How to Help . . .
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Give us a call at (231) 747-8855 if your church is interested in becoming a host.
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Coordinator:
Each church elects/appoints a Family Promise Coordinator. This position compares to that of an air traffic controller or the conductor of a symphony. The coordinator makes sure that all the positions are filled and everything is ready on schedule.
Sunday Setup
Prepare living quarters for the guests by converting the church’s selected rooms into temporary bedrooms for the quests. Beds are picked up from the congregation that hosted the guests the preceding week. Set-up includes moving furniture, making welcome signs, setting-up roll-away beds, making the beds with fresh linen.
Drivers
A volunteer drives the Family Promise van from the host site between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning to the Family Promise Day Center to drop off guests. (Time is dependent on time of year.) The driver then returns the van to the host congregation. Another volunteer picks up the guests from the Day Center at 5:00 and drops them off at the host congregation.
Dinner Host
Prepare and serve a hot, nutritious meal each evening and share the meal with guest families. Clean up can be a shared duty. It is usually easiest to prepare the meal at home and simply heat it and do last minute preparations at the church. Dinner is served around 6:00 p.m. Some churches choose to separate the duties of Dinner Host and the meal preparation. Whatever works best for each church is fine with Family Promise.
Evening Host
After dinner, there is time for the guests to participate in weekly classes, relax, and prepare bag lunches for the following day. Family Promise will let the church know in advance if families will need lunch fixings. Volunteers set out items for the lunches and the guests prepare the lunches for themselves and their families. There are opportunities for children to do homework, play, watch TV, or participate in planned activities. Families appreciate the chance to enjoy an evening snack, i.e. fruit, popcorn, veggies and dip, etc.
Overnight Hosting
Two people stay overnight with the guests each night, usually one male and one female. The hosts do not have to stay awake. Most churches have “quiet time” beginning around 10:00 p.m. on week days. Overnight hosts are there to assist guests with any personal needs or emergencies. The overnight hosts make sure the doors are locked and everyone is safely in before they retire. Sometimes family members have to work later than that. Family Promise will let the church coordinator know as soon as possible. In the morning guests are usually awakened around 6:00 a.m.
Sunday Clean-up
Guests return to the Day Center after they have prepared their belongings for moving. Volunteers will strip the beds and launder the bedding and towels. Volunteers clean the rooms and return them to their regular use. Equipment and supplies are returned to storage. Beds are loaded into the trailer for the next church to pick up.
Sunday Setup
Prepare living quarters for the guests by converting the church’s selected rooms into temporary bedrooms for the quests. Beds are picked up from the congregation that hosted the guests the preceding week. Set-up includes moving furniture, making welcome signs, setting-up roll-away beds, making the beds with fresh linen.
Drivers
A volunteer drives the Family Promise van from the host site between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning to the Family Promise Day Center to drop off guests. (Time is dependent on time of year.) The driver then returns the van to the host congregation. Another volunteer picks up the guests from the Day Center at 5:00 and drops them off at the host congregation.
Dinner Host
Prepare and serve a hot, nutritious meal each evening and share the meal with guest families. Clean up can be a shared duty. It is usually easiest to prepare the meal at home and simply heat it and do last minute preparations at the church. Dinner is served around 6:00 p.m. Some churches choose to separate the duties of Dinner Host and the meal preparation. Whatever works best for each church is fine with Family Promise.
Evening Host
After dinner, there is time for the guests to participate in weekly classes, relax, and prepare bag lunches for the following day. Family Promise will let the church know in advance if families will need lunch fixings. Volunteers set out items for the lunches and the guests prepare the lunches for themselves and their families. There are opportunities for children to do homework, play, watch TV, or participate in planned activities. Families appreciate the chance to enjoy an evening snack, i.e. fruit, popcorn, veggies and dip, etc.
Overnight Hosting
Two people stay overnight with the guests each night, usually one male and one female. The hosts do not have to stay awake. Most churches have “quiet time” beginning around 10:00 p.m. on week days. Overnight hosts are there to assist guests with any personal needs or emergencies. The overnight hosts make sure the doors are locked and everyone is safely in before they retire. Sometimes family members have to work later than that. Family Promise will let the church coordinator know as soon as possible. In the morning guests are usually awakened around 6:00 a.m.
Sunday Clean-up
Guests return to the Day Center after they have prepared their belongings for moving. Volunteers will strip the beds and launder the bedding and towels. Volunteers clean the rooms and return them to their regular use. Equipment and supplies are returned to storage. Beds are loaded into the trailer for the next church to pick up.