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ANNUAL REPORT

STUDY CONFIRMS POWERFUL IMPACT OF MENTORING ON FAMILIES

Good Samaritan Ministries participates in Community Day hosted by Fifth Third Bank at Fifth Third Stadium.

Training & Events

Equipping and training churches and congregations to engage in community ministry is a primary focus of Good Samaritan Ministries (GSM).  We feel, and many churches feel, the calling to help families in our neighborhoods.  Families in our neighborhoods have relational, financial, and spiritual needs.  Christian serving provides an excellent opportunity for churches to enter into these meaningful relationships and help transform lives.  Research has found that as families are discipled, over 60% of those who have had no relationship with a congregation will develop a significant relationship with a church.
 
GSM offers training sessions, special learning events, and coaching to help churches prepare and sustain their outreach ministries.  These offerings are helpful for small groups, congregations, staff, and lay leadership.  These offerings are also helpful to non-profit service organizations. 

Community Transformation - Building Healthy Neighborhoods

Over 65 individuals from 27 churches met together to learn and be equipped to continue working in their churches' neighborhood. Community development was explored focusing on asset-development. What is possible? What do we already know and have? What are our talents? These questions and others were explored and will be pursued by congregations together and with their neighbors.

Information on the June workshop will be available shortly. For more  nformation contact Mike VandenBerg.

TRAINING SESSIONS

Training:  Training topics include Relational Ministries, Team Leader Training, Financial Counseling, Volunteer Management, Case Management, Economic Diversity, and Church Contact Person training. 

Special Learning Events:  Special learning events for the community as a whole will be publicized through this website and e-newsletters as they become available. 

Coaching:  In our coaching capacity, GSM staff can also help your church begin the process of exploring the possibilities of reaching out to your neighbors in a meaningful and impactful way.  Coaching will provide process and tools on how you gage your own readiness as a church, how to gather information about your neighborhood, how to discern the challenges and opportunities, and how to engage your neighbors in community visioning.  To learn more about GSM’s coaching opportunities, call Michael VandenBerg, Executive Director at mvandenberg@goodsamministries.com

Relational Ministries - So many people could use a mentor, coach, or friend to help them through tough times in their lives.  For example, a child could use a positive adult role model, a widow could use a friend, a family in poverty could benefit from a team of mentors who can encourage, help problem solve, and be a resource in times of need.

In order to prepare individuals to be coaches or mentors, this training provides training topics such as understanding those in poverty (economic diversity), boundary setting, empowering vs. enabling, caring vs. curing, problem solving, and motivating.  GSM’s mentoring curriculum is endorsed by FASTEN, a national organization who identifies best practices in faith-based services and multi-sector collaboration, and produces and disseminates educational materials for practitioners in the public and private sectors.

GSM offers Train-the-Trainer certification which enables an individual at your church or organization to train others at your site to be mentors.  Cost is $300 which includes the Mentoring Toolkit (instructor manual with interactive activities, instructor guide, and participant manual), certificate, ongoing staff support, and discounts for the Relational Ministries CD and other GSM products.

If you would rather take training to become a mentor—and not be a trainer--GSM provides mentoring training for individuals.  Cost is $125/person which includes a comprehensive participant manual. 

If your church or organization would like a number of people trained in your organization, this training is available upon request and can be customized for your situation.  Contact the Training Department at goodsam2@goodsamministries.com

Team Leader Training – Your church has decided to form a mentoring team to walk along side an individual or family.  This training is designed for person who will be leading this team.  While training is available for the team (Relational Ministries), additional training is helpful for the Team Leader.  The Team Leader will learn how to organize and support the mentoring team effectively.  This training is available upon request and can be customized for your situation.  Contact the Training Department at goodsam2@goodsamministries.com

Financial Counseling - Financial counseling can be a wonderful ministry for your church or organization.  This enables your church or organization to help families financially get their life back on track.  This training provides a simple yet effective step-by-step program that you can use one-on-one with your client families.  It is designed so you can customize the training around their goals and needs.  The curriculum can be used in a classroom setting, but it is recommended to be used one on one.
 
