Indiana Ministries encourages pastors and congregations to be involved in their communities. It is biblically inconsistent for us to cocoon in our church facilities and focus all of our attention on ourselves. But often pastors and congregations don’t know how to get involved in their communities to make a difference.
Ben Evans is a Christ follower who works for the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration as the Director of External Agency Affairs. In other words he works for the government and helps faith groups (like churches) intersect with their communities in life-impacting and life-changing ways. Ben is a friend of Indiana Ministries and for the last few years has had a sponsor’s booth at our annual meeting to connect with pastors. Perhaps you’ve talked with him.
Ben and I recently met to talk about how pastors and congregations can serve their communities. He identified a couple of initiatives that would be fantastic ways for you or your church to get involved. Prayerfully read the following and consider contacting Ben (benjamin.evans@fssa.in.gov).
“My heart is to meet with church leaders around the state and talk about opportunities for outreach to their community. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that 91 Americans die every day from a drug overdose. I believe most communities are being impacted in some way by the crisis, and the church has an excellent chance to be the hands and feet of Christ to their community. There are a variety of opportunities from recovery programs to opportunities for one person who is burdened to be involved. If you as a pastor are interested in helping address concerns related to drug use and addiction, please contact me. I would love to connect with you and collaborate on ways your church can be involved. I am also looking for pastors who would be willing to host other pastors from their community for a roundtable to discuss this opportunity.
We also have a course to train pastors in Psychological First Aid for community disasters entitled “Train the Trainer – Listen, Protect and Connect: Family to Family, Neighbor to Neighbor Psychological First Aid (PFA) for the Community Helping each Other Helping Those Around You in Times of Crisis.” This course will prepare trainers to Listen, Protect, and Connect (LCP). The course outlines strategies to build trauma resilient and resistant communities by providing support based Psychological First Aid (PFA) training. You will learn the essentials to instruct people we serve in the essentials of listening to concerns and needs of disaster survivors. In addition, you will learn how to help them connect with supports and resources in the community. If you are interested in this training, we can work to set up a time to take you through the course.”
Ben Evans
Director of External Agency Affairs
Indiana Family & Social Services Administration
Why not contact Ben to see how you and/or your church can help in your community!
