Serve

Local Outreach

Isaiah House, Santa Ana

The Isaiah House is a homeless shelter that provides a safe, sober place to sleep, eat, and shower to about 100 homeless women and children. Volunteers are always needed to cook meals at the shelter and interact with the residents. Families and young children are welcome as volunteers, but arrangements should be made in advance. This is also a great small group activity. Donations of clothes, toilet paper, blankets, etc. are gratefully accepted.

The Isaiah House also provides meals to the homeless who live on the streets and gather on the grounds of the Santa Ana Civic Center court complex. Meals are provided every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Volunteers are always needed to pick up the food at the Isaiah House, transport it to the Civic Center about 10 minutes away from the house, and serve it to approximately 150+ homeless people.

GSLC has two regularly scheduled service activities with the Isaiah House:

Homeless Street Ministry: every Wednesday volunteers carpool from the South church campus and/or a member’s home at 4:30-4:45 p.m.. We finish by 6:30 p.m. Teenagers are welcome to participate. This is also a great small group activity. For more information, contact David Dupre
Monthly Dinners at the Isaiah House: on the third Sunday of every month, volunteers provide and serve dinner to the women who reside at the house. This is a wonderful service opportunity for families with young children (seven or over) and teenagers. For more information, contact, Terry Fee (949-786-1878 [home] or 714-292-1699 [cell]; dtdufee@sbcglobal.net).

Note: Our GSLC Vacation Bible School (VBS) kids raised $5,000 in the summer of 2008 to help fund the activities of the shelter. In addition, the GSLC-Thrivent “Nourish the Needy” fundraising effort last summer helped stock the shelter’s freezers and pantry.

“If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness.” Isaiah 58:10

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches for the Homeless

GSLC’s PB&J Ministry is an ongoing service project that has served the homeless for years. Volunteers meet the second Friday of each month in the church kitchen to make and bag peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Hygiene kits are also created from donated items. The sandwiches and kits (and homemade cookies, when available) are delivered to the Orange County Rescue Mission.

You can contribute to this ministry by joining other volunteers on designated Fridays, baking cookies and dropping them off at church, and donating travel size toiletries to be used in the hygiene kits.

***Families and young children are welcome (one of our 3-year old members participated by standing on a stool!). This is also an excellent “teen” and small group service opportunity.

For more information, contact David and Renee Lathrop (949-458-1191; e-mail: davidnrenee@att.net).

Lutheran Social Services

Lutheran Social Services (LSS) is a nonprofit organization that provides emergency assistance to some of the poorest populations in Orange County. GSLC has supported the local Garden Grove chapter by conducting food drives, providing Christmas gifts and infant necessities through our “Shepherd’s Tree” program, donating gift cards for perishable food and prescription medications, and stocking the freezers of the emergency food pantry. LSS was a recipient of the GSLC-Thrivent “Nourish the Needy” food donations in August of 2008.

“Your care for others is the measure of your greatness.” Luke 9:48

Salvation Army “Hospitality House”

The Salvation Army “Hospitality House” in Santa Ana is an emergency homeless shelter that provides a clean, sober, and safe place for homeless men, women and children. It can house 58 residents at a time.

Since April of 2008, GSLC small groups and volunteers have cooked and served dinner at the shelter the third Sunday of every month. This provides an opportunity to directly interact with this community and make a difference to those who really need our help.

New volunteers are welcome! Children as young as seven have served meals to residents. This is a wonderful teen and small group service opportunity. Many of our members who have not visited the shelter have contributed by donating soft drinks and homemade goodies for the dinners sponsored by GSLC.

For more information contact NancyPerry@earthlink.net

Families Forward

Families Forward is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving low-income and homeless families in Orange County. It helps families in need achieve and maintain self-sufficiency through housing, counseling, education and other support services. Families Forward distributes donated food on a weekly basis from their food pantry warehouse. It also stores donated furniture for delivery as necessary.

GSLC has supported Families Forward for years through food drives and gifts from our “Shepherd’s Tree.” In 2007, GSLC members and our VBS children raised almost $10,000 to furnish a condominium donated to a family.

