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| Katie (right) working with United Ability |
Christian Service Mission is a 501©(3) ministry that seeks
to serve impoverished communities throughout greater Birmingham through their
relationship with local church partners. This year at Christian Service
Mission, I was given the opportunity to learn from some of the best and the
brightest of the non-profit world.
Working
alongside individuals like Tracy Hipps, Rhonda Marshall, Jamie Leo, Kirsten
Agee, Aaron Parsons, and so many others, has been such an incredible
experience. From attending early Monday morning staff meetings to attending
city-wide meetings at the Jefferson County Department of Health, I have learned
a great deal about the non-profit world.
One of the
greatest take-a ways I learned during my time at CSM is the fact that social
workers are incredibly needed in the church. Even as a current MSW student,
this was something that I had not yet realized. Tracy explained how men, women,
children, and families come to churches seeking help. While there are many
people present who can love the people in need, there are few who know how to
match the immediate need with the proper resources. This is where social
workers become vital to the church community. Social workers contain a well of
knowledge about different resources and services available to those in
immediate need and they understand the importance of meeting both the spiritual
and physical needs of those seeking aid.
When I
first arrived in the fall of 2018, Christian Service Mission acted as a great
example of meeting both an immediate physical need, while also meeting
spiritual needs through the collection and donation of hurricane relief goods.
Back in August, the hurricanes destroyed homes, communities, families, and
livelihood throughout Florida. CSM quickly began collecting goods and
assembling teams to deliver supplies through church partners in the most greatly
affected areas so that those in need also have a church connection to come back
to. Among many other things, CSM has taught me a great deal of understanding
the importance of the need for social workers in the church. -Katie Thiebaud, Masters of Social Work intern from Samford University, class of 2020
