Office of Disciples Volunteering

2006 Work reports: What volunteers accomplished

Staffing of Disciples Volunteering for 2006

• Carl Zerweck, III, Director;
• Brenda Tyler, Administrative Assistant;
• Jayna Powell, VIM Project Coordinator;
• Robin Zerweck, Hospitality Coordinator;
• Yakama Christian Mission, F.A.S.T. & Intern Coordinator;
• Tod Iseminger, Minister of Leadership Development.

During the summer of 2006 DHM and Week of Compassion supported 13 full- and part-time interns.

They worked in:

• White Swan, Wash.;
• San Antonio, Texas;
• Alderson, W.V.;
• Los Fresnos, Texas;
• Gulfport, Miss.;
• Covington, La.;
• Lake Charles, La.;
• Port Arthur, Texas; and
• Vision Builders Ministry in New Orleans, La., and Beaumont, Texas.

The work led by Interns included:

• child care;
• home rehabilitation;
• neighborhood clean-up;
• cleaning community centers;
• working in an orphanage;
• installing fences;
• painting homes;
• sorting clothes and food;
• learning about anti-racism and social justice;
• leading recreation programs;
• teaching reading;
• playing soccer and handball;
• planting trees;
• providing emergency assistance;
• doing disaster response and recovery;
• working with Westside Christian Church and Mission in New Orleans, La., rehabilitating Temple of Praise Christian Church, Beaumont, Texas, and Victory Christian Church, Port Arthur, Texas;
• and much more.

Other 2006 programs included:

• Working 10 weeks with a F.A.S.T.(Faithful Advocates Serving Together) site in Alderson, W.V.  F.A.S.T. is a program that Disciples Volunteering have been doing in partnership with the United Church of Christ (UCC) for several years. Disciples and the UCCs each provide an Intern to work in this program that serves both Disciple and UCC congregations.
• Planning and leading Hands On Mission projects at Mix ’06..
• Revising Dirty for Jesus and Disciples Volunteering Resource book.
• Leader Development Trip held at Yakama Christian Mission and Port Arthur, Texas.
• Developing and promoting national 9-11 Respond to the Call materials.
• Granting Leader Development Scholarships for individuals to attend various mission projects as training for their future leadership roles in such projects.
• Disciples Volunteering, in partnership with Week of Compassion, Great River, Alabama-Northwest Florida, and Southwest Regions continuing to staff and run Disciples Mission Stations in: La., Miss. and Texas, providing a place for Disciples’ volunteers to work in disaster response and recovery efforts. All of these Stations are committed to be part of the Disciples Hurricane Recovery Initiative through August 2008.
• Planning and leading two “Two Houses in Two Weeks” Habitat For Humanity Blitz Builds this Fall in Partnership with Week of Compassion and Lake Charles and Beaumont Habitat For Humanity. These builds were Hurricane Recovery Houses with Habitat and were sponsored by Week of Compassion.

DHM projects that through all of the ministry of Disciples volunteering, volunteers will log well over 100,000 hours of work and service. Using the National Points of Light Foundation’s value of an hour of volunteer time($18.04/hour), that totals over $1.8 million dollars of donated time.

Looking forward to 2007, DHM anticipates:

• Continuing work with F.A.S.T in Alderson, WV.;
• Training and engaging Interns leading projects with F.A.S.T., Mission Centers, Disaster Response Sites if needed & Vision Builders Ministry Projects;
• Organizing the following Leader Development Trips:
  • January--Gulf Area--Disaster Response & Recovery Trip;
  • March—Yakama Christian Mission;
  • September or October—Urban Spirit, Louisville, Ky.
• Leading 9-11 Respond to the Call;
• Organizing General Assembly Mission Projects;
• Updating the Resource and Get Dirty for Jesus books;
• Maintaining Disciples Mission Stations.