“The one who refreshes others will be refreshed.” Proverbs 22:25

For more information contact Teckla Morini at publications@gslcirvine.org

Human Options

Human Options in Irvine is a non-profit organization that serves to help battered women, their children, and our community break the cycle of domestic violence. Human Options provides an emergency shelter for battered women and children, as well as related services.

Since March of 2008, GSLC small groups and volunteers have visited the shelter every three months to share lunch and fellowship with the women and children who live there. Our volunteers always have crafts for the children and provide manicures for the women. Since this is a women’s shelter, only girls , teens and women volunteers may participate. This is a great activity for GSLC women, as well as small groups.

Other opportunities to serve include directly assisting the women and children (after undergoing training with the shelter), assisting in the administrative office, working on the emergency shelter hotline, and volunteering for a shift at the shelter’s thrift store “Classy Seconds.”

For more information contact Shirley Leith (949-829-8159; e-mail: leiths@cox.net.)

Back Pack and School Supplies Drive for Franklin Elementary School

Franklin Elementary School in Santa Ana educates many children who start their school year without paper, pens, back packs, and other school supplies. GSLC has informally “adopted” this school to make sure its students have a better chance at succeeding. Every August, GSLC members donate backpacks and supplies that are distributed to students by the school’s staff. During our 2007 Faith In Action activities, GSLC donated books for students and essential supplies for teachers.

For more information, contact Madi Parker (949-650-4689; e-mail: mprkr857@yahoo.com).

Orange County Rescue Mission

The OC Rescue Mission is a faith-based organization whose mission is “…to minister the love of Jesus Christ to the Least, the Last, and the Lost” of our community. The Rescue Mission does this by providing assistance in the areas of shelter, food, clothing, health care guidance, counseling, and training.

The “Village of Hope,” on the former military base in Tustin, provides a residential program that teaches homeless families and adults to become self-sufficient at no cost to them. The Rescue Mission also operates an emergency shelter in Santa Ana.

GSLC has been a long-standing supporter of the Mission through the PB&J ministry, food drives, Lent laundry basket drives, clothing drives, and many special projects. Every Father’s Day, we sponsor a “sock and underwear” drive for the homeless and the Rescue Mission is one of the primary recipients of the donations. Other varied opportunities to serve are listed in the Rescue Mission’s website: ww.rescuemission.org.

For more information contact Shirley Leith (949-829-8159; e-mail: leiths@cox.net.)

Horizon Pregnancy Center

The Horizon Pregnancy Center in Huntington Beach (www.horizonpc.org/) is a faith-based non-profit organization that provides support to women facing unplanned pregnancies. It provides counseling and education, abortion alternatives, childbirth classes and emotional support.

In the past, GSLC has supported Horizon Pregnancy Center through financial gifts and special baby care drives. GSLC sponsors a Mother’s Day fundraiser for Horizon through a “baby bottle donation drive” that results in raising money for the mothers served by the center. We also donate new baby items for their on-site baby store.

For more information, contact Jennie Samstag (714-508-0480; e-mail: dsamstag@aol.com)

Second Harvest Food Bank

The mission of the Second Harvest Food Bank is to eliminate hunger in Orange County. The Food Bank solicits and coordinates donations, grants, fundraising, food drives, food rescue, and gleaning (harvesting). It coordinates volunteers to supply food, education, and advocacy for the hungry through direct feeding programs and nonprofit partners.

GSLC has a long-standing ministry that supports the Food Bank. Members volunteer at the Food Bank’s warehouse on the second Thursday of every month. Activities include sorting food, labeling, and other tasks. Teens are welcome.

The Food Bank has a harvesting program (seeding, planting, weeding, picking) that relies on its connections with the local agricultural industry to procure fresh produce. Volunteers pick fresh produce in the Food Bank’s fields (1 in Irvine; 1 in Santa Ana) which is then channeled to member agencies that feed the hungry.

