Ministry for the Unemployed

In Pop Goes the Church I wrote extensively about the importance of being missional church leaders. It's up to us to figure out the "felt needs" in people's lives--and do everything we can to meet those needs. If we don't, the community won't know we care and they won't be open to the message of Jesus.

I spoke of needs like marriage problems, handling your kids, money management and finding purpose in life. Well, today's reality brings up a whole new need.

You've heard that the unemployment rate in our area is among the highest in the nation...more than 18% in one county and 12% in another. We've been praying, planning and talking about how to help our community face these new issues.

Through the leadership of Mark Waltz and Kathy Guy, we are launching a program called Networking for Job Seekers. It's a gathering on May 5th with plans for an ongoing support network. We imagine this program will be a huge opportunity for Granger attendees to be helped, but even beyond that, I believe it will be a front-door event to ultimately reach more of our community for Christ.