these same non-profits, businesses, faith-based and government organizations bring their leaders together to strategize and coordinate projects as one body, their reach into the heart of the community’s needy can be so much more powerful than it would be if each organization worked independently.  How does a group of people with a wide range of knowledge, passions, politics and beliefs move from talking about issues together to designing solutions together and acting on them?  Care Inc. is a civic non-profit organization that helps with this process.  Care Inc.’s ultimate goal is to help bring solutions to the needs of the people by serving local government, faith, non-profit and business leaders.   Care, Inc. facilitates the process of bringing together leaders across many sectors to work as a unified body to not only formulate solutions that meet the needs of the people but also to implement those solutions for maximum impact.

How does Care Inc. successfully unite and empower such diverse groups to strategize and serve together?  Through its program called “For Our City,” which exists so far in 10 cities across Arizona including Tempe, Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler and Maricopa.   For Our City works to ignite change at the grassroots level by bridging gaps in community needs with sources of locally available aid.  For Our City works to match up the service needs of a city and nearby non-profits with the service resources of faith-based communities, employers, businesses and other organizations.  Through this process, For Our City aims to create collaborative volunteerism, community preparedness and the implementation of community best practices.  After Care Inc. founder Jon McHatton initially meets with a city’s mayor, he then helps the city form a host committee made up of a variety of community leaders.  Once a director is chosen, the director and/or host committee completes a training program, Bridging the Gap.  The committee then begins by trying to gain an understanding of actions currently underway to improve the community, to understand what types of improvements could be made, and to identify what could be falling through the cracks.  The mayor and city council then set the overall goals and direction for the committee.  Once organized and trained, the host committee is ready to begin meeting, strategizing and implementing!

Tempe For Our City implemented H.U.R.T. (Holistic Urgent Recovery Training), as one of its first collaborative strategies.  This initiative is unique in that it’s the first strategy involving multiple faith-based communities working together.  The goal of H.U.R.T. is to train, equip and empower faith-based organizations to implement and facilitate a 72 hour emergency preparedness plan for individuals and families in their faith organization.  It is a FEMA IS-22 program adapted to include a spiritual aspect in addition to mental and physical preparedness.  Care Inc. also sponsors COMPEF (Community Preparedness Exercise & Fair) to assist organizations (rather than individuals) through an annual fair comprised of speakers, preparedness workshops and tabletop simulation exercises.  The Department of Homeland Security recently designated For Our City Tempe’s H.U.R.T. and COMPEF programs as “best practices”.

Perhaps one of the most poignant examples of how For Our City is making a difference occurred in Sahuarita when a flood left 12 families homeless.  Host committee members immediately made contact with their associated charities and churches to find housing.  Whether it was literally driving around to find available apartments or making phone calls, For Our City obtained housing or enacted housing plans for all 12 families within one hour.  During this same time period, 2 organizations began receiving funds for the families.  Such quick and effective reaction could not have been possible without the shared coordination, resources and relationships already in place between these non-profits, faith-based communities, businesses and government organizations through the For Our City program.

A before and after picture of the way one valley city implements their backpack drives demonstrates the difference collaboration makes in this community.  A For Our City host committee had just been established in this city and at one of their first meetings, the discussion centered on the good things happening in the community.  One individual stood up and talked about the successful backpack drive her organization had just completed.  One after another, people stood up and talked about the successful backpack drive their organization had just completed.  As it turns out, 6-7 different organizations had independently conducted their own backpack drives and distributed backpacks at nearly the same time!  The mayor finally laughed because he envisioned a kid with an abundance of backpacks trying to figure out how to sell them.  The city now conducts a collaborative backpack drive with multiple collection and distribution locations and unified communication.  One year a surplus of 300 backpacks was even donated to other cities!

Care Inc. is working not only within communities but across cities as well.  On December 8, 2011, mayors of 5 valley cities endorsed Care Inc.’s annual PMT For Our City Golf Classic to be held on February 25, 2012 at Superstition Springs Golf Club along with a food drive.  Plans are also being made to conduct a 5 city food drive later this year with multiple collection points.  The goal is to replenish supplies at valley food banks.  This food drive will be the first regional For Our City collaboration with the hope of more such regional collaborations to come in the future.

In an effort to involve individuals in impacting their communities, For Our City launched 100 Hours in 2011 as a challenge to individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations and faith-based groups to volunteer their time.  This program seeks to ignite volunteerism for change throughout Arizona communities by meeting urgent community needs.  100 Hours also commemorates the 100th anniversary of Arizona’s statehood coming up next month.  Volunteers can sign up and track their hours on Care Inc.’s For Our City website.

