Church to Family Partnerships- Information For Churches or groups Who Are Considering Partnering With a Family For NC Tornado Recovery Efforts
1) What Is the goal of these Church-to-Family Partnerships? On a state level our goal is to help 400 families who have been affected by the tornadoes to repair or rebuild their homes. We hope to do this by partnering 400 churches or groups (Sunday School classes, mission groups, other groups etc.) with 400 families that are trying to rebuild their homes. The main goal of these partnerships is to build a relationship between churches and the flood affected family. Out of this relationship, we hope that the partner church provides prayers, construction volunteers and other assistance to the rebuilding family.
2) How are the Partner Families selected? There is a one-page application that the family fills out to request that they be partnered with a church or group. On this application the family indicates that they are willing to allow volunteers to work on their home and they are willing to contribute any FEMA or other funds that they have to purchase building materials for the rebuilding of their home. The partner family also indicates rebuilding, prayer and other needs that they have. The family does not have to be church members or even Christians to be partnered with a church. The partner church also fills out a one-page application indicating that they want to partner with a family.
3) Is there any requirement that a church provide a certain amount of money toward the rebuilding of the Partner Family’s home? No, this is between the homeowner and the partner church. North Carolina Baptist Men is providing up to $3,000 per home for building materials for the partner church to use in rebuilding the home; most homeowners will get some money from FEMA and other sources that they will put toward building materials. Whatever your church can do will be greatly appreciated by the family and will put them much further down the road to recovery than they would have been otherwise. The partner church/partner family need to meet (at the beginning of their partnership) in order to decide what the church volunteers will be able to accomplish with the funds/resources that they have available.
4) What other ways are there to help the Partner Family? Just your willingness to partner with the family is a great encouragement that gives that family hope. Other things that you can do include: calling on a regular basis to see how they are doing, asking about their prayer needs and listing these in your church bulletin, collecting needed used furniture and appliances, inviting them to your church for a weekend, etc. There is great hope when people know that you care and that they are not forgotten.
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How do we sign up to be partnered with a family? Contact Baptist Men’s Office at the Baptist State Convention to request to partner with a family. Call
1-800-395-5102 ext. 5599 or e-mail
ltharrington@ncbaptist.org or write to NC Baptist Men, P.O. Box 1107, Cary, NC 27512. Just ask about the Church-to-Family Partnership.
