By Sarah Bently
In 2005, Monroe, Michigan offered no regular services to help the homeless and poor. A large number of needy families existed in the city, but until 2006, they had been largely ignored. It can be assumed these families would have gone on being neglected if not for the hard work of a local man named Jeff Weaver.
A resident of Monroe his entire life, Weaver is an individual who feels strongly about his community. When Weaver learned of all the people in need in his own home town, he was determined to help.
In 2006, Weaver organized a program to feed the needy once a night. His vision of ensuring that those who needed food got access to it every day led him to look at renting a kitchen, but unfortunately, the costs of renting the space and providing the food were too expensive.
Weaver was not deterred, and turned his attention toward his own church. St. Paul?s United Methodist Church agreed to sponsor the dinner one night, but were unable to lend the building other days because of other activities. It was then that Weaver began to raise money and organize, which resulted in the church?s ability to put on a dinner once a week.
The success of what Weaver calls ?God Works? meal program, was astonishing, and with Weaver?s continual efforts, it began to grow. As more people began to show up in need of meals, more people volunteered their time and money to the program. Success of ?God Works,? spread quickly, prompting other local churches to open their doors for a night to the homeless.
Currently, there are seven local churches that offer a meal one night of the week, ensuring that the needy have access to food every day. On any given night. the churches can expect around 150 individuals coming to the meals, and the numbers seem to be growing.
?God Works? success is based solely on the community coming together and offering their services. Thanks to great leadership skills and his strong desire to help, Weaver was able to not only organize the program, but also keep the momentum going.
The members of the community have been offering money and services to provide daily meals to others in their community who are struggling for nearly a year, and Weaver couldn?t be happier.
Those involved in ?God Works? seem to be just as enthusiastic about the program as when it first began. Evans Bentley, a minister at St. Paul?s United Methodist Church, is also a part of ?God Works,? and feels the program does a great service to the community.
?It is a great program,? said Bentley. ?Not only does it help a lot of people, but it brings the community together as well.?
While there are now many citizens and churches involved in the program, there isn?t a single individual who has forgotten the man who started the program. Bentley and many others cite that it is Weaver?s vision, commitment, passion, and his drive that make this program possible. Thanks to the help of Weaver and his community, it seems that, at least in Monroe, God does work.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
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