Would you show up to class for a bottle of laundry detergent? Probably not. That’s not the motivation for our New Hope Ministry life skills class participants either. However, the gift of a bag of cleaning items is certainly a blessing to stretched household budgets! Our churches recognize this, so part of the New Hope Ministry is to share items such as toilet paper, laundry detergent, household cleaner, and more with actively engaged participants. Each week, they leave with this tangible reminder of how they are loved and cared for by our church community.

We are thankful for our church partners who help keep the shelves stocked! Bethel Lutheran, Gurnee; Vertical Encounter, Waukegan; Joy! Lutheran, Gurnee, and organization partner GiveNKind.

Why would someone turn down this gift?

Our New Hope Ministry coordinator, Barb, had this inspiring conversation with one of our New Hope Ministry participants recently:

“I just got a call from Lydia* saying that she doesn’t want [NHM] incentives. She went on to say how she has been praying to God to send her help to recognize her gifts and for a way to prove she is ready for a relationship with Him. She is grateful for [the New Hope Ministry classes] and believes that God sent this program to her to help her see her value.

I explained to her that incentives are a gift from God, how churches donate the incentives to use as gifts to bless those in need. She simply would not budge, instead she requested that we donate her allocation to someone in need. That would be her sacrifice to God to prove to Him that she is serious about receiving his love and entering into a relationship with Him.

We ended the call in prayer. I literally had tears in my eyes! I’m so blown away by someone longing so much for a relationship with God that they are willing to sacrifice their own needs to enter into his love.”

We celebrate that Jesus’ sacrifice is enough for us…but also that we honor Him through our own sacrifices, as a reminder of His love for us. To God be the glory!

Would your church like to run a drive?

Check out this printable list, our Amazon Wishlist, or contact Barb for our most pressing need. This is a fantastic way to get your whole church family engaged in serving our community!

*Name changed for privacy