GSM offers Train-the-Trainer certification which enables an individual at your church to train others to be financial counselors.  Cost is $300 which includes the Financial Counseling Toolkit (instructor manual with various financial counseling forms, instructor guide, financial counselor manual, and participant manual), certificate, ongoing staff support, and discounts for the Financial Counseling CD and other products.

GSM also offers Financial Counseling training for your staff where we can do the training for you and equip individuals in your organization to be financial counselors.  Cost is $125/person which includes a comprehensive participant manual. Contact the Training Department at goodsam2@goodsamministries.com

Volunteer Management  - Volunteers are critical to the success of any organization’s mission.  This training is designed to develop a complete volunteer management program including planning, recruiting and selecting, orienting and training, supervising and evaluating, as well as motivating and recognizing.  This training is great for an organization that is just getting started in volunteer management or for an organization that has been doing it for a while but would like to learn more hints and tricks on recruiting and motivating volunteers.

GSM offers Train-the-Trainer certification which enables an individual at your church to train others in Volunteer Management.  Cost is $300 which includes the Volunteer Management Toolkit (instructor manual, instructor guide, volunteer management forms and policies and procedures, and the participant manual), certificate, ongoing staff support, and discounts for the Volunteer Management CD and other products.

GSM also offers Volunteer Management training for your staff where we can do the training for you and equip individuals in your organization to be effective volunteer managers.  Cost is $125/person which includes a comprehensive participant manual.  Contact Training Department at goodsam2@goodsamministries.com

Case Management - This is basic case management training for lay people working with multiple families or individuals.  This training is helpful for non-profit organizations and churches who need to track progress for programs such as GED preparation, basic reading readiness, and other social service programs. 

GSM offers Train-the-Trainer certification which enables an individual at your church to train others in case management.  Cost is $300 which includes the Case Management Toolkit (instructor manual, instructor guide, participant manual, and case management forms), certificate, ongoing staff support, and discounts for the Case Management CD and other products.

GSM also offers Case Management training for your staff where we can do the training for you to equip individuals in your organization to perform case management.  Cost is $125/person which includes a comprehensive participant manual. Contact Training Department at goodsam2@goodsamministries.com

Economic Diversity Training – Does your church help or mentor families in poverty?  Does your church sponsor mission trips?  When you are reaching out to families in need, do you ever feel a "disconnect" with them?  Do they behave, make decisions, or have different priorities than you do?  Would you like to learn why?  This training will help you not only understand individuals in poverty better but will help you relate and motivate more effectively.  This is an eye-opening aha! training that is invaluable.  This training can be customized for your group or organization. Contact Training Department at goodsam2@goodsamministries.com

Partner Church Contact Person Training – If you are a Partner Church with Good Samaritan Ministries, this training is for the individuals who are the contact persons for your church.  This training will orient the Contact Persons to GSM’s philosophy of serving, programs, and ministries, will learn GSM’s Clearinghouse process and procedures, and the communication process between your church and Good Sam to best serve families in need.  There is no cost to attend.

The online registration system was made possible through a grant received from the AT&T Foundation in January 2007. The AT&T Foundation recognizes the valuable role of non-profits in meeting human needs and shaping successful communities.

TRAINING PRODUCTS

Instructor Toolkits.  Toolkits (packaged in a binder) are included with the paid registration of any Train-the-Trainer session.  If you wish to purchase the Toolkit without the training, cost is $170.00.

Participant Manuals.   The participant manual is included in the individual trainings.  If you wish to purchase the participant manual without the training, cost is $45.00.  If you received Train-the-Trainer certification, you may copy the participant manual five times from the Toolkit.  After that, you may purchase the participant manuals from GSM at a discounted cost of $25.00 each.  

Toolkit CDs.  Each Toolkit CD contains all the electronic files included in the Instructor Toolkit that is provided in binder form.  This enables to you make unlimited copies of the materials.  The manuals are developed in Microsoft Word and the Instructor Guide is developed in Microsoft PowerPoint so it can be used during training.  If you have multiple sites, you will need to purchase a CD for each site.  Cost of each CD is $220.00.  If you received Train-the-Trainer certification, the CD may be purchased at a discount cost of $125.00.

These materials may be purchased using a purchase order form.

 GSM Training Materials Purchase Order Form