Topic and Questions We Can Help You To Answer
Paper Instructions:

The goal of this assignment is to generate ideas to reach out to people, and meet their needs within their environment. This is not about trying to get people to come to church, or become Christians. Jesus healed many people that never followed him. Many will ask “why” you want to serve, giving you numerous opportunities to share your story and, ultimately, the message of the Gospel. Read through the entire assignment instructions and examples before working on this assignment.

This assignment is comprised of 3 parts.
Part 1. Choose a public location to observe and record 25 observations about the location and people. (see ideas below)
Part 2. List 5 Bible scriptures relating to ministering to others.
Part 3. List 10 ideas of how someone could reach out to the people in the area and create 2 different plans to minister to the people in the area you observed. (see examples below)

Compile all 3 parts in the same APA formatted Word document to submit to the dropbox in D2L.

Part 1

Choose a public location where you can sit and observe the environment around you for at least 1 hour. You must realize that when entering this public place, you are entering a mini-subculture of America. Your role is to record a minimum of 25 observations regarding what is unique about the mini-subculture. What are the physical surroundings like? What activities are going on around you? What makes this place unique? What are the people like? What are their needs? The key to this assignment is observation. Your list should only include those things you actually saw with your own eyes, not assumptions you may have about what is occurring (examples below).

Part 2

List 5 Bible verses relating to ministering to others. The verses should be listed in full text with proper APA formatting.

Part 3

List 10 ways you could reach out to the people you observed. What could be provided for the people? How might their needs be met? Think about how you might create a bridge between yourself and this mini-subculture you chose to observe? How could you bridge into their lives taking into considering their specific needs? Think of at least two different plans to minister to, and serve the individuals in the mini-subculture. This is meant to challenge your creativity, do not limit yourself to what you think could be done practically. Pretend (within reason) that you have the resources and the permission of the owners of the place to do whatever you wanted. In fact, it might be helpful to put yourself in the place of the people you observed, and think about what kind of ministry, service or activity would attract and reach out to you! Also, think about matching the service to any particular needs/opportunities you listed in your observations. Incorporate an additional 5 scripture verses regarding ministry.

Examples:
The following example is meant to illustrate the types of observations you might make and to show you some creative, realistic ways to reach out to people you observed.
Suggestions for places to visit: Depending on the area consider going with another person or group for safety reasons.

City park.
Emergency room at a hospital.
Civic or government meeting (Rotary Club, school board, city council meetings).
An art class (or any other class).
Bingo hall.
Farmers Market.
Gun show.
Sporting event.
Motorcycle road rally.
Homeless shelter.
Bus station.
These observations and ideas to serve were taken from an instructor’s recent visit to a homeless shelter/mission.

Most of the people are dressed in ragged, dirty and/or inadequate clothing.
Most of the people are themselves dirty and suffer from poor hygiene.
The shelter has some basic, but adequate services to serve the homeless population such as shower/bathroom facilities, food service, computer and tv access, and staff who are able to refer individuals to various government and nonprofit services.
The shelter has a large kitchen and serves two meals a day, but there appears to be a shortage of staff and food.
Many of the people noticed my presence, but no one spoke to me (other than the staff who already knew why I was present at the shelter).
Just outside of the shelter, two men became involved in a verbal altercation that eventually elevated to a physical fist fight.
The number of people gathered around the two large TV's was at least twice the number of people using the computers.
Some of the ways to meet the needs that were observed in 1-4 above are:

Raise money or seek the donation of washers and dryers that could be available to the homeless population using the shelter. This would provide a good opportunity to include volunteers to help with this activity. (Can you imagine a Bible study or prayer time while they are washing their clothes?
Provide soap, razors, shaving cream, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste to address hygiene needs.
Provide towels, shower curtains, and washcloths.
Recruit and organize teams of volunteers to work in the kitchen –cooking, serving, or cleaning up. This would not only serve the homeless population but also provide opportunities to show and share fellowship with others and to share your testimony and build relationships.
Provide literature with instructions on how to access Christian websites where individuals can find resources to meet their individual spiritual needs.