christiangrants.com End-of-Year Special!

christiangrants.com has a 2 for 1 deal running from December 28 - 31. You can get 2 years for the price of 1!
In it you will find access to over 175 Foundations funding Christian Organizations. The directory is your one-stop source for the latest information on organizations that can help you fund your ministry.

Low-Cost Ideas for Effective Ministry

It is possible to do more with less! Save money without having to compromise creativity and fun. The $5 Youth Ministry by Todd Outcalt is full of a variety of great ideas for youth or preteen ministry. It includes ideas for activities, games, icebreakers, worship, teaching, missions, outreach, food, camps and retreats. Available at the For Kids Only Bookstore.

Government assistance?

Have you visited afterschool.gov? Though many faith-based programs believe they cannot receive any federal funding, there may be areas where it is possible. Programs can be eligible for funding through the Federal Food and Nutrition Program to help supplement the food you provide for your program, or through your academic focus, you could be eligible for funding with The 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which provides funding to both public and private organizations that work with high poverty or low-performing schools. Check it out for more information and see if your program is eligible for government funding!

Please Share!

Please share with us your comments or personal stories of how your family is serving or has served others.We would love to hear your thoughts!

Ok, we gave the coupon out this time!

Response #4 to a challenge Johanna gave to Mothers of Preschoolers Each family was given a McDonald's gift certificate and challenged to find a way to reach out and serve their community together as a family.

Johanna, Ok, we gave the coupon out this time!

We were on our way to Disneyland, almost at the main entrance. I saw a homeless man on the sidewalk and pulled over into one of Disney's parking lots (it was currently closed). I made such an abrupt turn, that Katie asked, "mommy, what are you doing that for?" I reminded her of the coupon we had and pointed out the man on the street. We said a quick prayer for him. He was about 30 yards away from where I parked my car, and so I jumped out and called him over. I met him halfway and gave him the coupon and a ziplock bag of change I had in the car. I explained that I had a little coupon and change so he could buy something to eat. He was so surprised and repeated "Your giving this to ME?". I just wished him a good day and headed back to the car.
Katie asked what he looked like and what his name was. Oh man, I didn't even ask his name. I told her that it would've been a good idea to find out so we could pray for him by name. I told her that he was so excited about the coupon and money, that he was hungry and very dirty. I explained why he was dirty and she didn't say much.
Later that night we got home and she said, "mom, that man was dirty because he doesn't have a bathtub to get clean". She was still thinking of him. I wish she could have met him and saw him for herself, but we will continue to pray for more opportunities to serve people we don't know together!

MOPS McDonald's Coupon Story

Response #3 to a challenge Johanna gave to Mothers of Preschoolers Each family was given a McDonald's gift certificate and challenged to find a way to reach out and serve their community together as a family.

Hi Johanna,

I am one of the mothers that was present at MOPS on Sept 10th. I am the mother of two boys ages 3 and 16 months. I hadn't emailed you earlier because we haven't actually found the person to give the certificate to. However, your idea has brought wonderful conversations with my three year old boy. After I explained that we were to give the certificate to a "poor" person and that we were to pray to God to lead us to that person, he kept asking about poverty. At first, he pointed at every man walking in the street and said "There is a poor person. See, see, see, Mommy!" So, this gave me the chance to explain to him what the word poor meant. I told him that a poor person was someone who has no home, no money, no food, no clothes, etc. I explained to him that God had given him a mommy and a daddy, a house, a car, clothes, food, but that there are children who have no mommy or daddy or anything else. Now this is even more special as we would like to adopt or foster a child in the future, if God is willing. I continued to tell him that we must pray for them and take care of them as God wills.

He was really cute and asked by name whether each of his cousins were poor. I kept saying: "No, they are not poor. They have many things." Finally, I told him that God would lead us to the person that He wants us to give the money to. So, now, every time we go in the car, we pray for God's guidance to that person before we leave the house. I keep reminding him that God wants us to care for the poor, and that He is happy when we do so. We haven't found that person yet, but I am so glad that he is now aware not only of poverty around him but about God's blessings in his life as well, and even more important, about God's concern and command to us to take care of the poor.

