Join Me in This Good Work

For the last several years, part of my daily prayers has been, “Lord, create in me a
servant’s heart.” Little did I realize that God would answer my prayers right here in my home congregation, where I’ve worshipped for the past 21 years, in the vehicle of Will Tucker and the youth group. At the urging of Steve, however, I’ve decided that I needed to expand my desire to serve, and do something in the community. To this end, I recently began volunteering at Interfaith Assistance Ministry (IAM), a ministry that we support on a regular basis.

The idea of IAM is simple, as stated in their mission statement, “To provide emergency relief to Henderson County residents who are in financial crisis by offering funds, food, clothing, counseling & referrals in an atmosphere of compassion and respect.” Founded here in 1984, it is supported by 90 local church congregations.

My orientation through the 6 areas at the IAM building (Administrative Reception, Client Reception, Clothing Closet, File Manager, Intake Worker, & Pantry Worker) just confirmed what I already knew—it put a face on the desperate, hurting, struggling, unfortunate individuals and families here in Henderson County. There are many of them. A motto displayed on the wall at IAM reads, “The hands that distribute what the heart of the community provides….offering a hand up, not a handout.”

Jesus spoke often about the poor while here on earth. In Matt.19:21, Jesus answers the rich man by saying “…go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Now, I’m not advocating that you sell everything you have as Jesus did to this rich man, but that you give of yourself, do what you can, with what you have to assist the poor & needy. IAM requires only one 4-hour shift a week,
M-F, either in the morning or afternoon. They are extremely flexible with all of the volunteers as far as scheduling and covering each other. Won’t you consider joining me in this good work? Talk to me if you have any questions.
—Kent Planck

“We at Interfaith are blessed to have the opportunity to reach out to our neighbors in
crisis, thanks to the sacrificial support of our community and assured by the words of our Savior - ‘In as much as you have done it unto to the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me.’”
— David Cook, Director of IAM