For Our City is just one of the programs created by Care Inc.  Check out Care Inc.’s website for details about all of Care Inc.’s programs, info about For Our City in your area, and volunteer opportunities.

When organizations and individuals work together, they are able “bridge the gap” and impact the community in a greater way.  Be a part of it.  Check out Care Inc.!

Many thanks to Jon McHatton, founder of Care Inc. for sharing his experiences and insights.

A nearby elementary school, a local high school, and a senior adult Bible study group…these are only a few groups being touched and transformed through the efforts of a local “externally focused church.”   North Phoenix Baptist Church’s (NPBC) vision of living God’s love in the heart of our city began just 2 years ago.  Church staff read a book called The Externally Focused Church and were moved by a desire to truly transform their community.  The church’s mission is to challenge people to discover and live a Christ-centered life.  This simply means loving God and loving people.  If God’s people actively love and serve those in their community, then they are reflecting a Christ-centered life.  Hence, the church’s vision of living God’s love in the heart of our city has become the primary filter for all that NPBC does.

The church uses “the funnel approach” as a transformative process in teaching church members how to find that area in which they have a special burden or passion to serve and to show God’s love in their community.  NPBC offers a variety of servant events and experiences where the people in the church have the opportunity to go out into the community and serve.  The people of the church participating in these service opportunities make up the top of the funnel.   We Serve Week, a church and city wide event held in October, provided just such an experience.  From hosting a staff appreciation breakfast at a local elementary school to walking 3 miles for hunger, volunteers experienced different kinds of service around their community.  Serving in this event also gave volunteers a chance to see firsthand how much they are needed in their community.  At the end of the weeklong event, the church family gathered to celebrate how God had worked in the community, in neighborhood relationships and in individual lives throughout the week.  What’s Your One Hour? Is a follow-up to the WeServe Week event that aims to help people continue to experiment with different ways to serve.  NPBC offers ongoing opportunities for people to serve in their community by partnering with organizations that need help.  Such organizations, called “Serve Partners”, can even request help through the church’s website.

In “the funnel approach” that NPBC uses, an individual moves to the bottom of the funnel when he or she finds that special area of service where they “click”, where they truly enjoy serving, and where they have a burden or passion to give of themselves.  Communicating their journey to find this “niche” and sharing their stories of transformation is an important part of inspiring others.  It also highlights available service opportunities and ultimately becomes a part of transforming the church body.  NPBC is moving towards using their website as a vehicle to allow church members to share their stories.

Living God’s love in the heart of our city is one church’s vision to simply love God and love people…and it’s working.   Check out What Does It Mean to Live God’s Love in the Heart of Our City? for stories of people and organizations transformed.

Eric Swanson is the co-author of the book, The Externally Focused Church, which NPBC staff read together as they sought to move the church toward deeper community involvement.  You have the opportunity to hear this author speak and meet him.  Eric Swanson will lead a presentation and dialogue on Community Transformation on Friday, December 2, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., in the Chapel at North Phoenix Baptist Church (5757 N. Central Avenue, southeast corner of Central and Bethany Home Road in Phoenix).   Eric is the co-author of To Transform a City: Whole Church, Whole Gospel, Whole City, as well as The Externally Focused Church and other excellent books on community impact and transformation.  The event is free, but seating is limited, so please reserve your place by sending an email to azcommunityministries@gmail.com or by calling 480-525-7305.

Please come and learn more about impacting your community for Christ!

Thank you to Kelly Young, NPBC Minister to Community Volunteers, for sharing this story.

Showing God’s love externally involves transformation within the body of Christ.  At Christmas time, NPBC encourages members to celebrate the coming of Jesus by giving the gift of “presence.”  Giving Presence means “living God’s love in the heart of our city by serving our neighbors.” Members can reach out and serve where ever they see a need or they can choose from projects posted on the NPBC website.  They can even submit projects online so others can join in.   One group of people, a Bible study class of seniors who are in their 80’s, collects an offering throughout each year.  A middle-aged couple ended up attending their class one day and felt led to become a part of their group.  God eventually used this couple to bring renewal and change to the group.  The younger woman volunteers with a local elementary school.  She asked if the class could adopt a needy family from the school and use the offering to buy them Christmas presents.  The adults agreed and told her she could go spend the money on gifts.  They initially had no desire to be further involved.  The woman began talking to the ladies in the class and convinced them to accompany her to buy the gifts.  The women had so much fun picking out presents for the family that over the last few years, the class has bought uniforms for the entire 2nd grade class, the women hand stitched book bags for the 2nd graders in the fall and this past year both the women and their spouses not only shopped for Christmas presents but personally delivered them to the class.  When members of this Bible class came to understand just who they were impacting and what a difference their ACTIONS made (not just their money), it brought true joy and transformation into their hearts and lives.  They have grown to truly love serving their young neighbors.

