Ohio Churches Collaborate to Meet Need
Fairfield County, Ohio – A need was posted to CarePortal on February 24, with a requisite response date of February 29 in order to allow the family to stay together. By February 26, two churches had responded: Pickerington Church of the Nazarene and Life Church. As noted below, the churches’ response was a signal to the family and to the social worker about the hope in the community…the hope in every community, for that matter.
The case worker for the family shared the following about the need and response:
Working with CarePortal was [a] stellar experience for me. I was given a case that had some unforeseen circumstances that prevented the agency from help[ing] my family per our policies. The CarePortal request was sent out on 02/24 and the family needed assistance by 02/29. We received a response from two Churches by 02/26. I am not only impassioned by the quick response, but by the sense of community that these two gracious Churches have demonstrated. Thanks to CarePortal, and the compassionate Churches, I was able to keep a family together and restored their faith in the community around them.
I have spoken to the mother several times, and [in] each conversation you could hear the stress in her voice, you could hear that she was unsure of her and her son’s future. After I informed the mother of the help the community is giving her, for the first time she sounded relieved and happy. She told me that she felt she could breathe for the first time in a long time. She stated that God is good and thanked the Lord for these wonderful people that have helped her out. Given the last minute nature of this situation she said it was by the grace of God that she is able to maintain her family.
In true honesty, I am so glad I got to experience this. It is not often that I get to see all the good in our community. I am now very grateful that CarePortal exists and that you were willing to work with me to provide for this family. I will hold on to these warm fuzzy feelings for the next time I am feeling stressed out. It’s a nice reminder of why we do want we do.
Each CarePortal response is a demonstration of the Lord’s love for the individual. Through His movement in the Church, children are being impacted and families are staying together. God has equipped the church to respond. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works…” [Hebrews 10:23-24].
Looking to follow the pattern of these Ohio churches? Consider forwarding this email to a friend at a neighboring local church. They can receive more information about enrolling their church in CarePortal here>>