Opportunities From: Salt+Light

Arkansas Baptist State Convention Disaster Relief extends the love of Christ to disaster survivors by preparing hot meals, removing damaging trees and debris, tarping roofs, shoveling mud, providing emergency communications, and coordinating the response through Incident Command leadership. Following a common ministry pattern of Jesus Christ, volunteers seek to share God’s grace, hope, and Truth while meeting physical needs. The volunteers also offer hot showers and clean laundry to hard working Disaster Relief volunteers. Disaster Relief is a ministry of the heart – caring people rushing to people in crisis to offer the help, healing, and hope of Jesus Christ.

Disaster Relief teams have some recurring opportunities as well as incident-specific events when deployed. 

All volunteers must go through Arkansas Baptists for proper training and credentials. A response here on Salt & Light simply helps us connect you with the ministry to hear about next steps needed.

Volunteers regularly visit local prisons/detention centers to provide personal support, offer guidance on things like anger management training, and most importantly, to share the Gospel through word and deed. Both men and women can make visits with this ministry.

Additional background check and approval may be required through the detention centers. This is just to indicate your interest so we can direct you to the right contact for next steps. 

A Midweek Meal deliverer takes a “meal on wheels” to a “shut-in” contact associated with our church family. Each member of the delivery team is assigned a zone that might include 3-6 stops, and after picking up the prepared meal from the church house–approximately 3:00pm on Wednesdays–the deliverer will then drive to each location and leave the designated number of meals. Additional means of loving concern and conversation with each contact is an added bonus to all parties but not required each occasion. **Many of the Midweek Meal deliverers are also in the Sunshine Circle care group because many recipients of our Wednesday meal deliveries are also regular contacts for Sunshine Circle.

Midweek Meals are arranged for our “shut-ins” for about ¾ of the year. We understand that circumstances come up that might affect your availability to deliver, but a Wednesday Supper deliverer is expected to be available 3 out of 4 Wednesdays of the month and a commitment to at least a semester is most appreciated.

The Midweek Meal clean-up crew comes behind our family dinner on Wednesday nights to help re-set the room for the next function. Some basic clean-up can occur between the meal time (5:00-5:45pm) and the event that follows in Selph Hall--has been a Women's group at 6pm. Additional clean-up and furniture re-arrangement might take place at 7:00pm. Trays, plates, and utensils can be taken to the tray return next to the kitchen, paper table covers can be removed and discarded, any printed paper materials can be gathered and stacked to the side, and tables/chairs can be arranged as requested. Additional means of loving concern and conversation with church members and guests is an added bonus to all parties.

Midweek Meals are arranged on Wednesday nights for about ¾ of the year. We understand that circumstances come up that might affect your availability to clean and re-set the room, and any assistance is much appreciated.

The Sunshine Circle group is a collection of men and women that extend care to church members who are relatively bound to their residence. At their leisure, they use their compassion to make personal contact with a portion of the full list, and then a monthly meeting is an occasion to share reports with ministerial staff and other Sunshine members. **Many in the Sunshine Circle are also Wednesday Supper deliverers as their regular contacts are also recipients of our Wednesday meal deliveries.

A member of the Sunshine Circle is expected to attend monthly meetings and to prudently make contact with apportioned church members.

A Midweek Meal food service worker helps our Director of Food Services prepare and serve the weekly supper on Wednesdays. Some workers are needed early in the day on Wednesdays, but primarily the ongoing volunteer opportunity is in the kitchen on Wednesdays from 4:45-5:45pm on the serving line. No culinary expertise required, just a good worker with a calm demeanor and a kind heart. Additional means of hospitality to members and guests is an added bonus to all parties.

Midweek Meals are arranged for Wednesday nights about ¾ of the year. We understand that circumstances come up that might affect your availability to serve, and timely communication to find a replacement is much appreciated.

You, your household, or your Life Group can “foster” a missionary or a church planter through prudent contact and support. Like a foster child might move under the care of another, missionaries and church planters might benefit from support of another person/household/group in the future, but for the time being, he/she is “yours” to support. Your support might include recurring points of contact, update and advocacy with church staff and congregation, acknowledgement of birthdays and important dates, fervent intercessory prayer, and consideration of means of financial/tangible support. 

A person/group who “fosters” a missionary or church planter is expected to be in communication with the contact and the church staff at least quarterly. A commitment to the role for at least a year is requested.