Transformed lives within the body of Christ can create new opportunities for the church to connect with and serve the community.  The principal of a nearby high school had attended NPBC as a child and had even been baptized there in the 6th grade.  Over the years he moved out of state and drifted away from church life and fellowship with God.  When he moved back to the neighborhood he grew up in, he decided to give church another try.  When he attended a worship service at NPBC one Sunday this past August, it happened to be the day they commissioned educators.  They asked people in the education field to stand up so that those around them could pray for them as individuals.  When this man stood up and received prayer he was transformed.  He later called this event his “homecoming.”  It marked the time when he became reunited with his community of faith and when he became a committed Christian.  He recently hosted an eleven-11 prayer event at his high school, calling it “the most significant event of his life.”  That Sunday in August when this man attended NPBC and was prayed over, he filled out a prayer card and requested that the church call him about helping out at his high school.  It so happened that NPBC staff had been praying and waiting over a year for God to give them direction on which high school they should begin a relationship with and serve.  God answered their prayers through this high school principal.  Not only did God transform this man’s life but he used this man’s occupation to help NBPC live God’s love in the heart of our city.

Eric Swanson is the co-author of the book, The Externally Focused Church, which NPBC staff read together as they sought to move the church toward deeper community involvement.  You have the opportunity to hear this author speak and meet him.  Eric Swanson will lead a presentation and dialogue on Community Transformation on Friday, December 2, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., in the Chapel at North Phoenix Baptist Church (5757 N. Central Avenue, southeast corner of Central and Bethany Home Road in Phoenix).   Eric is the co-author of To Transform a City: Whole Church, Whole Gospel, Whole City, as well as The Externally Focused Church and other excellent books on community impact and transformation.  The event is free, but seating is limited, so please reserve your place by sending an email to azcommunityministries@gmail.com or by calling 480-525-7305.

Won’t you come and learn more about helping your church have a greater impact on our community in the name of Christ?

Thank you to Kelly Young, NPBC Minister to Community Volunteers, for sharing these stories.

This is the third and final article in a series of stories focusing on Central Christian Church’s outreach ministries.  You will read stories of people helped through the ACTS Homeless Ministry, the Prison Ministry and Open Table.  We’ll explore how these ministries complement each other as well as how the Open Table model works in a faith-based setting.  Be sure and check out the first article and the second article in the series.

At the age of 8, Matthew* became a drug mule for his uncle.  As he grew older, he committed crimes in order to support his heroin addiction.  Matthew eventually ended up in the Arizona State Prison in Florence.  Due to a neighborhood gang affiliation, he was assigned to one of the maximum security areas which remains in a constant lockdown status.  This meant he was in solitary confinement and during every 24 hour period he had 1 hour of “freedom” from his cell.  Even with that 1 hour outside of the cell, these high security areas were designed so prisoners rarely traveled outside of their unit.  Even the showers were just 20 or so steps away.  One day, Matthew decided to “fish” for something to read.  He threw out his fishing line and in a little while he pulled in a magazine another prisoner had put on his line.  The prisoner had inadvertently left some Christian literature inside the magazine.  Matthew read through the information with some skepticisim at first.  However, this proved to be the start of Matthew’s quest to find God and to understand what it means to become a Christian.  Eventually, Matthew made a decision to turn away from his old way of living, accept the gift of forgiveness and instead rely on Jesus Christ for guidance in his life.  Even though he was still incarcerated, he had gained “freedom” in a different sort of way.

It so happens that members of Central Christian Church’s Prison Ministry serve in Florence’s Special Management Units 1 & 2.  These men met Matthew and began to talk with him, answer his questions and mentor him.  In 2007, after spending 15 years in prison, Matthew was released.  He was released on a Friday and two days later, his mentor, John,  baptized him during the Sunday worship service at Central Christian Church.

