Serve Near

God calls us to help our neighbor, and through our opportunities to Serve Near, we want to do just that. Many people in the surrounding communities, and even our own, desperately need the love of Christ. Serve with us in spreading the Gospel and necessary resources to the people in our own backyard.

Join us for one of our Serve Near opportunities below:

• +	Inner City Impact | Summer Camp  Camp Counselors Needed | Sunday, July 28 - Sunday, August 3

  Inner City Impact Camp Serve Team | July 28  – August 3
  Camp Friedenswald | Cassopolis, Michigan

  Team Leaders: Marian Nealon and Eva Tameling

  Dates of Trip: Sunday, July 28, 2019 to Saturday, August 3, 2019. 
  
  Camp Counselor Position:  Camp counselors are needed for kids in 3^rd to 5^th grade.  Volunteers need to be patient, high energy people, who are physically capable of keeping up with very active kids. 

  Schedule/Activities: Sunday, 7/29  Arrive at Camp Friedenswald by 2:30 p.m. Get settled, have dinner and evening activity. Every other weekday except Thursday, campers go swimming, participate in organized sports and games, and have Bible study. These days also have a specially scheduled activity such as boating (canoes, kayaks and rowboats available), arts and crafts (including tie dying), archery, hiking, fishing, field trips (to nearby bowling, mini golf or arcade games), or free time (board games or cards).  Evening activities like drama or song fests are also scheduled. Thursday,8/1 - Camp carnival and Olympic game festival. Saturday-8/3 Depart after breakfast
  
  Volunteers Welcome: Adults over 18 years old. 

  Location: Camp Friedenswald in Cassopolis, Michigan – 2 and ½ hour drive from Chicago, near the Indiana/Michigan state line (near Elkhart, Indiana). The camp has 365 of land, with many hiking trails, a spring-fed lake with pier, and two beaches for swimming. There are kayaks, canoes, and rowboats.  There are five sports fields for baseball, soccer, and other games, an archery area, and an arts and crafts building. 
  
  Cost: There is no cost for lodging or meals for adults who serve on the team.
  
  Travel Arrangements: Volunteers can also ride the ICI bus with the campers from either of ICI’s locations in Cicero or Logan Square.
  Team members can drive individually or car pool at their own expense.
  Ample parking is available at the camp. 

  Process for Applying: Complete Christ Church’s Team application, Christ Church volunteer application and background check. Team members will be interviewed by team leader(s). Team member notified of acceptance to team.
  
  

  Contact: Renee Richel | RRichel@christchurch.us | 630.321.3921
   

   

   

• +	Fox Valley Christian Action | Summer Camp Kitchen Staff and Volunteers Needed | June – August | 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

  Since 1977 Fox Valley Christian Action (FVCA) has provided overnight summer camp and leadership programs for youth from low-income communities in the Fox Valley, 35 miles from Chicago. Each summer FVCA brings 750 children and teenagers to a beautiful 85-acre campus for a week of Christian Camp or extended leadership programs, all provided at no-cost to their families.

  Kitchen Staff: There are openings for kitchen staff in FVCA’s modern kitchen facility! FVCA is looking for staff members with a passion to serve. Kitchen staff needs to have the ability to perform both large volume and small quantity cooking, follow menu plans and serving requirements accurately. Past experience in the Illinois State Board of Education Food Service Program is helpful. FVCA offers flexible shifts Monday - Friday, Jun 10 - August 2.

  Kitchen Volunteers: Volunteers are also needed in the FVCA kitchen. Generally the camp kitchen is staffed from 7 a.m. to 8p.m. Mon - Friday. Experience is not required. Volunteers are welcome to serve anytime during those hours.

  Contact: Bill Warren, Director of Operations | Fox Valley Christian Action | bill@fvchristianaction.org | 630.584.2222 ext 208

• +	Administer Justice | Legal Clinic New Volunteer Training | June 15 | Noon Mosaic Room | Lunch Provided

  Administer Justice provides free civil legal assistance to low-income individuals and families, as well as strengthening the local community through educational and outreach programs. Christ Church hosts a clinic at Christ Church's Oak Brook location the third Saturday of every month except in December.

  The Legal Clinic at Christ Church’s Oak Brook location, will host an orientation training with Bruce Strom, founder of the Gospel Justice Initiative. He will share GJI’s innovative, Gospel-centered model for legal aid – reaching those in need with the help of a lawyer and the hope of Christ.

  Please come and learn more about the reasons why we serve our neighbors with such a vital ministry.  

   

• +	Pacific Garden Mission | Serve the Homeless Saturday, June 22 | 9:00 - 11:00 am

  On average, Pacific Garden Mission shelters over 1,000 hungry and hurting people each night — but not without many hands! You will be helping the largest shelter in Chicago prepare for the busy spring and summer months with the precious gift of your time and energy.

