Sign-up deadline is March 15^th.

JUNE 21-26, 2020

Join us for Appalachian Outreach, June 21 – 26. Appalachian Outreach is a poverty relief ministry equipped to serve impoverished families through word and deed.  Our mission is Matthew 25:40 – Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

Appalachian Outreach is a multifaceted Ministry that provides services to a four county area of East Tennessee; Jefferson, Grainger, Hamblen and Cocke Counties.

Mission teams from across the nation gather to serve for a short time throughout the year. Appalachian Outreach greatly appreciates these teams and all the work they do. Every year, churches gather teams and funds to travel to Jefferson City, Tennessee in order to be the hands and feet of Christ. Members of these teams pay a fee per person. (Check with church office for cost.) This fee covers housing, food, and materials for the time spent with Appalachian Outreach. Each team works with Appalachian Outreach staff members and receives t-shirts to represent their time served each year.

Summer mission teams can serve in Home Repair, Kid’s Club, the Ministry Center, or with the Samaritan House Family Ministries. Home Repair teams work with a homeowner for four days to complete necessary repairs. At the end of each job, the teams present their homeowner with a Bible signed by the team. Teams working at the Ministry Center work to separate and organize donations, aid families and individuals come in for help, and restock and organize the Food Pantry. Additional services at the Ministry Center include the furniture ministry, chopping firewood, and recycling books, cardboard, and other recyclable materials. The Kid’s Club is also an option short term mission teams.

The Furniture Ministry at Appalachian Outreach offers furniture pieces to families in need for a very low cost.  Everything will be priced reasonably, from $5 to $25.  The Appalachian Outreach Furniture Ministry is open to all local counties. The sale will not be limited to just furniture; we will have baby items, toys, bicycles, etc.  Since Appalachian Outreach operates on donations, furniture options may vary and selections are limited to a first-come, first-serve basis. Also, Samaritan House residents, along with burn-out victims (authorized with fire report) are prioritized.  Furniture and appliance items are donated year round by individuals, congregations, and local businesses. Volunteers are always needed to aid in the organization and distribution of furniture. Also, volunteers are needed who can repair donated appliances.

The Appalachian Outreach Ministry Center, at 511 Municipal Drive, provides the following necessities: • Food Pantry • Clothing Ministry • Household Items • Toys for the children. The Ministry Center functions solely through donations that are accepted year round. Donations can come from individuals as well as companies, businesses, congregations, and schools. Local farmers often donate produce. Local stores and businesses donate near date and overflow items. The majority of the Ministry Center is driven by volunteers. Families who receive goods and services from Appalachian Outreach often volunteer to serve, to show their appreciation. This offers individuals a chance to give back to the ministry and develop a relationship with Appalachian Outreach and its staff. The Ministry Center serves 400 to 600 families per month. This means that approximately 1,800 individuals receive aid every month. Visiting the Ministry Center, families can receive five articles of clothing per visit up to six times per year. Food is offered to Jefferson County families once a month based on need. Various household items are also available. Grainger, Dandridge, and Cocke County residents may receive clothing and extra food items six times per year.

The Samaritan House opened in 1987 as a shelter for single women and families. Will and Ester Rubenstein donated the home as an emergency shelter for struggling families. The Samaritan House accepts single women and women with children. Men are referred to other shelters in the area.  After two years of construction, thousands of volunteer hours, and many heartfelt prayers, the dream of a new Samaritan House Family Ministries facility became a reality in 2013.

The new 12,600 square foot shelter rests on 10.22 acres donated by Jay Moser. The main floor has multiple functions. It stands as an office space for staff, a common kitchen/dining area for residents, and an outreach area for the community. The upstairs houses four family suites, a dorm area, a single staff room, two staff apartments, a play area for resident children, a common area for resident families, and an oversized laundry room. Two additional rooms will be developed at a later date. This new facility can serve an average of 55 families each year, which totals about 115 individuals.

Residents are required to save 80% of their income during their stay in an effort to pay all deposits when they find permanent housing. Each family is allotted a 45 day stay based on need and availability. Every family is allowed to stay as long as they follow the rules and show a persistent work ethic towards goals such as better jobs or more stable circumstances. Extensions of stay can be provided depending on availability and the situation. Each family is also commissioned to work on individual development goals during their stay such as job plans and permanent housing. While at the Samaritan House, all adults must be looking for employment unless they are disabled or child care is cost prohibitive. Children must also be enrolled in school. Families are required to participate in chores in order to help maintain the home area and rotate with meal preparation.

Tuesday Night Bible Study happens every week. Local churches provide the evening’s meal as well as a devotional time for both children and adults. There are walking trails around the grounds that add up to about half a mile. Along with a children’s play area, two pavilions line the grounds with raised garden areas.

The Samaritan House Family Ministries center also has the only documented case of a geothermal utility in an abandoned mineshaft. This is a hidden blessing for the Samaritan House; the abandoned mineshaft has been transformed into a geothermal heating and cooling system for the entire building. The shaft itself is over 800 feet deep, but it is filled with over 600 feet of water. The natural temperature underground keeps a consistent temperature of 54° Fahrenheit within the shaft in order to balance temperatures within the area. This system has already paid for itself in savings. A national research company is in the process of studying the results of this geothermal system for five years following its development. An article has already been submitted for publication about findings in the first year.

HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED:

         College Park has a limited number of spaces available this Summer to participate in Appalachian Outreach. We are limited to 70 participants, including youth (but not including children of parents who may want to attend). If both parents with younger children would like to attend, the parents can alternate the days of participation, and only one participant fee will be charged. Only children aged 12+ are allowed on any of the jobs sites. If participants would like to stay in motel accommodations, we have rooms reserved in the Jefferson Inn, in Dandridge, Tennessee, which is close to the campus, and comes highly recommended to us by the AO staff.

Please contact the church office or view the information in the entrance hall for costs of participation.  All meals (Monday-Thursday) will be provided as part of your fee, by First Baptist Church, Jefferson City.

Friday morning, the adventure is officially over, and we are free to leave for home, or Dollywood, or wherever!

APPALACHIAN OUTREACH

JUNE 21-26, 2020

Sign-up deadline is March 15^th.