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Beyond Relief

When Faithbridge church realized the children in their community were hungry, they moved quickly to meet the immediate need, but soon church leadership realized they needed a different strategy.

“We were seeking to serve,” Pastor Seth Martin said, “but we were not putting down roots. We realized there were many benefits to setting up a non-profit organization as an outflowing of Faithbridge.” As a non-profit, Bridging for Tomorrow has been able move beyond the inherent limitations of a church ministry to powerfully impact their community. The feeding ministry which was the origin of Bridging for Tomorrow is still active, but serves as a door to equip those struggling with poverty for long term success.

From its new facility nestled in the heart of the community it serves, Bridging for Tomorrow partners with other local agencies to offer a wide range of resources designed to transform the community one family at a time.

“Our goal is to prepare leaders to take this community above and beyond,” said Maria Belusar. “The food pantry enables us to create trust so that when the families are ready, we can assist them with the next steps: rehabilitation and development.”

To achieve this goal Bridging for Tomorrow has listened closely to the people they serve to develop targeted initiatives such as free counseling, a mentorship program for students, scholarship opportunities, a school uniform drive, and after school clubs for students.

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Working Themselves Out of a Ministry

This year, the leadership of Bridging for Tomorrow is excited to begin offering a wide range of classes at their new facility including English for non-native speakers, financial management, and computer skills. They also have a goal of launching a mentoring program for adults where they can discover their skill set and gain the confidence to succeed.

“Our goal is to empower leaders in this community to help transform it,” Ms. Belusar said, “I hope that in 15 years this community won’t need us anymore because we have given them enough support to move along without us.”

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