Making the transition back to life outside of prison can be very challenging.  Central Christian Outreach personnel helped Matthew find a place that was well suited to his circumstances.  He entered the Dream Center’s intensive, structured residential recovery program.  This faith-based program lasts about 13 months and costs nothing.

Central Christian’s Open Table has been discussed throughout this series of articles.  Typically people newly released from prison are not ready for a program like Open Table (See Lena’s Story to learn more).  People who are served by Central Christian’s Open Table usually come from either the ACTS Homeless Ministry or from government caseworker referrals or from other transitional housing programs such as House of Refuge or Save the Family.  These people go through a special screening process to see if they are ready to handle the shared responsibilities and accountability involved with the Open Table program.

Matthew was very successful in the Dream Center recovery program.  His program involved taking classes, doing chores, feeding the homeless and studying the Bible.  As God grew him in his faith, Matthew developed a real heart for serving.  He connected with a pastor from Church on the Street and began picking up surplus clothes from Central Christian’s ACTS Homeless ministry and delivering them to Church on the Street’s Lord’s Closet.  Matthew met his future wife at the Dream Center.

Today, Matthew is an ordained pastor serving at the Dream Center.  God is using Matthew and his story to help others find the same freedom he found one day long ago within the walls of a prison cell.

If you have general questions about Prison Ministry of if you would like to know more about how Central Christian conducts their Prison Ministry, contact Nancy Bandusky, Central Christian’s Associate Director of Local Outreach at 480/924-4946 or nancy.bandusky@centralaz.com.

*Name changed to protect his privacy.

Thank you to Nancy for sharing this story!

The East Valley Community Ministries Consortium monthly meeting was held this past Thursday, October 20th at the Higher Grounds Cafe at Central Christian Church’s Mesa campus.  After Opening prayer, devotion and introductions, several speakers shared information about their ministries:

• Nancy Bandusky & Shawna Weeks, Directors of Local Outreach at Central Christian Church

1. ACTS Homeless Ministry - Vans pick up the homeless from downtown Mesa on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month.  They are transported to the Mesa campus where they receive a hot breakfast.  During this time, they can also be seen by a health care professional, they can have a haircut, take a shower, and they can talk to someone about getting into a detox program.  The ministry began about 11 years ago and over the course of a month, 75-100 volunteers serve 300-400 homeless people.
2. Open Table - In the midst of transporting these homeless people back to where they came, the folks serving in the ACTS Homeless Ministry yearned to see these peoples’ lives transformed.  This desire led them to begin an Open Table at Central Christian.  An Open Table is a collaboration of people from a faith community, a local/state government, a business, an educational institution and/or a non-profit who unite to restore families and individuals in poverty to wholeness and full participation in their communities.  Open Table’s founder, Jon Katov, advised Central Christian Outreach personnel on how to get started.  Central Christian has since completed 6 Open Tables and they are starting more.  To learn more about Open Table, how you can start a Table and to read about the “sister” whose life was transformed through Central Christian’s first Open Table, check out Lena’s Story.
3. Prison Ministry - A team of men visits the prison in Florence and ministers to those in the Special Management Unit where the men are in lockdown.  They have even ministered to men on death row.  Another team visits jails in Phoenix and various other Department of Corrections facilities.  The teams are diverse, including a chaplain and an ex-felon.  A team of women visits a women’s prison and conducts a Bible study.

• Jeff Brosman, Director of Gracie’s Ministries

1. Gracie’s Thrift Store -  A ministry of Grace Community Church in Tempe, Gracie’s Thrift Store is one of the oldest continually operated thrift stores in the southeast valley and is located along the Tempe Light Rail at 1520 East Apache Boulevard.  Besides offering affordable clothing, books and household items, this ministry also serves the underprivileged in the community by holding a car care clinic for single parents and a Christmas toy boutique.
2. Gracie’s Village - This project is aimed at further developing the property on which Gracie’s Thrift Store sits.  Over the years, both Gracie’s board and Grace Community’s leadership prayerfully considered how to fully utilize the land surrounding Gracie’s Thrift Store.  Recently, a proposal was submitted to the State of Arizona to consider Gracie’s site for a low-income housing development project.  Gracie’s Village was announced as one of nine winners of the 2011 Low Income Housing Tax Credit Development Projects for the State.  Out of 32 entries, the State ranked Gracie’s Village as the number one project.  Gracie’s Village will include not only 74 affordable living apartments but also an internet cafe featuring free PC usage and training, a community center, a space for non-profit agencies to provide services to low-income clients, and of course a brand new Gracie’s Thrift Store.  Check the Grace Community Church website for updates on the progress of this exciting project.

