Host Congregations

Host congregations open their building to provide a safe, hospitable shelter for the families in the Family Promise of Grand Rapids program for a week at a time, three or four times a year. To be a host congregation, your building must have 5 rooms that can be turned into bedrooms for the families, a room for the volunteer overnight hosts to sleep, a common area for families and volunteers to congregate, and kitchen facilities. Showers are helpful as well. The rotation of host congregations is set 12 to 18 months in advance, so there may be a waiting period before your congregation can be plugged in.

In the mean time, partnering with an existing host congregation can be a great way to get involved an get 'up to speed' in how the program works. A partner congregation helps provide some of the many volunteers that are part of an Family Promise of Grand Rapids host week.

Support Congregations

There are many ways that your congregation can help Family Promise of Grand Rapids in a support capacity. Some of these include:

* Financial support; Donations are vital to keeping our ministry strong
* Partner with a host congregation to provide volunteers during a host week
* Commit to providing meals, activities for kids, etc. on a regular basis
* Develop a bank of volunteer services that members of your congregation could provide to families in the program

Contact the Family Promise of Grand Rapids staff to find out more about Family Promise of Grand Rapids and discuss how you or your congregation can plug in.