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2009 Community Service Opportunities at USLC
 
This year the USLC Community Service Ministry is focusing on being of service to our local community.  In particular, we have chosen to support two well known organizations that are making significant contributions to improve the Durham community: Habitat for Humanity of Durham and the Durham Rescue Mission.

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Habitat for Humanity of Durham (HFHOD):
 
HFHOD is an affiliate of the Habitat for Humanity Humanity International, a Christian organization that welcomes volunteers from all faiths who are committed to supporting Habitat’s goal of eliminating poverty housing.  HFHOD provides low income housing for clients who qualify.  Habitat homes are modest, well-built homes constructed by volunteers from  the community and families selected by Habitat. Families finance their homes through zero interest loans from Habitat, and pay a monthly mortgage of around $425 to $450 which includes taxes and insurance. There is no down payment - instead, families are required to spend "sweat equity" hours helping to build their houses and those of their neighbors.

Purposes: 

• To help HFHOD provide affordable housing to qualified Durham residents
• To provide support and assistance to USLC Youth in their servant leadership/community service project – the HFHOD Youth United Project
• To provide other HFHOD servant leadership opportunities for the adults of USLC’s congregation 
  

2009 Calendar of Service Opportunities
           
Year Round

• Home construction
• Donating and purchasing of building supplies, furniture & appliances
• Work at Restore selling the above items
• Help locate families who qualify for a HFH
• Work periodically at HFH volunteer kiosk at SouthPoint Mall on weekends

January - March

• Help USLC youth with fundraising efforts for the Youth United Project

March - April

• Help youth get donations of food from the community merchants to serve lunch for construction workers at the Youth United Project
• Participate in home construction at the Youth United Project

May – December

• Survey congregation about volunteer opportunities.
• Write and hand out survey form
• Organize activities
• Publicize necessary events.

November - December

• Help youth with fundraising letter efforts
• Work at the Christmas Wish Tree in SouthPoint Mall

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Durham Rescue Mission (DRM):
 
DRM is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It provides food, clothing,Durham Rescue Mission shelter, vocational training, continuing education, job placement, permanent supportive housing, and Christian counseling 365 days a year. With the support of individuals, businesses, civic groups, grants, foundations and churches, DRM  has been helping the needy and homeless since 1974.

 
Purposes: 

• To help the DRM serve their clients through one-time, individual, family, or group tasks to daily, weekly, or monthly tasks including the Ambassador Club, Annual Community Events, Christmas Wish Tree for Residents, Make a Difference Day, Serving a Meal to Residents, Tutoring Residents and Thrift Shop.
• Provide a community service/servant leadership opportunities for the congregation

 
Year Round

• Serve lunches to male residents 1st Saturday of every month
• Tutoring…only for children and women at the Good Samaritan Inn.  The commitment is for at least 4-5 weeks.  Tutors work out their schedule and subjects with the Tutoring Coordinator, Toni Clark. 
• Work in Thrift Shoppe:  Any day in shifts of at least 2 hours.
• Volunteer for special events.
• Support the drives for clothing, food, toiletries, and school supplies.

January

• Begin collection of non-perishable food items, toiletries and gently used clothing and continue throughout January.  All items need to be brought to USLC by Sunday, January 25th so they can be donated by the end of January.

February

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.

March

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.

April

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.
• Easter:  Provide baskets filled with candy and toys for children
• Collection and donation of non-perishable food items, toiletries and gently used clothing.  All items need to be brought to USLC by Sunday, April 26th. 

 May

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.

 June

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.

 July

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.
• Begin collection of school supplies for August Back to School Party.

August

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.
• Complete the collection of school supplies and turn in to DRM.
• Back to School Party (date to be announced) help by donating school supplies and serving food for the party. 

September

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.

October

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.
• Collection and donation of non-perishable food items, toiletries and gently used clothing.
• Begin volunteer sign-up for Annual Thanksgiving Dinner

November

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.
• Need volunteers for Annual Thanksgiving Dinner
• Date:  several days before Thanksgiving.
• Approximately 2,500 people will attend.  500 plus volunteers are needed for this event.
• Volunteers work in shifts of at least 2 hours.  Most work is done outside, some inside large tents.  Dress appropriately.
• There are 17 kinds of jobs with specific shift times.
• The last day to register will be around November 14th.

December

• 1st Saturday:  Serving lunch to male residents, 11:00 – 1:00 shift.  3-4 people needed.
• Need volunteers for Christmas Wish Tree
• The tree will be set up at Northgate Mall.  The residents of the Durham Rescue Mission will have written their wishes for items valued at $50 or less on cards and hung them on the tree.  Shoppers in the mall will pull a wish card off the tree, buy the item and return it to the volunteer table. 
• Volunteers can work in shifts as many 2-hr. shifts as you like.
• Need volunteers for Community Christmas Dinner, probably December 23rd (similar to Thanksgiving Dinner in November).

If you are interested in participating the above community service opportunities, please contact Avery Henderson via telephone or email: 919-382-0635; ahenderson30@nc.rr.com

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Servant-leadership starts as a feeling, a desire to serve others that then becomes a commitment to move that desire into practice, to actually take on the courageous task of serving others. One can practice servant leadership in the family, at work, in the local community and even globally. Each one of us gets to choose!

Jesus Christ was the ultimate servant leader. By example, he taught us that being of service to others is essential for balancing our lives. We must serve ourselves to survive, yet being of service to others completes and gives fuller meaning to our mortal and spiritual lives.
 
In service we touch, move and inspire others. But there is a great paradox in serving others—and that is, the more you reach out to others, the more you will be touched, moved and inspired yourself. In service we will find joy and happiness in great measure. In the reaching, we become God’s own hand. God is touching the world community through us. As we like to say in Unity, we are God at the point of each of us; we are the Christ at the point of us.