A CALL TO SERVE (ACTS) MINISTRIES OF IOWA NEWSLETTER

July 2014

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Thursdays in Pella!

ACTS made an appearance at two of the Thursdays in Pella.

On June 6th ACTS was represented at Family Night. We hosted a small kid friendly game with items from around the shop. "Paint brush toss!"

Then again on June 26th ACTS created a mini putt hole at the "Chip in" Make A Difference night. Since it was a golf theme ACTS hosted the mini putt hole inside the enclosed trailer. Which worked out well due to the rain on and off that evening.

Board Member, Joe Vos created our mini putt hole on wheels

Mini putt hole was created from things around the shop...

(2x4's, PVC, black tile, plywood and moving blankets(for the water hazards)

Blessings,

Breanne Patel

Service Coordinator

A Call To Serve Ministries of Iowa

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LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS

*Wheelchair ramp: On your schedule

An elderly couple needs assistance building a wheelchair ramp for their home in Knoxville. We are looking for a leader and then we will create a sign up for this project. If you are interested in leading this project; contact us at bpatel@actsofiowa.org.

*House cleaning - Pella

The homeowner explains that her and her husband are semi handicapped and finding it harder to keep up with the maintenance of their home. They are requesting help with light housework, such as dusting, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, window washing, etc.

This project is scheduled for Saturday, August 9th from 9am - 11am. We are looking for two volunteers to assist. Please sign up at this link.

*Habitat for Humanity - Pleasantville

Looking for volunteer groups for the weekend of August 16th, 23rd or 30th. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Beth at outreach@marionhfh.org.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR ANY OF THESE PROJECTS, PLEASE SIGN UP BY CLICKING ON THE LINK OR CONTACT US AT BPATEL@ACTSOFIOWA.ORG

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Covenant Reformed Service Week

The Covenant Reformed Church of Pella, Iowa hosted a youth group service project, where high schoolers from around the US came to serve with Covenant's youth group. In doing so they looked for opportunities to serve the Pella and surrounding communities. They held service projects the week of July 25- August 1, 2014. Their organizer Angela Alsum had 6 projects lined up for their 30 volunteers. The projects ranged from painting, minor construction and yard clean up. ACTS partnered with Covenant Reformed Church volunteers by providing tools to enable their volunteers to serve others. Angela had this to say about ACTS, "ACTS made it easy by providing all the tools for our service project. I didn't have to round up several tools from different sources."

Do you have the tools you need to serve? If you are planning a service project or are working alongside your neighbor on a project and you don't have the right tools.... Feel free to contact us to borrow some of the tools we have been blessed with. ACTS wants to enable people serving each other. Please contact us at info@actsofiowa.org.

ACTS Leadership

Comments by Joel Bennett

Joel Bennett- Director Emeritus

For the next few months in this monthly newsletter we will have comments from ACTS' board members. This month Joel Bennett answered the following questions:What excites you the most about the organization's work? What do you want to accomplish by serving on the board?

We initially created ACTS to be a way that those who were looking for ways to serve in their community could be matched with opportunities that needed those skills. It was pretty simple really, but at the time there was no easy way to have visibility to the needs in the community. Since ACTS partners with area churches and organizations to be made aware of needs it makes it easy for volunteers to get connected quickly and serve as their time allows.

I enjoy my role with the board because we keep our eyes open for new and different ways we can engage volunteers in building relationships within the community and releasing their collective gifts to assist their neighbors. The board does a great job of staying connected in the community and works hard to make sure we don't lose sight of our true purpose--- modeling God's love, building stronger Christian relationships, and promoting servant leadership in our communities. I've been truly blessed during my service experiences and have developed many relationships with people I never knew prior to ACTS. I'm excited to see how God continues to use ACTS and its' volunteers over the coming years.

To send ACTS a prayer (for us or someone in need), click here.

ACTS Wishlist

Can you help with any of these items?

If so, contact info@actsofiowa.org

White or Gray Exterior Primer for painting projects.

Ladders & Scaffolding for painting and roofing projects.

Leftover construction supplies that you think others could benefit from.

Other items we can use on a somewhat regular basis to bless families with (Furniture Ministry Donation Guidelines):

Couches
Beds
Kitchen Tables & Chairs
Empty 1 gal. ice cream buckets (for painting)
Empty 1 gal. milk jugs (for the Seeds for Needs Garden)

Items we DO NOT accept:

TVs
Items in need of repair or that are unsafe
Soiled furniture items

For a more complete list of our project needs, please click here.

Your 2014 Service Results (YTD)

Participating Volunteers: 345

Total Projects Completed: 57

Hours Volunteered: 1,626

Families/Organizations Served: 52

Communities Impacted: Pella, Bussey, Oskaloosa, Newton, Chariton, Tema(Ghana), Monroe, Otley, Delta

Thanks to all our 2014 team leaders and volunteers!

Your Service Results Since Inception

Participating Volunteers: 5,397 (this is more people than the towns of Otley, Tracy, Bussey, Harvey, Columbia, Hamilton, Swan, Marysville, Pleasantville, Sully and Lynnville COMBINED!)

Total Projects Completed: 933

Hours Volunteered: 21,999 (550 work weeks of service!)

Communities Impacted: 26

Families/Organizations Served: 520

About A Call To Serve Ministries of Iowa

ACTS is a non-profit organization established in 2006 in Pella that

connects people who need assistance with local volunteers. ACTS is dedicated to showing God's love through service and building stronger relationships in the community. ACTS facilitates short-term projects in Pella and surrounding communities by matching volunteers with the "right" projects.

A Call To Serve Ministries of Iowa

608 E 13th St.

Pella, Iowa 50219

641-780-7858