CARE MINISTRIES
Being Your Hands
A day in the life of a Starfish Ministry volunteer ...
At the start of every month , two Starfish Ministry volunteers- the " duty team " - with $ 2000 and a handful of Cub , gas and bus cards in hand begin taking calls from individuals in the community in need of rent , utilities or other financial assistance .
Starfish is a joint ministry of Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities and Judson Memorial Baptist Churches to help individuals and families in temporary crisis .
The Starfish mobile phone started ringing early on the first day of the month . The calls went directly to voicemail . We sat down to listen to the eight requests that had come in so far . It was only the first of the month and already we had received so many calls for help . It was sobering . As we worked , the phone continued to ring and we wondered just how far the $ 2000-plus food and gas cards available-would go this month . Requests for rental assistance , help to pay utility bills , a homeless mother wanting food cards so that she could feed her children . On and on it went ; the needs were so foreign to our comfortable life . How blind we were to the many who are struggling to just make it through-- to survive !
We started to return the calls and meet with individuals , listening to their stories . After returning eight calls , we had spent $ 2114 . This was over our allowance but we would have to make it up next month .
For four remaining calls we were only able to help with food , gas and bus cards . We returned the last calls and encouraged them to try again next month . This was just the first day of calls and we already had to change the message on the voicemail — we were out of funds for the month . Some months we have a little more money to work with , but this month we were limited in what we could do to help .
We are your hands in trying to lift up those who come to Bethlehem for help . Sometimes it seems like such a little thing to help with rent or a utility payment , but it can mean the difference between being safe and being homeless , between having heat and light or living in the cold and dark .
We are grateful to all who have supported this ministry . We are dependent on your kindness and generosity in helping to make this happen . We encourage you to contribute to Starfish ministry by making a gift that will have a lasting impact . You can make a gift by placing a check in the offering plate on Sunday morning with " Starfish " in the memo line or online at bethlehem-church . org / giveonline . Or , join Starfish Ministry , contact Diane Waarvik , 612.312.3375 .
For I was hungry and you gave me food . I was thirsty and you gave me a drink . I was a stranger and you welcomed me .
- Matthew 25:35
Starfish Stories
" It made a difference to that one !" - The Starfish Story
A homeless mother had been living in her car for a week because of a series of health and job loss issues . When she came to meet with us , she came with her two school-aged children . We made calls on her behalf to Hennepin County Emergency Shelter Services . They didn ' t have any more space for families . We talked with her about her options and found out that she had a sister in a neighboring state who would take her in , but she had no way to get there as her car needed repairs . She had found someone who would fix her car for a minimal amount but she didn ’ t have the money to do the repairs . We contacted the garage owner and he agreed to do the repair for $ 389 . We agreed to pay and made arrangements for the repair . We gave her a Cub card and two gas cards to pay for her trip to her sister ’ s home .
A man said he needed everything — anything we could do to help . He requested clothing , food , a bus card , help finding work . We learned he had just been released from prison and was trying to start his life over . We referred him to a number of programs that would help him and gave him a Cub food card and a bus pass .
A woman with three children who was homeless due to an apartment fire that destroyed everything had been staying with a friend who now wanted her out unless she could contribute to expenses . We gave her a Cub card to help . The friend agreed to allow her to stay if we helped with $ 400 . We required a signed agreement from the friend . When the woman returned the next day with the signed agreement , she told us with tears in her eyes that her son was so excited about having pork chops for dinner last night . We were deeply moved .
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