VHBC Mission & Ministry Opportunities 2010

Bethany Home. This center provides a structured living environment for women recovering from difficult circumstances in their lives. Our outreach includes a quarterly program of crafts, cakes and devotionals provided by the Living Water class, and ongoing participation in our church's Wednesday night fellowship and the annual Messianic Banquet.

Brookdale Place Bible Study. This ministry of weekly Bible study and fellowship is held on Monday afternoons for the residents of Brookdale Place in Homewood . On the first Monday of the month birthdays are celebrated with a home cooked pound cake for each person. Contact Jane Helms, Sharon Hartzog or the Gleaners class.

Caring Fund. Financial assistance to individuals going through difficult times for such needs as utilities, food, and rent.

Caring Hands Medical Ministry. The Birmingham Baptist Association provides 15 apartments in the Town House Building near UAB for families with critically ill members at UAB hospitals. The Shalom class sponsors an apartment, and volunteers go weekly to take homemade goodies, flowers and cards, and to help with cleaning. Contact Helen Gammill.

Child Development Center. Established as an extension of the church's ministry to its members and community at large, the CDC provides each child with quality care within a Christian environment. We recognize that every child is part of a family to whom we desire to give support and encouragement. Contact Jennifer Cox.

Compassionate Friends. Volunteers in our church provide an evening meal on the fourth Monday of each month for a grief support group meeting at the Amelia Center in Birmingham . Contact Steve Blackwelder.

Construction Mission Team/Builders for Christ. Each year, volunteers from throughout our church take a one-week trip in late summer to assist in church construction. Past missions included projects in Missouri, Connecticut , Ohio and Louisiana. Planning for the 2010 trip begins in the spring. Contact Gene Turner.

Firehouse Shelter. The 4th-6th grade RAs provide and serve a meal for homeless men at the Birmingham Firehouse Shelter on the second Wednesday night of every other month. Also, the Joyful Noise and Fireside Sunday School classes get together periodically to serve a Sunday night dinner at the shelter. Contact Jan Deagon.

Foundry Ministry. Members of the Men's Bible class and other volunteers in our church sponsor a table and provide gifts at Christmas for the men affiliated with the Foundry ministry in Bessemer. Contact Pete LeBerte.

Green Springs Ministry Center. This center reaches out to those in need in the multicultural community around the Green Springs area of Birmingham. Current ministries include emergency services, a food pantry, ESL and children's programs. Many volunteers are needed and some VHBC members are already involved. Contact Nancy Scruggs.

Hispanic Missions. Two main areas for 2010 are: a) continued support, including one month's rent, for CBF-sponsored church startup in Hoover area, led by Jorge and Pueblo Comacho, and b) encouragement for partner church Bethel Baptist in Los Mochis, Mexico and church start-up efforts in Sinaloa.

Hunger relief - Church of the Reconciler. Since 2009, volunteers from throughout our church have been preparing and serving meals for the homeless at this downtown location. We provide breakfast every second Friday of the month (up to 300 meals) and dinner every fourth Sunday. Contact Fred Wood.

International Friendship Project/ESL.  Ministry outreach held at our church for internationals in the community through English classes and cultural exchange events on Tuesday mornings. Classes run from 9:30 to 11:00 and refreshments are served at 11:00 followed by Bible study or short programs. Contact Juanita Blackburn.

Institute for Quality Christian Leadership in Africa. Promotes the development of local church leaders in East Africa through training seminars, educational resources and a group support network. Led by VHBC member Samson Mathangani, we have been a partner in this outreach for many years, participated at the Institute and hosted its leaders here in Birmingham.

Kenya & Mexico Technology Partnerships. In the last several years our church has benefited greatly from mission involvement with partner churches in Mexico and Kenya through learning, teaching, preaching and fellowshipping in each other's worlds. As the next step, we are developing this year a more permanent and real-time connection with our ministry partners by helping them set up reliable computer resources and Internet access.

Lovelady Center. This center provides a safe living environment where women in addiction recovery and re-entry to society following incarceration receive counseling, life skills training and assistance with job-placement as they work to restore a healthy self image. Volunteers from our church provide a quarterly program of crafts, cakes and devotionals, and six-week Bible study programs during the year. Contact Gwen Roxburgh.

Meals on Wheels. This ministry takes hot meals supplied by Jefferson County to homebound senior citizens in the Vestavia area. Many of our members are involved in this, delivering the meals along with an encouraging word on Mondays and Fridays. Contact Tootsie Strozier.

Messianic Banquet. Members host a mid-November banquet for ladies and children from Bethany Home , Hannah Homes , Pathways and Jessie's Place. We start with craft activities followed by a meal together, singing, and a short program. Gifts for the shelters such as bulk food supplies, furnishings and beddings are provided. Contact Alynn LeBerte.

M-POWER Ministries. M-POWER's programs include job training, adult literacy, after-school programs, financial assistance, and a free health clinic. VHBC provides budget support, and many of our members and Sunday School classes are faithful volunteers in these ministries.

Prayer Breakfast. This encompasses members of all ages coming together on Wednesdays 6:30 to 7:30 am to start the day with prayer and encouragement. We do a lot in short time...eat a hearty breakfast, discuss prayer concerns, sign cards mailed to people we pray for, read from the Bible and close with shared prayers. Everyone is welcome. Contact Smitty Smith.

Prayer for Missions. Members meet to provide support in prayer for the mission activities of our church, and to respond to prayer requests from around the world. We start at 11:30 in the Chapel on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Bring a sandwich lunch for a time of informal fellowship after prayer. Contact Mavis Hardy or Marlene Taylor.

SAFE House. The facility provides a safe haven for women and children who are abuse victims. The Friendship Sunday School class helps support residents by regularly collecting needed items (paper towels, diapers, cleaning products) for them and providing Wal-Mart gift certificates at Christmas for the children to buy gifts for their mothers. Contact Becky Griffith.

Season of Our Savior BBA Project. This is a Christmas ministry of encouragement to needy children. Members provide stuffed Christmas stockings to be distributed to local families by the Birmingham Baptist Association. Contact Cheryl Oatts.

Sunday School class ministries. There are a great many other one-time or recurring projects and fund drives undertaken by our Sunday School classes in response to needs within our church, local community or beyond. They are too numerous to mention here and are, in many ways, the essence of what encourages us to be a church with a heart for missions.

We Care Shut-in Ministry. This is a ministry to provide visits and encouragement to members and non-members who are sick or shut-in. Participating members meet at 10 am on the first Monday of each month to share visitation reports and to schedule upcoming contacts. Typically there are 20-30 people to visit, call, and send cards to. Contact Sue Edfeldt.

World Changers. Our church will provide meals for a group of 20 youth and their chaperones as they come to Birmingham this summer to assist a low-income family in making home improvements. Contact Gilda Coker.

Youth and College. This summer our high school students will be providing leadership for a children's camp at Open House Ministries (OHM), a CBF initiative in Homestead, Florida. Our partnership also involves launching a new middle school program at OHM and sponsoring youth from OHM to attend camp with our youth later in the summer. Local mission involvement for the youth includes projects with M-POWER Ministries, home cleanup through Birmingham Urban Ministries, visitation in nursing homes, partnership with Interfaith Hospitality House for Families, and raising local awareness and funds for global issues such as bonded slavery, forced prostitution, and hunger.