March 18-25, 2023

Here at Grace Bible Church our mission is to "Lead our City into a Life-Changing Relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church."

And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your mind. this is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself

Matthew 22: 28-29

Hands of Grace is a week where we as a Church can be more intentional in mobilizing the church body to LOVE and SERVE the community outside of the four walls of our church building. This is a great opportunity to come together to put into action what our mission is all about.

 

We will have opportunities to serve through different avenues such as:

  • Church Wide Project

  • Community Groups

  • Friends & Family

  • Monetary

 Children

Laredo Life Center

Ways to Partner:

Because every LIFE matters, this organization offers non-judgmental life-affirming support, education and resources to promote Pro-Abundant Life. You may help them by helping organize their in-house boutique, host a diaper/formula drive. You can also reach out to the center directly to see how else your group can meet a need.

Contact:

Mayte Cadena (956)737-1312

Our Forever Hope

Ways to Partner:

The goal of this ministry is to ensure that every child in the care of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has a bed at no cost to the families in need.  Your group will be involved in building easy-to-make beds. Your group could also assist in creating a Hope In a Bag drive.

Contact:

Elisa Valadez (956)645-2474

Rainbow Room

Ways to Partner:

Organize a drive where people from our church and community can drop off items for Foster Care children. You can also add a fundraising element to the drop off day if interested. Reach out to Andie for list of most needed items at the moment. 

Contact:

Veronica "Betty" Esquivel (956)270-3525

 

Serve Immigrants, The Hungry, The Homeless

Holding Community Center

Ways to Partner:

This ministry serves immigrants, the homeless, and others with meals, housing, physical needs, and education. There are so many ways to serve here from organizing and serving food, to providing a fun activity for those staying on site, etc. Your group would need their covid vaccine to serve there.

Contact:

Mike Smith (956)718-2070

Laredo Stepping Stone

Ways to Partner:

This ministry serves the poor and homeless with food and needed items and with the Good News of Jesus Christ. They also serve missionaries traveling through Laredo on to Mexico with lodging.

Contact:

Rick Hall (956)999-5895

 

Bridge Ministries

Bridge serves our church, city, and Mexico by providing Bibles, books, and resources for disciplemaking at greatly reduced costs. They also have a coffee shop that is used for fellowship, counseling, meetings, and evangelism. Community groups can purchase Outreach Bibles and as a group have a Scripture Highlighting Party to distribute them in the community.

Contact:

Steve & Leigh Ann denHartog (956)568-7646

 

Serve the Community in Other Creative Ways

  • Prayer Walk in a neighborhood, apartment complex, park or organization or Prayer Drive and go to strategic locations to pray for our city

  • Park Ministry (pick up litter at a park, offer waters to patrons at the park, offer to pray if possible).

  • Serve a hurting or local family with a service such as a house cleaning, yard care or painting, etc.

  • Pick up litter in a neighborhood, offer to pray for the families in the neighborhood.

  • Reach out to single moms in your circle, offer to assist with any task around their home that may need to be completed (cleaning a yard, light household maintenance, etc.) Maybe offer to babysit their children to offer mom a time of rest.

  • Create blessing jars. Write encouraging verses and prayers of encouragement on strips of paper. You can distribute the blessing jars to a person within your circle or a person in the community.

  • Organize a canned food drive and plan to distrubute to familes in need.

  • Create and distribute "care kits" to the homeless. (Care kits can include personal hygiene items, soap, socks etc.)

  • Make a list of the talents, skills, interests in your group and find a way to serve an organization or people group (children, teens, elderly, teachers, firefighter, etc.) for whom you have a passion using those God-given talents and skills.

 

Church Wide Project: Build a Bed

Hands of Grace Goal: Build 20 beds & outfit beds with bedding including pillowcases.

Who are these beds for? Children referred by the Texas Department of Family Services to Our Forever Hope who do not have a bed or are in need of a new bed.

Cost to build a bed: Approximately $100.00

How to participate: Bed Building & Project Pillowcase

How to participate: Other On-Campus Projects

Church Wide Project:

  • Sewers, sewer-wanna-be's, and those with a heart for children in hard places, join us for an old-fashioned sewing bee for Project Pillowcase on Saturday March 25th from 10:00 am to 1:00 PM at our Grace San Isidro Campus. The goal of Project Pillowcase is to make pillowcases for Our Forever Hope for those children who are currently involved with the Texas Department of Family Services.

    Skills -- Sewing skills are not necessary. Older children and teenagers are welcome! We will have tasks for those who do not want to sew and sewing stations for those who want to learn.

    Service -- You may serve by ironing fabric, cutting fabric, and sewing. You may also serve as a pray warrior to pray for the children who will receive the pillowcases.

    Materials Needed -- sharp sewing scissors, pins, irons, ironing boards, sewing machines (with bobbins), extension cords, one yard of girl fabric or boy fabric or unisex fabric.

    Contact Info -- Please contact Andie Huerta (956) 602-9404 or ahuerta@gracelaredo.org to volunteer or to lend or donate any materials for this day.

 

For more information contact Andie Huerta at ahuerta@gracelaredo.org