Please pray for these ministries and projects as well as the people who are leading them.

The EVCMC will not be holding a regular meeting in November.  Instead, all are encouraged to attend a special speaking engagement at North Phoenix Baptist Church on Friday, December 2nd.  Eric Swanson, co-author of The Externally Focused Church will talk about how churches can become more involved in serving their community.  More details to come.

Thank you to Nancy Bandusky for hosting this month’s meeting.  We are looking for locations around the East Valley to hold our meetings.  If you are willing to host a future meeting at your location, please contact Ben or Sarah Sanders.

Bobby was born with a hole in his heart.  At the time, he was the youngest heart patient ever in the Phoenix area.  His heart problems, though,  were only one of the obstacles he faced in his young life.  No positive father figure to guide him and a mother unable to care for him meant he spent a lot of his time on the streets.  Expecting to die at any time from heart failure, Bobby lived the fast life.  He lived a hard life, too.  He used drugs and eventually made the street his home.

The first time the folks at Central Christian’s ACTS Homeless Ministry met Bobby he was bleeding from his chest.  When they learned he’d had heart surgery and had just been discharged from the hospital, they rushed him back to the hospital for further treatment.  It wasn’t until later that they learned Bobby had died during that hospital visit.  The doctors were able to bring him back by delivering electric shocks to his heart.  What a gift to receive a second chance at life!

As Bobby got to know the ACTS volunteers and as they became aware of his story, they felt the desire to offer him a second chance as well…a chance to make a new start with his life.  Members of Central Christian’s Community Outreach Department worked with Bobby to help him get his life back on track.  They used their knowledge and personal contacts to help Bobby get off the streets and to build job skills.

Over time, Bobby got off drugs.  He became a Christian and witnessed to people in all walks of life where ever he went.  He invited people to church… people that you and I might never be able to reach out to because we haven’t walked in their shoes.  Members of Central Christian’s Community Outreach Department got him into vocational training to help him build job skills.  As part of his vocational training he was asked to cut his hair for his job interviews.  He was proud of his long, brown hair that grew down to the middle of his back.  He had 8 inches of it cut off and donated it to Locks of Love.  Central Christian Community Outreach staff also helped Bobby apply for SSN/Disability benefits.  Soon after receiving his first benefits check, Bobby passed away from heart complications.  He was young, in his thirties.

Bobby lived a life filled with difficulties, a life that was cut short.  He didn’t expect to have a long life.  Living the fast life might have felt good, might have dulled the pain, might have been the easiest path…for awhile.  But Bobby received a second chance.  He chose the hard but right path–and it made all the difference.

Bobby’s favorite song was God of This City by Chris Tomlin.  The song lyrics resonated deeply with Bobby and revealed alot about who he was:

You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city

Bobby knew there was much work to be done in our city.   Much work.

You can find out more about Central Christian’s ACTS Homeless ministry here.  There are also printable cards to be used to hand out to the homeless.

Nancy Bandusky, Central Christian’s Associate Director of Local Outreach will be speaking at the October 20th EVCMC meeting.  This meeting will convene at 8:30am in the  Higher Grounds Cafe at Central Christian’s Mesa campus (933 Lindsay Road, Mesa, AZ 85213).  Please join us!

If you have questions about ACTS or any of Central Christian’s Outreach ministries, contact Nancy at 480/924-4946 or e-mail her at nancy.bandusky@centralaz.com.

Thank you to Nancy for sharing this story with us.

This is the first in a series of articles focusing on Central Christian Church’s outreach ministries. You will read stories of people helped through the ACTS Homeless Ministry, the Prison Ministry and Open Table. We’ll explore how these ministries complement each other as well as how the Open Table model works in a faith-based setting.

She lived in Honduras in a house with no walls, supported by stilts over the water. A simple wooden platform with a hole cut out for a toilet, this is where 8 year old Lena and her family lived. When the hurricane hit, she sought refuge in a nearby mango tree, clinging to it to escape the raging water and wind. She clung to that tree for 15 long days, waiting to be rescued.

Amidst the floating bodies and debris, she must have felt terrified and alone. She did not give up hope though. She survived by eating mangos growing in the branches of the tree. Fifteen days later when rescue workers found Lena, she was extremely dehydrated and barely clinging to life. Unfortunately, rescuers were unable to locate Lena’s family. Her family had already been sent to a safe place to recover and start over. Her family thought she was dead so they were not looking for her. Lena was truly alone.

