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Host & Partner Congregations
Family Promise operates under the model of "hospitality". We currently have 12 host churches (our goal is to have 14) and 4 partner churches who provide temporary housing and meals to families in crisis at no charge to them. Volunteers are the program's "hosts," and families staying in the network are our "guests."
Hosting takes place on a rotating basis overnight for one week (7 nights.). When hosting week arrives, the Family Promise trailer will arrive at a church on a Sunday afternoon with all of the beds, pillows and the personal belongings of the families. Host church volunteers help unload and set up the family's room(s) and provide fresh, clean bedding. Guests arrive around 5:30 p.m. and are given dinner. They may have an evening activity, but most often families enjoy a quiet time by themselves. Church volunteers may cook, shop, play games, help with kitchen cleanup or spend the night. Each evening, volunteers and guests help with dishes, prepare a sack lunch for the next day, and have breakfast in the morning before returning at 7:30 a.m. to the Family Promise of North Idaho Day Center in Post Falls. This happens every night, until the following Sunday morning, when the families, beds and belongings go to the next host church. Families often stay for services at the host church, but it is not required.
Partner congregations help host churches by taking one or more nights during a week to cook, provide an evening host or stay overnight.
All volunteers receive special training before hosting families. They learn more about situational poverty, the "dos and don'ts" of providing a clean, safe environment - free of judgment or prying questions. Open hearts and open minds are the most important things a volunteer can bring to this service.
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