Stepping Out in Faith

The reason for helping others is Jesus.

(If you are viewing this via email, click here to see the video)

(Stepping out in Faith from samaritanspursevideo on GodTube.)

Overcoming the Inertia of Poverty

- It is the 29th "most needy" city.

- It is the fourth "poorest" city.

- It ranks Number 1 in "Overall Poverty," "Child Poverty" and "Extreme Poverty" among cities of comparable size. 

- Its school district is the second most "poverty stricken" district.

- Nearly one-half of its student population lives "in poverty."

These are rankings* for Rochester, New York and they don't represent comparisons to other cities in New York, but rather in the entire United States.  Each one of the categories in quotations above carries a specific definition relating to demographics and income, but you don't really need to know those particulars to realize we live in a location steeped in deep need, and not just in a financial sense. A huge segment of our population struggles on a daily basis just to exist.

Such statistics are generated every year, and unfortunately Rochester's rankings in these and other categories have gone essentially unchanged for quite a while. Overcoming the inertia of poverty of this level is extremely challenging.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year have come and gone, and with them some of personal time commitments that the holiday season brings.  Maybe you can now turn your attention to serving or giving to others with a renewed energy, and help build a bridge across the deep chasm of need in our community.  We’d love to help you take that step:  info@northridgeserves.com. 

* - Based primarily on recently-updated U.S. Census Bureau data

Helping Without Hurting in Short-Term MIssions

This brief video presents a concise summary of the attitude and approach in terms of applying the "Helping Without Hurting" philosophy to short-term missions. This particular excerpt was made in Haiti, but certainly the concepts apply to any missions or serving a person may perform: 

"It's not about what we do, it's about 

the relationships that we build."

 

(If you view this blog via email, click HERE to see this video)