SCC

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SERVICES

Lillie Buckingham
Lillie Buckingham
Interim Coordinator 901.355.8785

Barbara Barnes
Barbara Barnes
Interim Coordinator 205.792.5524
Elayne Bedney Elayne Bedney - Secretary (Ext. 143)
Adventist Community Service
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Community Services Volunteer Ministry Description
Introduction 
 
For more than 100 years the Seventh-day Adventist Church has sponsored social work, disaster relief and public health services in North America and around the world. It views the church as a servant body. Created for service, Christ’s followers serve the Lord in praise, serve one another in love, and serve the  
world in humility. 
 
Christ modeled for us the life of service. He “went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed” (Acts 10:38). 
 
Christ identified with the poor and oppressed. “He fed the hungry and healed the sick. By the good He accomplished, by His loving words and kindly deeds, He interpreted the Gospel to men,” comments Ellen White. “Christ’s work in behalf of man is not finished. It continues today. In like manner His ambassadors are to preach the gospel and to reveal His pitying love for lost and perishing souls. By an unselfish interest in those who need help they are to give a practical demonstration of the truth of the gospel”  
(Welfare Ministry, pages 56-57). 
 
God calls every man and woman to service. Every believer is called to ministry, gifted by the Holy Spirit, and in baptism ordained for ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-12) The church is a kingdom of priests set free to minister for Christ. Our priesthood is to each other within the church and to the world. A community services volunteer is a ministering servant of God.  
 
Duties of a Community Services Volunteer 
 
The program varies from place to place, based on local need. In about 500 cities and towns across the United States, Canada and Bermuda, Adventist Community Services (ACS) centers operate. In thousands of other locations ACS projects work out of church basements and borrowed facilities. The work of a community services volunteer might include any of the following activities: 
 
Adopt a grandparent 
Adoption services 
Advocacy program 
Alcohol program 
Baby care class 
Bible study group 
Big brother/sister 
Blind camp 
Blind services 
Board member 
Branch Sabbath School 
Camping for children 
Child care 
Children’s story hour 
Clothing/bedding program 
Community cupboard 
Community surveys 
Cooking school 
Counseling services 
Craft class 
Deaf services 
Disaster Response 
Divorce recovery seminar 
Domestic violence program 
Door-to-door contacts 
Drug abuse detox 
Drug abuse prevention 
Drug abuse rehabilitation 
Families of prisoners 
Family camping 
Family counseling 
Family finance seminar 
Family life workshop 
Field trips 
Financial counseling 
First aid class 
Follow-up contacts 
Food bank/pantry 
Food distribution 
Foster child care 
Foster grandparenting 
Free clinics 
Fund raising 
Furniture program 
Grantsmanship 
Grief recovery seminar 
Handicapped services 
Health appraisals 
Health education 
Health screening 
Home nursing 
Home nursing class 
Homeless shelter 
Homemaker services 
Immigration program 
Information and referral service 
Inner city program 
Intake desk 
Inter-agency liaison 
Interviewing clients 
Job-finding service 
Job training program 
Layettes 
Legal aid 
Literacy tutoring 
Literature rack 
Marriage seminar 
Meals on Wheels 
Migrant ministry 
Newcomer ministry 
Operation Overcoat 
Operation Paintbrush 
Parenting seminar 
Pathfinder Club 
Preparing for baby class 
Prison ministry 
Public relations 
Receptionist 
Refugee ministry 
Runaway shelter 
Self-help groups 
Senior citizen group 
Senior citizen lunches 
Sewing class 
Shoes for Little Shavers 
Smoking cessation program 
Soup kitchen 
Stress seminar 
Suicide prevention 
Support group 
Tax assistance 
Telephone friend program 
Transients aid 
Transportation assistance 
Tutoring 
Vacation Bible School 
Van ministry 
Videos, educational 
Visiting the aged 
Visiting the sick 
Weight control program  
 
Responsibilities in the Local Church, by the Church Resources Consortium, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventist Church. Copyright © 1997, Revised 2002.