Also, I have attached to the certificate a $1,000,000 (fake, of course) bill explaining Jesus' love and message of salvation.So, thank you very much for helping us initiate this conversation. I am looking forward to finding the person to give the certificate to and to have Matthew hand it to him/her. And most of all, I am hoping that this will be only the beginning!

McDonald's Coupon

Response #2 to a challenge Johanna gave to Mothers of Preschoolers Each family was given a McDonald's gift certificate and challenged to find a way to reach out and serve their community together as a family.

Hello Johanna,

We actually haven't given our coupon away but here was our first service idea together.
After getting the McDonald's coupon, Katie and I discussed why we had it and prayed about who we could give it to. A couple days later, I took the kids on
a bike ride to the regional park. As we approached the playground, we saw a man sleeping with all his stuff about 50 yards away. I pointed him out to Katie and asked her what she thought he was doing. She said he was sleeping. I asked her why and she said, "not sure" We talked about the possibility of him being homeless and not having food, a place to sleep, a shower, among other things. She paused for a minute and then very excitedly said, "Mom, he needs the coupon!" Unfortunately, the coupon was in my car and we had the bike and child trailer. We did pack lunch and I remembered keeping a plastic bag with about $4 in change in the bike trailer. I asked Katie if we should give him something from our lunch and she agreed. She picked out the banana (she wasn't willing to part with the PB and J) and when she saw the bag of money she said she would give it to him. After we finished playing, we approached the sleeping man. I didn't want to scare him so I called out and let him know what we were doing. He just grunted and didn't pick up his head. Later I explained to Katie that even when someone doesn't say thank you or look at you, we still can help them.
Since your talk at MOPS, Katie and I have done a few service things. The first thing we did was purchase toiletries for a women's shelter. Katie had a blast picking out shampoo, lotion, brushes, and other needed items. She really took ownership of this one (do I have a beauty queen on my hands??) We also have a scheduled date to visit a local convalescent home this Friday Sept. 25th. When I called to set a time for the convalescent home, the lady was dumbfounded. She kept saying, "Well I don't really get why you are bringing your kids here?" She kept asking me why I was doing this. I'm not sure if she thinks I'm critiquing the place or what. I just explained to her that I am trying to give my kids lots of opportunities to serve other people and thought the elderly people would love seeing my sweet kiddos. I also want my kids to be comfortable around the elderly and practice serving with their time.
We already have a routine down for serving our neighbors, but I had never really thought of praying for them before we deliver the meals with Katie. Now we pray and talk about how God has called us to serve people, and how good it feels to help other people. Katie is digging this and I LOVE serving with her.

"Let's Give Him a Blanket!"

Response #1 to a challenge Johanna gave to Mothers of Preschoolers Each family was given a McDonald's gift certificate and challenged to find a way to reach out and serve their community together as a family.

Dear Johanna,

Thank you for speaking at MOPS this morning. You really inspired me to teach my kids more about compassion and giving to those less fortunate. Here is our McDonald’s coupon story (it has some coincidences and surprises)…

After MOPS, I was very excited to tell my five year old son about the McDonald’s coupon, what we were going to do with it, and why. We said a prayer in the car and asked God to show us the person whom he wanted us to help. We didn’t see anyone on the way to school. In the evening, I picked up my son from a playdate at his friend’s house. My son asked if I had seen anyone who needed the coupon during the day. I said “no” and that I was hoping he (my son) would be with me when we found that special person. My son promptly said that we should say another prayer. Not even 10 seconds passed when to our surprise, we saw a homeless gentleman at the stoplight. I rolled down my son’s window and he gave the man the McDonald’s coupon, along with two coupons for a free banana and apple from Albertsons. The man immediately said “Oh food! Thank you. God bless you!” We said “God Bless” and we were off.

