GREATER MINNEAPOLIS COUNCIL OF CHURCHES

The soul of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches can be found in the intangibles. In the numerous stories of those who have been helped by you through us.

It is evident in a note received from Mary, a senior resident of Edina whose home was prepped and painted by a Metro Paint-A-Thon team from St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church. “What a family, what a group. From the beginning there was a spark of kinship, as if they were my spiritual family. Such warmth is rarely encountered except from very old friends and family. My gratitude is overwhelming.”

In is obvious from listening to Diana, a participant in the Division of Indian Work’s Niminosemin program. She is breaking a number of negative cycles – addictions, violence, anger, denial and replacing them with powerful, positive ones. Diana has learned that she is a valued member of a community – a community that has wrapped its arms around her and welcomed her AND her children home.

It came through loud and clear in the volunteer experience of Devan who took part in an Urban Immersion Service Retreat while in middle school. Recently in an essay for a high school English class, he recalled some of the lessons he learned:

“To begin our weekend, we talked about stereotypes and what we thought about homeless people. Comments included being lazy, dirty, drunk or shabby. During our discussions, we learned that these stereotypes are false. We found that some homeless people weren’t lucky enough to have a good home life, some had disabilities that put them on the streets and some just fell on hard times. Our group came to the conclusion that each homeless person we talked to was unique.”

Three different experiences from the countless stories we hear year in and year out. It’s about GMCC making a difference in lives and in the community, one person at a time.

Uniting people of faith, of spirit, to serve people in need, GMCC has 30 programs, including those above, Minnesota FoodShare, Handyworks, the Criminal Justice Project and others. We offer essential support to those Minnesotans and their families who need a helping hand.