  Volunteers will spend the morning serving together to tackle a variety of vital tasks, from encouraging guests to cleaning rooms, making beds and helping in the kitchen. Your service will bless those without homes with a warm meal and a clean, safe place to spend the night.

  Pacific Garden Mission is located at 1458 South Canal St. in Chicago. Volunteers should arrange their own transportation.  ​However, if you have any questions or concerns about serving please reach out to us!  We would love to give you the information you are looking for.  

  Contact: Renee Richel | RRichel@ChristChurch.us  | 630.321.3921

• +	Love Christian Clearinghouse  Call In Center Volunteers Needed  | 3 Hours a Week

  
  LOVE Christian Clearinghouse Call in Center Volunteers Needed!

  Listen to callers, complete an assessment form and share the LOVE of CHRIST over the phone!  This volunteer position also provides the opportunity to learn about area social services and agencies available to assist our callers.  
  
  Do you love helping people but are unable to travel? Volunteer with LOVE Christian Clearinghouse just three hours a week helping local families in need by listening to callers, completing anassessment form,  providing resource information and sharing the love of Christ over the phone. This weekly commitment gives you room to take time off for vacation and grandkids/childrens soccer practice!
  Training is provided.

  Contact: Renee Richel | RRichel@christchurch.us | 630.321.3921

• +	Missional Community | A Mission-Focused Small Group  Tuesdays | 7:00pm - 9:00pm | Atrium

  Have you been wondering what it means to “live missionally”? A loving, supportive, outward-focused community is forming to grow the missional heart and be a presence for Christ in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and everywhere we encounter others. Come explore Jesus’ call to join God’s redemptive mission for the world and extend your everyday Kingdom impact. Our Tuesday night sessions include worship, breaking bread together, and interactive study with lots of discussion and special guest speakers. Learn about the Mission of God, experience spiritual formation that sustains everyday missionaries, and build a faith that acts to change the world.

  Our Format

  Our Tuesday night sessions will typically include a song or two of worship, a chance to break bread together, and study of God’s mission for us and how we can live into it. The sessions will be interactive and multimedia, with lots of discussion, some videos and special guest speakers. The first few sessions will convene in the Garden Plaza at church, but after those first few we will likely begin to meet in homes or out in the community. In between sessions there will be challenges that invite us to step outside our comfort zones — for example, “Invite someone to dinner this week with whom you would not typically share a meal.”

  “The Event” on Saturday, April 27 is a departure from the normal format as we undertake an exciting exploration of our own stories. Breaking our lives down into chapters defined by important events, we’ll begin to discover when and how God has worked in us or spoken to us throughout our lives. At the end, we’ll have a clearer sense of our identities, our callings, and God’s purpose for our futures.

  Our Goal

  While the group bears some similarities to small groups, to workshops and to outreach teams, this Missional Community is about something more: sparking culture change. We’re seeking to educate, equip and inspire this core group of people from various “corners” of Christ Church with the hope that they will in turn influence their own circles, inspiring their peers to think missionally as well.

  For more information or to register contact:
  Peter Celauro | pcelauro@christchurch.us | 630.321.6751

• +	Food Pantry Event | Second Saturday of Every Month Wednesdays | 5:45 - 6:45 p.m. | Elmhurst Fridays | 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. | Oak Brook Terrace  Saturdays | 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Oak Brook Terrace

  Please consider volunteering at the Salvation Army with the Christ Church food pantry team on any or all of the following pantry set up and distribution days.

  Please join us the second Saturday of every month at 1 S. 415 Summit Ave in Oak Brook Terrace from 8:00 - 12:00 p.m.. We will distribute food to guests, help carry groceries out to cars and  help clean up. 

  If you are not available on Saturday you can meet us the night before and help set up from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. at the Salvation Army Oak Brook Terrace.  

  On the Wednesday before, we meet at Life Storage located at 953 S. State 83 (frontage road on the east) in Elmhurst from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. to load donations into our truck. 

  Register now and you will be contacted by a Food Pantry team leader to answer any questions you have about the time and date(s) that you are available. 

  Contact: Renee Richel | RRichel@christchurch.us | 630.321.3921

   

   

• +	Disaster Relief | Samaritan's Purse | Multiple Locations  Tornado, Flood & Hurricane Response

  Samaritan’s Purse North American Ministries responds quickly when natural disasters strike, deploying an army of volunteers to come alongside homeowners and bring relief and compassion in Jesus’ Name. Samaritan’s Purse currently has response and rebuild projects underway way in 10 locations, from Michigan to Alaska — and they need your help. There is no cost to volunteer; you must simply provide your own transportation. Once you arrive to the worksite, food and lodging is provided free of charge.
   

  Contact: Renee Richel | rrichel@christchurch.us | 630.321.3921