The free session will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, January 26, at the Hope Center, 4194 Bolivar Road - Suite 5, across
the drive from the McDonald's drive-through in Wellsville.
Purpose of the presentation is to help equip volunteers and
their churches in developing a holistic -- physical, mental/emotional and
spiritual -- approach to helping meet needs of congregants and the general
public, using a System of Care or Communities of Care approach versus a
programs model.
The training will be presented by Casey Jones, Transformation
Initiative for Building Healthy Communities Through Healthy Families, planning
group chair for the Hope Center. It will
be adapted from similar presentations he has provided internationally for
pastors, church leaders and interested individuals.
Components will include developing greater ministry impacts
with less individual effort through connections within individual and among
multiple congregations, within communities and with other services providers;
focusing on greater impacts through person and family-centered ministries
rather than creating more programs; expansion of the number of congregants
seeking to engage in ministries; identifying available assistance
resources, and more.
Jones said a purpose of the Hope Center is to help individuals
and families identify their needs and available resources and address them
through development of a working plan to meet their goals, thereby helping them
achieve greater, sustainable results.
The Hub concept also involves equipping churches to establish
Communities of Care to enable the Hope Center to connect individuals and
families with caring churches that are able to provide additional assistance.
The Hope Center opened its new facility in November,
providing information and referral services, a drop-in center, reading
assistance for children and adults, an evolving Christian lending library that
also will provide free books and videos, and workshops, seminars and trainings
for churches and the public on issues and services that are important in
helping strengthen individuals and families.
The initiative is a ministry of the Mission Genesee Valley
coalition of churches, other Christian organizations and individuals that are
seeking transformation and revival in all sectors of Allegany County
communities and beyond.
The Hope Center is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays
during January for appointments, assistance, and facility tours and expects to
expand its hours as awareness increases and more volunteers are recruited and
trained. Assistance also is available by
appointment. County churches and Christian organizations are being encouraged
to appoint ambassadors to provide connection with and between their
organizations and the Hope Center for greater community impact.
Required registration for limited seating for the workshop
is available with Jones at bps461@msn.com or (484) 435-0503. Individuals interested in upcoming Hope
Center seminars, workshops, and initiatives can receive advance information by
sending their names, communities of resident and the work "Subscribe -
Hope Center" in the subject line to the same e-mail address.
