recession response

In an effort to help people impacted by the current economic recession, Vineyard Columbus and Vineyard Community Center has created a task force (consisting of Vineyard pastors and business people from our church) whose main charge is to look for tangible ways to offer assistance where it is most needed. We recognize the breadth and depth of the difficulties people are facing in connection with the current economic recession.

It will always be true that the material resources of Vineyard and the Vineyard family are limited, and so our desire is to respond to the challenges being brought about by the recession according to the initiation and leading of God, who certainly knows the resource that can be released through Vineyard. With that in mind, here are a few initial ways in which Vineyard Columbus and Vineyard Community Center are going to help people deal with the challenges of the recession:

  1. A series of job networking events designed to connect qualified job candidates with employers and HR professionals.
  2. We understand that navigating the legal system can be daunting. And many people have no idea how to access available government benefits. Therefore we are hosting a series of symposiums on subjects such as home foreclosure, accessing unemployment benefits and other public benefits, including those available under the federal government's economic stimulus plan.
  3. On-going classes and programs in areas such as starting your own business, practical job search skills, career coaching, buying a home for the first time, and financial counseling.
  4. Job loss does not only have economic consequences. It can also be emotionally devastating. So, we are creating support groups for people and their spouses who have lost jobs.
  5. Provision of baby clothes, diapers, and formula.
  6. Provision of free health care at our two health clinics.
  7. Collaboration with a local immigration services agency to care for the specific needs of international refugees.
  8. Our food pantry is available for church members and those who live in specific zip codes in Columbus. For more information, check the Fruit of the Vine section at vineyardcolumbus.org.
  9. We are partnering with other churches and with local government for other responses.
  10. We will be taking up special offerings to financially support our ongoing efforts to care for people impacted by the recession.
  11. For those who have lost jobs, we will have weekly intercessory prayer meetings between Sunday services led by one of our pastors.

For more information on the Community Center programs, please go to www.vineyardcommunitycenter.org.

The Bible is full of wonderful stories of God using difficult situations to bring glory and honor to himself. It is our hope and prayer that our collective efforts in these challenging times will result in many such stories.

If you have an idea about how Vineyard Columbus and/or Vineyard Community Center can respond to the economic recession (and if you are willing and able to be personally involved in carrying out your idea), please submit it to Vineyard's "Response to the Recession" task force by writing to .