A church in Sydney has launched a new ministry specifically to help its own church members.
New Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church is encouraging its congregation to contribute a small amount each week to a “Helping Hand Up” account. Although the church has ministries catering for the community, these funds will be used for church members in need.
“There are always people in our own congregation who are hurting financially. This particular ministry is about helping them,” said New Hope pastor Lloyd Grolimund. [pullquote]
“The Bible says that the world will see God’s love in the way we treat each other,” said ministry founder Esther Steel. “We’re not into giving handouts—this is a hand-up account. People don’t want hand-outs. Sometimes people just fall and need a hand up to get back on their feet again. This is what the ministry is for. We hope that this can equip them with the right tools to sustain themselves and give them the extra support they need to get back on their feet.”
“God is going to bless us as a church for this particular ministry”, added Pastor Grolimund. “My only regret is that we did not set it up earlier.”
