For you are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that you should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
In the last weeks of our recent time in Florida and Louisiana I was struck by the fact that all kinds of people no different than you are making a difference with ReachGlobal Crisis Response. You can, in the power of God, join them. Here are some of the ways God could use you:
Bring a Team
This is one of the most important things any group or church can do. Teams make a huge difference, not only by rebuilding homes, but by bringing the love of Christ and the power of prayer into those homes and communities. By their sacrifice of taking a week’s vacation, paying for their trip and living in less than luxury, they demonstrate Christ’s love in a way that is shocking to homeowners and communities.
One of the great teams that served with us in Ft Myers this spring was from Lancaster Evangelical Free Church, which is only about three miles from our daughter Hannah’s home in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Lancaster EFC has been bringing teams for many years and they are always a blessing. This spring they worked in Spring Creek Village and in Island Park and got to share the love of Christ with homeowners old and new!
Come as a “Blue Shirt”
Gail and I have been through a fairly elaborate process to become long term Crisis Response staff. But you don’t have to. If you have some home rebuilding skills in areas like hanging sheet rock, tiling, installing cabinets, trim or painting you can come as Adjunct Staff. You will be making a critical difference for the ministry, extending our reach into more homes and more lives. You can serve from two weeks to two months on your own schedule, at no cost to you and often with housing provided.
Come as a Student
Young people add all kinds of energy and enthusiasm to the ministry of Crisis Response. If you are a senior in high school or older you can come for six weeks in the summer and serve with staff and teams while getting a formal exposure the ministry. Or you could take all or part of a “gap year” to serve for a longer time.
Last summer when Gail and I were in Ft Myers the “interns” (a term we’ve dropped but not replaced yet) were Barrett and Tabitha. They were solid contributors to the ministry, willing to do anything and a hoot to boot. Young folks, you would be blessed and a blessing by serving with Crisis Response.
Support Crisis Response Staff
Every staff person raises some or all of their support to join the ministry. Some need to raise all of their living expenses, medical plan payments and organizational overhead. Some, like Gail and I raise only a fraction of that because we have retirement income and investments. But even we depend on the partnership of friends, relatives, homeowners and team members to do this ministry God has called us to. You can make a difference for Crisis Response staff by giving to enable the work. Even small monthly gifts make a big difference. You can also give to a response site, like Ft Myers, to enable the staff to buy tools and some materials, maintain vehicles, and pay for housing, food and other program costs (like buying Bibles for those studying the Bible for the first time!)
Pray
This should not be last on the list, but probably first. Every staff member, adjunct staff member, team member and student needs a supporting cadre of prayer partners. Most staff have a blog site like this one or just and email list to encourage prayer, and those prayers make a difference.
TAKE A STEP
Do you think the Lord might, maybe, possibly be leading you to inquire about one of these ways to make a difference? I could give you all the e-mails or web pages of strangers you could connect to, but it seems easier to just connect you with us. We’ll tell you all you need to know and talk with you to all the right people! A good way to contact us is at our personal e-mail addresses or text:
Bob: rjdegray@gmail.com, 281-787-7130
Gail:gsdegray@gmail.com, 281-797-8932
You can also contact us by replying to this post.
Thanks
Bob and Gail