On the way home, I told my son how proud I was, and how proud God was, and how proud daddy would be of his caring and wanting to help someone. I explained that the man had nowhere to live and nowhere to eat, so it was very special that we helped him tonight. Immediately, my son replied “if he has nowhere to sleep, I want to give him a big box!” I responded, “we don’t have a big box, honey.” My son replied, “let’s give him a BLANKET!” (Whoa! Can you only imagine what went through my mind at that moment?! Your story of the 11 year old boy today left a strong impression on me.)

We were almost home and it was already dark. My son pleaded in the car, “let’s give him a blanket AND MY NEW PILLOW!!!” (Again, your stories resonated in me.) It was 7:30pm, my younger one needed to get to sleep, and I was torn. BUT, I felt this was too much of a coincidence to let go of it. I felt we were called to do this.

We pulled into the garage, my son RAN upstairs to grab his pillow and I quickly grabbed the blanket. We ran back downstairs, hopped into the car and we were off—again.

My son and I said a prayer that we would find the man. The red lights seemed to take forever. Patience… We finally arrived back at the stoplight where we had first seen the man and saw that his backpack was still there. We were so excited! We also noticed that the man was in the adjacent parking lot, which would be a lot easier for us to give him our “gifts.”

When we pulled into the parking lot, the man was speaking to a police officer. We motioned to the officer to come over to our car so that we could ask him a question. We explained that we had brought a pillow and blanket for the gentleman. My son could hardly contain his excitement. The officer stated that the gentleman was panhandling, which is illegal in Costa Mesa, and that we could not give him the items we had brought for him. We asked in several polite ways if the officer would be willing to give the items to the gentleman on our behalf, but the officer said “no.” He also said, “You don’t know if this guy is on drugs. Didn’t you hear about the girl in Los Angeles who got her leg slit trying to help a homeless person? If you really want to help, take your donations to a homeless shelter.” “Where is the closest one, officer?” “Well, that’s the problem, there are none in Costa Mesa.”

Deflated, I didn’t know what to do next. My son did not really hear, nor did he understand the full scope of my discussion with the officer. I was confused about how to explain to my son why the police officer would not allow us to help the gentleman. My son was getting upset that he still had the pillow and blanket in his hand. He begged me louder and louder to speak to the policeman and to go give the pillow and blanket to the gentleman.

I turned around to pull out of the parking lot. I also noticed at that point that the police officer had driven away.

Now bear with me here…

I saw the man, rolled down my window and motioned to him to come to the other corner where we were exiting. By the time he walked over to our corner, the police officer had turned around and was now two cars behind us. So, I told him to meet us at the next corner.

My son was so elated to be helping. I was as nervous as could be because I have never gone against authority. My son sensed my nervousness. I just explained to him that the police officer said we should donate our things to a shelter, but inside, I was very nervous. Could he sense that I was disrespecting authority?

We got to the next corner and pulled into the parking lot. We didn’t see the man anymore. So, I turned around to leave. Just as we were leaving, the man turned the corner. There he was!!! My son was so excited, he was THRILLED!!! So, I hurriedly honked the horn to signal the man and my son gave him the pillow and blanket. The man could not believe that we had brought him a pillow. The man was so happy.

And, just at that moment, the police officer was turning the corner. Thank heavens, he kept driving. Maybe he saw us, maybe he did not. All I know is that he kept driving. Inside, I was anxious to just get home. I quickly rolled up with the window and exclaimed “good night!”

My son was so happy about what had taken place. Then, he asked if I was rushing to get home. I told a white lie to my son. I said, “I am driving home quickly so that we can get your little sister to bed because she is tired.” My son is too smart and replied, “no she is not!” (Actually, it really was past her bedtime.)

