Helping
Single Parents
Helping the Community
Christ
Our Shepherd Ministries began in the early 1990’s our founder established
a women’s outreach ministry to single mothers in the community. The women
she served and shared her life with consistently lamented that the frustration
of being single centered in finding a safe place to leave their children while
they were working. Desirous of instilling the Christian values that had attracted
them to her home, a Christian childcare center seemed too impossible to imagine.
In 1994-1995 Church property
became available in town and our founder had a clear calling from God to purchase
the vacated property. In 1996 the formal ministry of Christ Our Shepherd was incorporated
and created its first outreach to the community in its Child care and After school
programs.
The Mission
Statement of Christ Our Shepherd Ministries, a 501 (C)3 non-profit organization,
reads: Empower single parents to reach financial and spiritual security by providing
quality children's programs, education and life skills in a Christian environment,
and to provide quality Christian resources and children's programs to the community
at large.
Christ
Our Shepherd Ministries, created out of diverse religious traditions, seeks to
improve the quality of life for the single and low-income parent households. We
recognize the dignity, uniqueness, and value of each person, we accept individuals
as they are, in an affirming and compassionate manner.
Today,
Christ Our Shepherd Ministries has 26 Full Time and 26 Part-Time and over 65 volunteers
continue the work that our founder began by continuing to bring our services to
the point of need. We have been able to serve hundreds of individuals every year,
providing affordable childcare (0-5 years old) and After School Programs (5 –
12). We have since added a Christian Library that is a resource to our community;
400 Families are current patrons. We cannot count the countless number of lives
that have been touched in our 11 years. We estimate over 1,000 children have attended
one or more of our programs and over 400 families. In 2007 we provided approximately
$63,000 to 31 families.
Some
highlights of the Christ Our Shepherd Ministries, Inc. include:
