Serve

A Better Chance brings talented minority students from economically disadvantaged communities to Edina to attend Edina High School for up to 4 years. To date, over 130 students have successfully graduated from this program in the 47 years that it has existed. This program creates the better chance that these students will earn a quality college education.  It was founded by Pastor Postlewaite and several Good Samaritan members.

2024 will mark Good Samaritan’s 43rd year of participation in ASP. The need in the Appalachia area has not diminished and neither has our commitment to serving the wonderful people in that area.

According to the ASP website, “each year, more than 15,000 volunteers serve with ASP, providing critical repairs for more than 350 families.” Projects can include roofing, flooring, shoring up foundations, digging drainage ditches, making rooms or homes wheel-chair accessible, or other projects that help make homes warmer, safer, and drier. In addition to building and improving homes, ASP is also a relational ministry for both the families we serve as well as those serving.

This ministry is about lifting the spirits of Appalachian families and reminding them that God’s love knows no boundaries. In the process of putting your faith in action, God acts in your heart. And when you change the lives of others, they have a way of changing you.

All students who have completed the 8th grade or higher are invited to serve with families in Central Appalachia. Students who are not members of or otherwise affiliated with Good Samaritan church are also invited to participate in the ASP trip. Bring a friend.

For more information contact Amy Manolis at AMANOLIS@MAC.COM or  Jan Russell at JAN@GOOD.ORG.

Beacon is a collaborative of congregations committed to making sure all people have a home.

Together, we create new homes.
Together, we sustain stable homes.
Together, we shelter families.
Together, we change systems.

Together, we act on our faith to build stronger communities. We hope you’ll join us in this amazing work.

Many people in our community know the meaningful, love-filled, difficult, and often lonely journey of accompanying a loved one amidst mental or physical illness of varying degrees. As you pour yourselves out to care for your loved ones, whether a spouse, parent, or child, we want you to have a safe place to come together to restore, refill, and receive support yourselves.

The Center for Servant Ministries seeks to cultivate holistic vitality in the community by building relationships and serving each other in ways that nourish the body, mind, and spirit. They provide community meals, a food pantry and produce fairs.

Focuses on homeless women, children and families with mental illness or chemical dependency

Hearts & Hammers is a Twin Cities organization that provides exterior home improvement assistance for senior citizens, disabled adults and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or their surviving spouse so they may continue to live independently. A typical Hearts & Hammers home requires exterior painting, moderate carpentry and landscaping.

Our Mission Team created the Help Out of Homelessness Fund to help families experiencing homelessness transition into permanent housing. Since families often lose all of their belongings, we collect furniture and household goods such as blankets, dishes, sheets, towels and more from the congregation and the community through NextDoor.com.

Joyce Preschool’s mission is to provide children from diverse ethnic, linguistic and economic backgrounds with developmentally and culturally appropriate preparation for success in school and lifelong learning. They provide quality early childhood and family support in a dual immersion setting.

The Joyce Uptown Food Shelf is a community outreach of Lake Harriet United Methodist Church and is supported by other churches and organizations.

Good Samaritan has provided financial and volunteer support to Joyce Uptown Food Shelf for many years.  Tony Branch from our congregation currently serves as a board member and volunteer.

In the face of rising food costs and rising need, Joyce Uptown Food Shelf has increased the amount of food we send into the community. In June 2022 – our biggest month ever – distributed 55,725 pounds of food to 889 families. This represents an increase of 65% over 2021 and 182% over 2019.

The mission of Joyce Uptown Food Shelf is to provide emergency food to hungry people in southwest Minneapolis. The food shelf gives clients a three-day supply of nutritionally balanced food once a month. It also refers them to other agencies for additional services.

Drivers Needed – Meals on Wheels is a national organization, but community-based program designed specifically to meet the nutritional and social needs of seniors. This organization currently serves 2.4 million seniors annually in every community in the county. In addition to providing healthy foods, caring volunteers provide the social connection that helps meal recipients remain living independently in their own homes.

STEP is about empowering lives and restoring hope in the St. Louis Park community. They provide a food shelf, clothing closet, transportation, emergency assistance and seasonal programs.

Stonebridge World School is a Preschool – 8th grade Minneapolis charter school that provides a unique combination of global curriculum, a variety of services and a central location designed to provide a first-class education to Minneapolis students.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the humanitarian relief and development arm of the United Methodist Church, a non-profit organization operated under the auspices of the General Board of Global Ministries.

VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People) is a basic needs organization whose programs include access to healthy foods, social services, housing stability and supportive services. Their programs include a food pantry, transportation and social services . VEAP is located in Bloomington, MN.

The Wesley Foundation is an inclusive, open-minded campus ministry serving the University of Minnesota students. College can be a stressful time in a young person’s life. Wesley creates a safe place for students to receive support and grow in their faith. For some students, it’s a home away from home.