How would you feel about a ministry that offered to help nearly 120 families including over 260 children in the next nine months without any local tax money? Help provided would include housing, budgeting, finding jobs, acquiring employment skills, transportation, food, and more.
That is the 2021 record of Family Promise of Shenandoah County (FPSC) up through September. This community based Christian initiative has been active throughout the pandemic providing shelter, homes, and case management for families experiencing homelessness.
This local ministry started hosting families in 2016 after many concerned citizens joined together to launch the initiative and this year marks our fifth anniversary! I say “our” because it is my privilege to serve on the Board of Directors along with others and share this work with numerous volunteers, supporters, and dedicated staff.
An Anniversary Celebration for FPSC will be hosted at Antioch Church of the Brethren on Sunday, October 24, at 2pm and the entire community is invited! We will look back to see where we have been, celebrate where we are, and look forward to where God is taking us. For those unable to attend in person, the event will be livestreamed on Antioch’s YouTube channel.
In addition, an Open House will be held at the Family Center at 781 Spring Parkway in Woodstock from 10:30am-4pm on October 28. All are invited to come and see the facility that serves as the nerve center for this ministry, enjoy refreshments, and hear moving stories of how FPSC has made a genuine difference in people’s lives.
Back in 2013, local pastors were discussing possible solutions to homelessness when Mark Bowyer mentioned Family Promise as an option. A public meeting was held that November and this thriving ministry was born.
Since our official launch five years ago, we have assisted 244 families and 529 children. Initially families were sheltered in churches on a rotational basis which came to a screeching halt when COVID hit. Since then, we began to, and continue to, provide aid which is actually more beneficial to families and children through rental assistance programs, transitional housing and food assistance.
Although none of us foresaw the challenges of COVID-19, God did and He raised up a ministry in advance that would help care for the children He loves so much. As of this writing FPSC is utilizing a network of 9 apartments and houses to shelter families while they become self-sufficient. If you have or know of additional units that might be useful for this, please call 540-459-4599 to see what the possibilities may be.
Partnerships with Shenandoah Alliance for Shelter and Response, Inc., as well as other local nonprofits and government agencies have enabled all entities to maximize efforts and resources. Although each has a difference focus, the synergy of shared cooperation is resulting in maximum benefit for children, their families, and our community.
Family Promise’s goal is to help families temporarily and get them established so that in the long term they can support themselves and even give back. At our anniversary event, former guests of FPSC will share testimonies of how this has happened for them and how they are now helping others. These are incredible success stories that need to be shared and celebrated.
The Board and staff of FPSC very much appreciate the support the community has given to this ministry. This journey has been nothing short of miraculous and some of those miracles will be remembered on Sunday as well. Thanks to all the churches, individuals, and businesses who have shared financially to enable this ministry to function. We will need your generosity in the coming months and years as we continue this important work of Jesus.
As Family Promise of Shenandoah County celebrates five years of loving and serving others in Jesus’ Name, we look forward to continuing to help children and their families who are experiencing homelessness. Join us for a joyous celebration!
Blessings, George