Presenter: Joe Ader
Family Promise is a non-profit with a ministry to families of all configurations in Spokane who are in or facing homelessness. Their mission is:
“Families come to us in crisis; we help them rebuild their lives with new skills and ongoing support.”
Two years ago, the agency had an agreement with a group of churches who would house the families for a week at a time. Some of you remember those times. The families would arrive about 5:30 pm and you might have brought a meal to serve, sat and conversed with the families over dinner, played with the children, slept overnight in the pre-school room, and said goodbye to them in the morning as they headed to their jobs or the daycare center. Then, Covid 19 hit, the churches were closed, and Family Promise had to make other arrangements. What did they do? What changes were made? How are they serving the families today? Joe Ader, the CEO of Family Promise Spokane is going to join us and share how the organization has changed. Barb Miscoi, Gail Harris, and Barry Karalfa, our church liaison people with the agency, will assist Joe in his presentation.
Who is Joe Ader? This is a brief introduction to Joe, but you will enjoy meeting him in person on Zoom this coming Sunday in the adult education session. Here is Joe’s bio, taken from his new book, The Ghetto, the Garden and the Gospel: What Every Christian Needs to Understand About Poverty. He will discuss his book later in the year in our adult education program. “Joe Ader serves as the Executive Director of Family Promise of Spokane and the Open Doors 24/7 emergency shelter for families. He is also the CEO of Understanding Poverty (UP) which offers training to organizations wishing to better serve people living in poverty. Joe has served as the Compassion Ministries Director for the Stones Missions Network, the Local Missions Pastor at The Village Church, and as the President of Habitat for Humanity in Waco, Texas. Joe’s clients include PepsiCo, Frito Lay, PayPal, Prison Ministries, Dallas United Way, and over a hundred churches, schools, and non-profit organizations.”
Join us on Zoom about 10 minutes after the morning service has completed. A link will be provided in Sunday’s enewsletter, or call or email the church office at 509-466-7168 info@covenantmethodist.org