Teen finds way to reach out to the community
Teen finds way to reach out to the community
“Somebody asked me for clothes, so I went and got them some clothes at this crisis center I used to live at,” says Matt Schmidt, 17-year-old member at Salem East, Milwaukee, Wis. At the time, Schmidt was just helping someone out. But soon this act of kindness snowballed into the start of the “Laundro-Matt CleanWearCare” outreach project at Salem East.
Schmidt and Roger Lowry, also a member at Salem East, found out about a large surplus of donated clothing at Pathfinders Youth Shelter. Schmidt and Lowry take the surplus (which would have otherwise been donated to Good Will), have the clothes cleaned at the local laundromat, and help distribute them to people in the neighborhood who need it. Congregation members are donating money to help pay for the cleaning.
“This project is kind of new,” says Schmidt. “It’s been slow through the winter, but as the weather starts to get better we’ll get together and come up with some more ideas, like where to go to get some more clothes.” Schmidt says he’s in the process of making some cards to hand out that encourage people to donate clothing directly to Salem East.
Jim Sonnemann, pastor at Salem East, says this project not only meets the physical needs of people in this low-income neighborhood, but is also a great way to reach the community with the gospel. “Right now, we’re developing some materials that we can put into the bags,” says Sonnemann. “We want to include something that gives the story of God’s plan of salvation and some encouraging words . . . We have contact with a lot of people for almost no cost. It’s a very economical way to share the gospel.”
Schmidt and Roger Lowry, also a member at Salem East, found out about a large surplus of donated clothing at Pathfinders Youth Shelter. Schmidt and Lowry take the surplus (which would have otherwise been donated to Good Will), have the clothes cleaned at the local laundromat, and help distribute them to people in the neighborhood who need it. Congregation members are donating money to help pay for the cleaning.
“This project is kind of new,” says Schmidt. “It’s been slow through the winter, but as the weather starts to get better we’ll get together and come up with some more ideas, like where to go to get some more clothes.” Schmidt says he’s in the process of making some cards to hand out that encourage people to donate clothing directly to Salem East.
Jim Sonnemann, pastor at Salem East, says this project not only meets the physical needs of people in this low-income neighborhood, but is also a great way to reach the community with the gospel. “Right now, we’re developing some materials that we can put into the bags,” says Sonnemann. “We want to include something that gives the story of God’s plan of salvation and some encouraging words . . . We have contact with a lot of people for almost no cost. It’s a very economical way to share the gospel.”
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