ACS Arizona: A Beautiful Picture of Ministry
BY JEFF ROGERS
...what ministry can be in its most organic form
Adventist Community Services in Arizona serves as a beacon of hope and compassion and has long been a vital force in serving local communities by offering resources, support, and a helping hand. One of the cornerstones of Adventist Community Services is a commitment to providing essential support to those struggling with food insecurity and financial hardships.
Arizona Conference Adventist Community Services Director Melanie Cruz has seen firsthand how this ministry has impacted communities around the state. “This a beautiful picture of what ministry can be in its most organic form,” she said.
At the Camp Verde church, the church-run food bank provides food boxes for nearly 300 families a week. Food bank director Everett Garnick noted the impact of the program, “We have people come from Cottonwood, from Camp Verde, from Rim Rock, Sedona, and from all over the Verde Valley area.”
Part of the Camp Verde ministry is the clothing distribution. “We usually give out about 20 items each week,” Sharon T. said. “We dress a lot of children, and that helps a lot of parents.”
Much of the work of the food bank could not happen without contributing partners, the largest of which is the St. Mary’s Food Bank. David B. works in the produce distribution center of the Camp Verde church’s food bank and helps with unloading the produce truck each week. “We have everything from fruit juices to vegetables to fruits, depending on what we get off the truck,” he said. “It is always something different every week.”
Garnick recognized the contributions of other entities like Bimbo Bakeries and Basha's Grocery, which donate bread and sweets each week. “Based on the prices that are on there, we are getting roughly $10,000 to $11,000 worth of bread per month.”
Pastor Mike Ortel illustrated the importance of the Camp Verde food bank. “The church’s job is to love up on people, and people are searching for somebody who cares,” he said. “This is a place where we care.”
On the other side of the Black Hills mountain range in Prescott, Arizona, the Prescott food bank serves 600 to 900 families a month. Also a partner agency of St. Mary’s food bank, the Prescott food bank utilizes 40 to 50 volunteers each week to service their local community.
“Not all our volunteers are Adventists, but they come from the community, and we work and serve together,” said Prescott Community Services director Eun Sook Jasper.
One of the many volunteers is Nadeen VanDyke, who works in the clothing distribution center. “I love this,” she said. “When I retired, I wanted a mission, something to do in the mission field, and the Lord opened this up to me.”
Gregory Zapada volunteers because of the direct impact the food bank had on him personally. “I was in line and the Lord brought me here,” he said. “I was overwhelmed with it, and since then I have been here every week volunteering, and it is the best part of my life.”
After visiting the Prescott food bank, Cruz noted how relationships impacted the volunteers. “Everyone had a name, and the volunteers are very intentional in reaching their community,” she said. “It is like family you see every week and is a beautiful blend of community members and church members.”
Not all churches have the infrastructure set up to house a food bank, but they look to other ways of ministering to their community. At the Paradise Valley church, church members support the Family Promise of Greater Phoenix program and house homeless families at the church. Church members and event organizer LT Oliver sees this as an opportunity all churches could support. “Sometimes we don’t know how much of an impact we have on people by simply being kind,” she said. “The world is upside-down, but we are meeting people’s needs at this church.”
It is like family you see every week.
During the week of October 20 to 27, the Paradise Valley church hosted several families, as church members took turns being the “host family” for the day/evening. By providing a safe place for families to sleep, eat, and fellowship, the church is meeting the very basic needs of the most vulnerable in their community.
Whether it is providing food to families in need in Camp Verde, Prescott, and Kingman or providing a place for mental health counseling and tax preparation at the Diamond Street Resource Center in Phoenix or providing healthy living seminars at Tucson Sharon, the work of Adventist Community Services in Arizona exemplifies what can be accomplished when faith, compassion, and community come together. Through their ongoing dedication, ACS Arizona is not only meeting immediate needs but also inspiring hope and positive change throughout the state.