The rest of the way home, I explained to my son that the police officer suggested that a better way to help the homeless would be to donate goods to shelters and to assist in feeding them. (This wasn’t a lie. I just tried to avoid the fact that we had disrespected the officer’s wishes. I didn’t think about explaining to my son that we have to help in ways that respect the law. I also didn’t think at that moment to explain to my son that the officer was concerned for our safety. I am embarrassed to admit that I got caught up in the moment, had lost my common sense for a few minutes, and should not have gone to a less occupied parking lot with two young children at night. That said, God looked over us during those few moments in the parking lot.)

Back to the conversation about the officer’s suggestion… My son was extremely intrigued to help feed the homeless. He said he wanted to do it! I was one proud mama (even if I still felt an ulcer from the preceding 10 or 15 minutes)!

Quite an evening it was for us, and certainly unexpected. Now, I just want to do more, in a law-abiding and safe way. Didn’t you mention that there is something at the church on Thursday nights? Could we get more information?

Thank you again, Johanna, for the challenge.

Most Respectfully,
A MOPS Mom

Community Outreach

I have been challenged as a long time believer to become more involved in my local community doing outreach. It is time to do more than just $$ so now I am looking for places to “get down and dirty” for the kingdom of God. My employee Dyana, and I will be working around our community a couple hours at a time twice a month. We will keep you posted as to what is happening in our lives as a result and what amazing things we encounter being done in our community by others.
Yesterday I spoke at a local MOPS group about Teaching Preschoolers to Serve and had the most amazing input. I challenged all the preschool mothers that were there to take one of the $1 McDonald’s coupons I had brought and handed out to each willing to take the challenge. The stories of what happens when their families reach out to someone offering a food coupon will be posted as I get them but here is an amazing story I heard around our small group table:

A young man we will call Josh noticed a homeless young person sitting outside the Target store he was entering. He felt led to approach this young man and asked if there was anything he could get for him in the store. The young person, I will call Eric, said he needed socks so Josh purchased a package of socks and handed them to him as he left the store. He struck up a conversation with Eric and learned that because of drug abuse and disruptive and destructive behavior his family asked him to leave home over 3 years before. While on the streets he had been placed in rehab and was now drug free but was too embarrassed to go home because of his past behavior and the fear of not being welcomed. Josh was so touched by the story he asked Eric to get into his car and began driving to the airport. There he bought him a ticket home and convinced the airport security that Eric, who had no ID, should be allowed to go. As they waved goodbye at the security checkpoint Josh gave Eric his phone number and told him he expected a phone call letting him know he had safely arrived. 4 hours later he received a call and on the other end of the line was a sobbing mother thanking him for returning her son that they had been trying to find for the last few years.

How great is our God. Everyone can have stories just like this. Let me know how you have been used in ways to help the less fortunate. Nothing happens by coincidence and if we are open to the leading of God’s Spirit to direct us to where the needs are and follow by responding He will be entrust us with even more ministry opportunities in His kingdom.
I can’t wait to hear the stories and to post them if you will allow.

Realtime Parenting

Dr. Mary Manz Simon has a new Day Brightener Calendar titled Realtime Parenting: Tips and Encouragement for Today's Busy Moms. Each day has fun parenting ideas or advice with scripture. Great thoughts from someone with experience, wisdom and a focus on what really is important!

Compass

Compass: A Guide for Character and Spiritual Formation in Children is a new book written by Vernie Schorr, president of "Character Choice." In it, she goes into detail about why, what and how character is developed in children and how parents and teachers can facilitate this growth. Each chapter ends with areas of "Think on These Things" and "Practice It." Schorr really does a great job of sharing her insight and wisdom as she envisions us becoming "part of the solution, instilling roots of positive character, conscience, and conduct in the lives of children, youth, and other adults."

Christian Grants Directory Deal

Christiangrants.com has another great deal for you.

If you purchase a directory for $99 by July 10th, you will receive TWO years for the price of one! Two years of grant opportunities for only $99! What a great deal!

It's almost time!

Just a reminder...all grant applications for the Fall 2009 session are due in the FKO office on Monday July 6th! That is less than two weeks away!