Lena eventually began working as a nanny for a family who brought her into the United States illegally, then abandoned her there. As the years went by, she survived in whatever manner she could. Unfortunately, she became addicted to methamphetamines. She found her way to Mesa, Arizona and to Central Christian’s ACTS Homeless Ministry. Two weekends a month, volunteers drive vans out to downtown Mesa, pick up the homeless and bring them to the Mesa church campus. There they receive a hot breakfast, showers, clean clothes and a haircut. Over the next 3-4 years, Lena became a regular and she developed friendships with the volunteers. She was tough, she was a survivor. She also possessed a great love for the Lord.

Lena was tall and very thin from her drug addiction so the ACTS volunteers saved dresses for her. She soon stopped coming though. They wondered what happened to her. Then one day out of the blue, Lena came back. She had gained weight and looked healthy. She told them she’d befriended a man and they’d decided to get off the streets and pool their money to share an apartment as roommates. They made a pact that they would stay off drugs. If one of them began using drugs again then that person would have to leave. Over time, the man began using drugs again so Lena asked him to leave. Her love for the Lord and her desire to help others soon led Lena to begin working with the ACTS volunteers to serve the homeless, never missing a Saturday.

It was obvious that Lena wanted more out of her life but she reached a point where she couldn’t progress any further by herself. The Central Christian Outreach volunteers who had gotten to know her through the ACTS Homeless Ministry felt that Lena would be a good candidate for the Open Table program. They decided to begin an Open Table at their church and Lena became “a sister”, someone who would receive help from the Open Table. Open Table is a collaboration of people from a faith community, a local/state government, a business, an educational institution and/or a non-profit who unite to restore families and individuals in poverty to wholeness and full participation in their communities. So far, the model has been used in faith-based, corporate and university settings. Central Christian Open Table members worked with Lena to create a step-by-step economic stability and wholeness plan. A “Table” helps “sisters and brothers” reach their goals through an ongoing management process as well as drawing on resources from the congregation and personal networks. The “Table,” a group of volunteers, meets weekly with the sister or brother to track progress and to problem solve. An Open Table program usually lasts 8-12 months.

One of Lena’s first goals was to find her family. Lena never recovered from being separated from her family. Her family did not even know she was alive. This separation weighed on her heart over the years, eating away at her. After hearing her story, Table members rushed home to their computers to begin the search. After just 3 weeks, they located her family in New York. Soon after, Lena made the journey to New York for a special reunion and a party held in her honor. Finding her family made Lena feel whole again. She experienced joy, peace and healing in reuniting with her family and even closure over some personal issues she’d buried deep inside.

Lena completed her Open Table program and continues to support herself, living in an apartment, working, and staying off drugs. She is passionate about giving back to her community and encouraging others. She has a strong faith in the Lord, coming to faith one day after seeing The Passion of the Christ shown during the ACTS Ministry. She just turned 65 and she is a survivor…

The Open Table model can be adapted to meet the needs of veterans, single moms, families in poverty, ex-felons, homeless, kids aging out of the foster care system and many others. View a short video about Open Table here.

Nancy Bandusky, Central Christian’s Associate Director of Local Outreach will speak more about Open Table at the October 20th East Valley Community Ministries Consortium meeting. This meeting will convene at 8:30am in the Higher Grounds Cafe at Central Christian’s Mesa campus (933 Lindsay Road, Mesa, AZ 85213). Please join us!

If you would like to start an Open Table at your church or organization, please contact Nancy at 480/924-4946 or e-mail her at nancy.bandusky@centralaz.com.

Thank you to Nancy for sharing this story with us.

• Bring together faith-based and community organizations and their leaders to focus on the five ArizonaSERVES issue areas: foster care participation, free or reduced cost child care, supervised CPS visits, elder independence and kinship care, and transportation for the underserved.
• Profile successful programs as examples of how faith-based and community organizations can meet tangible needs in each of these five issue areas.
• Provide concrete implementation plans that can be replicated by faith-based and community leaders, staff and volunteers.
• Attendees will also have access to the workshops and events of the Arizona Summit on Volunteerism and Service-Learning.

Register at www.azsummit.org (opens September 12th)

For more information regarding ArizonaSERVES or the upcoming Summit, please visit www.ArizonaSERVES.gov or contact us at (602) 639-0031 or info@ArizonaSERVES.gov

Here’s an informational flyer and the website with all of the information!

Arizona Hunger Campaign – http://endazhunger.org