For more information, contact Mary Ward (949-786-8689; e-mail: marykward@cox.net)

“I did not come to be served, but to serve.” Matthew 20:28

Paint Your Heart Out

Paint Your Heart Out is a non-profit community improvement program. It coordinates volunteer-driven projects to refurbish the homes of low-income seniors and disabled homeowners in Orange County. GSLC participates every year by sending a team to paint a home in Santa Ana or Anaheim. Our team usually paints a home in April or May. It is a wonderful way to “give back” in a tangible, physical way. It is always fun to work side-by-side with those with whom you worship!

Individuals age 14 and over are welcome to participate. Providing lunch to the paint crew is an easy and much appreciated small group service opportunity.

Race for the Cure: Komen Foundation

The Komen Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating breast cancer as a life threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening, and treatment. One of the Foundation’s largest fundraisers is the annual “Race for the Cure” 5K Run/Walk. GSLC always sends a team and we meet at a central location at the race to share the event together. This year the race is on September 27, 2009 at Fashion Island. Participants of all ages are welcome.

For more information, contact Mary Jacob (949-726-1940); e-mail: mjacob@lkingsseafood.com.

Shepherd’s Tree

GSLC “Shepherd’s Tree” provides an opportunity for members of all ages to give “something extra” at Christmas to the needy in our community. Before Thanksgiving, a Christmas Tree in the church narthex at the South worship site and a garland at the Northwood worship site are decorated with paper ornaments that contain gift suggestions for the many community organizations GSLC serves. Our members select an ornament (or two or three!!) and return the gifts to the Shepherd’s Tree before Christmas. The Outreach Ministry gets to share the joy of Christmas with the recipients by delivering the gift items.

For more information, contact Terry Fee (949-786-1878 [home] or 714-292-1699 [cell]; dtdufee@sbcglobal.net).

“Whoever is kind to the needy honor God.” Proverbs 14:31

Thrivent Builds

For a few years now Thrivent has been involved with Habitat for Humanity to help build homes for those who need. In addition, Thrivent wants this to be a resource for Lutherans and Thrivent members to be more involved in their communities. For example, the “Thrivent Builds” projects need 25% of the volunteer’s to be Thrivent members and 50% need to be Lutheran. So far it seems to be working great!   To give you a little background, “Thrivent Builds” program is a partnership between 3 groups who contribute a percentage of money to the project. Thrivent Financial donates the largest, 65%. Habitat is 25% with the Lutheran Partnership providing 10%. Last year we had a project in Fullerton. This year, we get two in Orange County, San Juan Capistrano and Westminster. Habitat has future plans for Yorba Linda and 40 homes in Irvine (Portola Springs) - cool for GSLC.   The Lutheran Partnership and Habitat dollars still have to be raised from churches, corporate sponsors and individuals within Orange County to make this all work. Over the next three to five years, the goal is to raise funds to build 79 homes for families. The better we Lutherans are at fund-raising on the local level, the more likely to get Thrivent involved. In light of GSLC’s renewed focus for going out and serving the community this seems to be a good fit.   Obviously money makes a big difference along with volunteers. We showed last year that we are already a good resource for volunteers. Now, let’s show what we can do with our money. I also believe, this positions GSLC to be more relevant in a comprehensive way to our local area.

Women Helping Women

Women Helping Women is a nonprofit organization that assists women in transition from challenging life and financial situations to economic self-reliance. This organization provides professional business clothing, interview skills workshops, and computer training to enable these women in transition to find and succeed at employment that allows them to support themselves and their families.

GSLC has often supported Women Helping Women as a Mother’s Day event by donating professional clothes and accessories. Other volunteer opportunities are available by directly contacting the organization at 949-631-2333.

Working Wardrobes

Working Wardrobes is a nonprofit organization that helps men and women in crisis re-enter the workforce by providing professional business clothing and career development It impacts individuals, businesses and communities by moving men and women from crisis to self-sufficiency. GSLC has supported Working Wardrobes with a Father’s Day clothes drive. For more information, contact the organization directly through: www.workingwardrobes.org.