Be sure to follow our guidelines and get your application in on time. We look forward to what new and exciting programs are coming our way this fall!

Parents Responsible for First Impressions of God

"There are no teachers so effective for good or evil as parents." William Barclay

In an article by Brenda Nixon from Enrichment magazine, she lists 9 "Must Do's" for parents to incorporate in their daily activities.

1. Teach about God as commanded in Deuteronomy 6.


2. Daily impress spiritual truths and weed spiritual lessons into conversations and activities you are doing with your children.


3. Openly thank God for blessings and what he has created.


4. Read the bible and pray where your kids can see you.


5. Say grace before meals.


6. Place reminders of faith such as bibles and pictures of Jesus around the house.


7. Place scriptures on the refrigerator, bathroom mirror and car visor.


8. Fellowship with other Christian families in your church for it reminds your kids that you value a faith community.


9. It is up to you to create a thirst for God. This is up to you and you don't have to be spiritually perfect yourself to be an equipper.

How safe are the kids in your ministry?

One of the most important aspects we always explore when interviewing grant applicants is what kind of background checks they run on their staff and volunteers. It surprises us when we come across a ministry that does not conduct any kind of background check. An interview and an application is not enough anymore to know that the kids are safe. At FKO, we work with all kinds of organizations and churches, big and small, but regardless of size, we believe that it is so important to protect both the children and the organization by having mandatory background checks on everyone interacting with the kids.

There are many different organizations that provide reasonable prices for comprehensive checks on potential volunteers or staff members. International Network of Children’s Ministry partners with Protect My Ministry to provide discounted background checks. Church Volunteer Central works with LexisNexis in providing affordable background checks for your ministry. Each offer different options allowing a ministry to choose the depth of the background check they wish to perform.

Another aspect to consider is if you partner with other ministries or churches. We often see organizations that bring in other ministries to assist in the program and reach more kids for Christ. If you are collaborating with another ministry for a summer camp or weekly outreach, it is essential to know that they also are conducting background checks on their volunteers. It is imperative to keep the children as safe as possible, and it is important to take the opportunity to protect your ministry in the possibility that something does happen. The book Protecting Your Church Against Sexual Predators by Voyle A. Glover provides great information to help keep your church, ministry, and children safe before anything ever happens. It even gives you a guide on what to do if any kind of incident does happen in your ministry.

For ministries and organizations that currently do not run checks on their volunteers and staff, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible. We know that this will not stop every child who is victimized in any way, but it provides a peace of mind that a precautionary step has been taken. If anyone has other leads on affordable background checks, we would love to hear about it!

Free Webinar for Non-Profit Leaders!

Program Effectiveness: How Do You Define Success?

Free one-hour Webinar April 29,2009 - 1:00 PM, E.T.

Jacob Harold, program officer for philanthropy at the Hewlett Foundation, will discuss how non-profit leaders can provide quality program information and measure short-and long-term success.

Space is limited. Register early at: https://www.livemeeting.com/lrs/8000725774/Registration.aspx?pageName=czkf1w40tmzpj2kj

Kids & Community Involvement

Are you looking for ways to get kids excited about community involvement? Ripple Kids is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering kids to take action in their communities by publicizing what their peers are doing.

Their goal is to create an interactive experience that makes community involvement cool and fun. They want community service to become part of the mainstream conversation where hearing about the good things kids are doing is the rule rather than the exception.

You can find links to resources that help you get involved in your community by just entering your zip code.

Our friends at Christiangrants.com are rolling out a special deal again...

March 9-20 you can purchase the directory for $99 and receive a second year absolutely FREE! The directory features over 175 foundation who give to Christian organzations. Christiangrants.com is a great place to start if you're looking for grant funding.

Act fast to take advantage of this great deal!

Traveling with a temporary disability

I am currently on a cruise around the southern half of South America and the Antarctic. What an experience it has been since I broke my ankle around Christmastime, and I am unable to walk on that leg until the end of March. Each day brings new adventures dealing with the issues that those with physical disabilities deal with every day.

