By Lynn Corker
I carry around this deep conviction; I should be doing more to help/volunteer/support my community. Have you ever felt this way? Like maybe you should find a place to serve and make that your “thing”?
I’ve learned over time that this nudge is usually Jesus inviting me to invest in something outside of my comfort zone. Then, as I wrestle with it, I think to myself, “I don’t know what to do, where to do it, or even have anyone to do it with,” and before I know it I have spent more time thinking about doing something than actually saying yes to the invitation and doing the thing. “Ugh, maybe I’ll tackle this again another day when I have more time to think about it.”
If you have spent time around St Luke you may have heard about the non-profit organization, Friends In Deed. FID focuses on serving the community through very real and practical means. The organization has been around for over 30 years and seeks to “help our neighbors in need by filling in the cracks of assistance offered by other organizations and nonprofits in the community.”
Friends In Deed has two main areas: Direct Assistance, and Furniture. Their Direct Assistance program helps people and families in desperate need. They support people in crisis when they need to avoid utility shut-off, help with funeral expenses, and even car repair support.
The Furniture program assists families who have been victims of fire or people escaping the perils of domestic violence by providing beds, cribs, and kitchen tables. All recipients of support are vetted through the social worker on staff at FID.
St. Luke is no stranger to FID, we have been serving with this organization for years. Youth volunteers during In His Service and congregants sitting on their Board of Directors are just a couple of examples of our involvement.
Peggy Glahn (early service) served on the board for over 10 years. She is passionate about the work Friends In Deed does: “Sometimes even the people we know are in need but are too embarrassed to ask for our help. Friends In Deed provides a way for those people to ask for and receive that help.”
“I like them because of their ‘hand up, not hand out’ philosophy,” describes Bill Mahler (late service and Congregational President). Bill recently started serving on the FID board and feels the organization does a great job of managing resources.
“The organization relies heavily on volunteer support,” Bill continues. One of the biggest needs (but not the only way to serve) FID is for people to do furniture pick up and drop off. FID makes all the arrangements, you only need to get the truck keys and drive the route to pick up and drop everything off. A route is roughly a 3-4 hour time commitment.
Peggy and Bill (and many others not mentioned) have spent time joining Jesus on His mission with Friends In Deed. Maybe you want to check out FID, too. If so, you can find out more by speaking with Peggy or Bill, OR you can check it out for yourself! Friends In Deed is located at: 1196 Ecorse Rd, Ypsilanti, MI 48198 and can be reached by phoning: 734-485-7658 or via e-mail.
Maybe you have already said, “Yes” to Jesus’ invitation…if so, we want to hear about it! Send us an e-mail telling us where you serve and what you do there…even if you’ve only done it once (be sure to mention how it has impacted you or the community around you). We are excited to see all the ways Jesus is moving in the community around us through our people!
