What Do We Do?
When Jesus was asked which of the commandments is the greatest, He said:
YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. (Matthew 22:37 -39 NASB)
Why Do We Do This?
One of the ways we can obey this Great Commandment is though our Community Support Division. Every community has numerous needs and challenges that are normally met by the cooperative efforts of their citizens, businesses, professionals, charities, government agencies and faith based organizations like churches, non-profit ministries and other types of religious organizations. There are times, however, when unusual events and natural and man-made emergencies can overwhelm the resources of the community. Very few communities are prepared to respond to these types of crisis events when they occur.
There are also many needs that disadvantaged persons living in our community have on a continuing basis. Many of the same resources needed for unusual events and emergencies can be called upon to assist with these ongoing needs. We recognize that there are already many excellent individuals, ministries, churches, and charities that are already providing much-needed resources and services to the community. Our goal will be to collaborate with, cooperate with, and support these other individuals and organizations while also responding to needs that are not being met by others. It is for these reasons and our calling to be a bridge between the Faith-Based Community (FBC) and the Secular Community (SC) that we believe we should develop a Community Support Division.
Throughout this website we will refer to the faith-based organizations and individuals who volunteer because of their faith as the Faith-Based Community, or FBC. The purpose of this Division is to be a bridge between the FBC and the various secular and governmental organizations in the community – the Secular Community (SC). The individuals and organizations within the FBC have a great many skills, talents, gifts, and other resources that are always needed in our community – and especially in times of community-wide emergencies. Our goal is to act as a “divine connection” between the FBC and the secular and governmental agencies who normally respond to emergencies.
How are we unique?
GMI intends to create and maintain a database of individuals, churches, ministries, and resources (Servant Partners) that can be called upon for help by the FBC and the various secular and governmental agencies. At the same time, GMI can also be a reliable source of information that the FBC can utilize when they need information about the various secular and governmental agencies within the SC. We will make this information available through a call center, our GMI website, and the various social media available to the public.
In addition, GMI can collaborate with other individuals and organizations who share a common concern for these activities. When needed, we can help coordinate training events, community-wide readiness activities, and publish information about potential needs and opportunities for service within the FBC, the SC, and the Community Support Division.
This database of contact information can be carefully used to investigate other needs or supply other resources to the persons or organizations in the database. GMI will always respect the privacy of the contacts in our database and will never sell this information or make it available to anyone else.
How Do We Function?
In the event of extraordinary or community-wide emergencies, our staff can be in contact with governmental agencies, other response organizations, charities, community medical facilities, and the news media to determine what resources might be required from our Servant Partners. Once this requirement has been determined, we can reach out to our Servant Partners who can help meet the needs of the community. Finally, we can stay in communication with our Faith-Based Community so that they can be a source of reliable information for their constituents.
How Do We Cover the Cost of This Service?
This service is provided free of charge to the individuals and agencies who receive our assistance. At the same time, there is a considerable cost to supply the personnel, computers, and software to collect, manage, and store the data about the various volunteers and resources available from the Faith-Based Community (FBC). Therefore, we are totally dependent on the generous contributions of civic-minded individuals, businesses, and professionals who serve our community and the other members of the FBC.
Where Do We Provide these Services?
Because we must coordinate our activities with local government agencies and community resources, it is essential that we limit our services to the county or counties that are considered to be “our community.”. Our initial community is Hall County Georgia. As the GMI ministry develops, it is our intention to develop additional chapters of GMI in adjacent communities.
What Are the Resources We Offer?
We offer three major categories of service that our Servant Partners can fulfill:
- Servant Partners Who Provide Manual Labor and Resources: Many ongoing needs and crisis events can occur in our community where individuals who can perform or assist with manual labor are urgently needed. If you would like to see what types of volunteers are needed and/or you would like to apply for this volunteer position, you can click above on the “Contact Us” tab. For more information about this category, you can click on the “Partner with Us” tab.
- Servant Partners Who Provide Professional Assistance: There are also many ongoing needs and crisis events that can overwhelm the professional resources available through the customary sources, such as government agencies, law enforcement, hospitals, and similar entities. If you would like to see what types of volunteers are needed and/or you would like to apply for this volunteer position, you can click on the “Contact Us” tab. For more information about this category, you can click on the “Partner with Us” tab.
- Servant Partners Who Provide Facilities and Equipment: Most of the community wide ongoing needs and crisis events create an extraordinary need for vehicles, equipment, temporary shelter, and food for large numbers of persons. If you would like to see what types of volunteers are needed and/or you would like to apply for this volunteer position, you can click on the “Contact Us” tab. For more information about this category, you can click on the “Partner with Us” tab.