Some of the highlights have been:

• Hopping to the bathroom from the bulkhead seats on the airplane.
• Going to a restuarant 1 mile away over sidewalks in Buenos Aires that often had non-existent concrete or tile. Needless to say it was a very rough ride, somewhat remiscent of what the Mr. Toad's wild ride must have been.
• Being transported up the stairs more than once off the gangplank on the boat in a contraption that looks somewhat like a catupult, with a seat on it embedded in a track of wheels somewhat like a steam shovel or catepillar have in heavy equipment. What a ride that was.
• Taking bus excursions and being the first to enter and last to leave because I must climb and descend the stairs on my bottom. Thank God for brown pants and heavy duty tennis shoes.
• Being careful to drink or eat very much due to the difficulty finding handicapped accessable restrooms or at least ones I can get in and out of with a wheelchair and an ability to hop in and out of. Oh, what a thrill!

Overall this has been the an outstanding trip. I am learning to ask for help, not to try to multi-task (is that possible??), and to enjoy each new adventure to the fullest. However, I have learned how hard life can be for those confined to a wheelchair or unable to move about easily, and now I have much more respect and concern for the welfare of those in such a state.

Computers for about $1 a day?

I thought that this would be GREAT for some of the organizations that apply for grants from FKO. I stumbled across the website www.charityadvantage.com today through an email I received. CharityAdvantage offers all kinds of software, computers, monitors, etc. for non-profits. The best part, some of these things are FREE and others are at a great discount price!

There are a lot of different free software downloads, some are things I think would be useful, others seem unneccesary, but either way, it is nice they are all available in one place. I even saw a section with free software just for churches!

One side note concerning the computer equipment: the email I received had the link to the discount computer equipment for sale, but once signed up and logged in, I couldn't find that information on the site...maybe I missed it! BUT from what I saw in the email, they have computers and monitors for about $250 + shipping (which wasn't too bad of a price either). Granted, these are pretty basic computers, but they offer upgrades at reasonable prices. That means you could get a computer for a $1 a day for a year! That's pretty exciting for people with tight budgets!

CharityAdvantage also offers a variety of other information, including newsletters, foundations, funding resources and a web design service. They are pretty easy to contact and offer a lot of information on their site. Check it out and see for yourself! You have to register, but it's free!

Special offer!

We are dishing up something special for this new year - FREE SHIPPING for the months of January and February on all orders from our bookstore. No minimums. No restrictions. No code to enter...it's automatic for all our customers!

And we're always updating our bookstore with the newest resources, so check back for the latest!

Lessons from a wheelchair

Joni Eareckson Tada has always been an inspiration to me. I first read her book “Joni” while I was in my 20’s and learned from her descriptions of daily life struggles when she became a paraplegic at age 17. It made a lasting impact on me. I’ve had the privilege of hearing Joni speak numerous times and meeting with her individually. She is always warm and so real that she makes her audiences and those she meets forget she is confined to a wheelchair. Her focus engages whoever is listening and makes them feel as though she has known them for years.

The lessons Joni had to learn after her life altering accident are well documented in her early books, and now I find myself having to learn some of those same lessons as I adjust to an ankle injury which required surgery on Christmas Eve.

Talk about life stopping while you adjust to wheelchairs, walkers, port-a-potties, sponge bathing, getting comfortable and spot exercising. This phase of my life will pass, but here I sit propping up my leg in a wheelchair with the realization that I have 10 more weeks of the same without driving or walking (yikes!)

I am thankful for all my body parts that do work, for family and friends that write, call, and come over, and most of all for God who through all of this is teaching me much. Needless to say, much has been learned and much more will be.

Joni has an organization called Joni and Friends which For Kids Only has given grant funding 4 times over the last 5 years. Click here for more information about Joni and Friends and to find out why we are pleased to partner with them. Please check out our other Special Needs resources in our bookstore.