CityTeam Chester offers
several different programs that reach out to those
severely in need. All of these programs incorporate a chance
for our staff and volunteers to consistently walk
along side someone and explain God's unconditional
love for them in order to formulate an everlasting
real change in their lives.
We are proud to announce the formation of a new CityTeam Disaster Relief Ministry. As a result of our experiences in responding to Hurricane Katrina, we have learned a lot, and have discovered that we now have the expertise required to fulfill a major need in disaster relief. Most relief agencies are designed to be in and out in 90 days, but that just touches the tip of the need of the people. To CityTeam, disaster response is not just about short term relief; it’s about rebuilding homes, communities, families and lives. It’s about restoring identity and building new memories, dreams and hopes. If you would like stay abreast of all the news and happenings in the new ministry, we invite you to visit our Distaster Response website at: cityteam.org/disasterresponse.
The Emergency Food Box program meets the needs of families here in the Delaware Valley by providing a box of food with
a variety of staples to help those who have a hard time stretching their income to the end of the month.
Canned food drives conducted by schools, churches, individuals, and civic organizations are the source
for most of our stock. Your gift, no matter how small, makes a huge difference to a hungry person.
We at CityTeam Ministries know that it is difficult to hear spiritual
truth on an empty stomach. We see the homeless and the poor wandering the
streets, and reach out to meet their need in Jesus’ name with a
hot, nutritious meal daily in a caring atmosphere. Many of the elderly
in isolated apartments travel down to dine with us because we know their
name. We care about the individual, and know their worth in the sight of
God.
If you would like to donate towards the emergency food box program,
you can make a donation online:
Donate Now
We strive to keep our shelter free from the fears that plague so many of the
homeless—fear of being robbed or physically accosted while they
sleep. Our shelter is manned from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. by dedicated
staff and volunteers. After five days, men are given the chance to
enter the Second Chance Program, where they are given an opportunity
for a clean start, help finding affordable housing, job opportunities,
and health management.
Since alcoholism and drug addiction is the number
one problem among street people, CityTeam operates
a 9-30 month in-residence recovery program. CityTeam
takes a holistic approach addressing not only
addiction, but psychological, spiritual, educational,
and vocational issues as well. Many of the men
who come to us for help have bottomed out, losing
their jobs, their families and their homes. They
feel like losers and believe they are not worthy
of love. They come through our doors in poor
physical condition, often dirty and underweight
from living on the streets, and can barely lift
their heads from shame. We receive them with
open arms, rejoicing that we have the opportunity
to surround them with love and acceptance as
they strive to obtain sobriety. A common thread
in the testimonies of so many of our men is that
they discover, perhaps for the first time, that
God loves them and Jesus died for them while
they were still sinners. What a difference it
makes to know that a man is accepted right where
he is, and that there are other recovering addicts,
staff and volunteers who come alongside, offering
encouragement, addiction recovery education,
and a place to call home.
When there is barely enough money for food or rent,
furniture becomes a luxury. That's why we see many
children sleeping on the floor in overcrowded apartments.
When donors call us with good cribs and single
beds, we pass them on to needy families to meet
this basic need. We also offer good used adult
clothing to the homeless and those who don’t
have the funds to purchase clothes.
The fastest growing population of poor and homelessness
is single mothers with small children. CityTeam
works with these mothers to insure that their
children maintain a healthy environment by providing
baby food, formula, diapers, and free secondhand
clothing. Jesus often surrounded himself with
children when he went among the people to heal,
feed, and preach the good news of salvation through
his death and resurrection. He laid his hands
on them and blessed them, stating that the Kingdom
of Heaven is made up of such as these.
Because we are dedicated to reaching out to the whole person—body,
soul and spirit—in the name of Jesus Christ, CityTeam has spend
much time in research as to what type of approach should be used to
address the problem of access to education tailored to adult learning
ability. We opened the doors of Compass Academy in January 2005 to the
clients of our Drug & Alcohol Recovery Program and in June 2006 to the
women in our Mother & Baby Program.
This program is designed for adults and is a self-paced, computer-interactive
approach to education. It allows students to move from their accessed starting
place to the point of their highest level of success. Students may work toward
earning a GED or apply for college entrance as part of their academic plan.
We are working with several local colleges to help students in their quest
for future career success.
A Charity Golf Outing, Dinner and Auction will be held on October 6th, 2008 to
benefit the CityTeam Ministries work in Chester, PA. A quality day
of golf at Waynesborough Country Club in Paoli, PA will be topped
off with a four star dinner and silent & live auction –
all to benefit the less fortunate in the Delaware Valley. Please
access the links on the Philadelphia Home Page for more information.
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Family
Services Ministry
