SUNDAY CELEBRATION

Emergency Contact Number- Cindy Harper, Executive Director 690-2164

Staff person on site on Sunday – Laura Despard

Description of the Program:  This program provides a home-cooked evening meal and short informal worship time for up to 45-55 neighborhood guests every Sunday.  The food and worship are provided entirely by local church groups/faith communities of about 6- 10 people. There will be a Cameron staff person on site to welcome and assist your group.

Purpose of the Volunteer Position:  To provide a way for local people to live out their faith and make connections with Cameron neighbors by serving them food and sharing in worship.   

Guidelines for the Meal:

We ask that the meal be a simple supper, easy to prepare, serve and clean up.  To do this, please consider the following:

1.  Plan to arrive around 3:15 pm in order to set up.  Please be on time as we start letting people in at 4:15 pm and close the doors at 4:30pm. You should plan to serve the meal at 4:45 pm, following the brief worship service, lasting approximately 10 minutes.

2.  Prepare food for approximately 45- 55 people.  This is an average number served throughout the year, although it does vary by day and month. We want to provide very generous portions.  Prepare the food ahead of time, and warm it up in our kitchen.  The choice of meal is up to you, as long as it is a complete and filling meal.

3. If you make sandwiches, please provide condiments.  Other suggested meals:  hearty soup, chili, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meat balls, goulash, hot dogs and baked beans, lasagna, or whatever sounds good to you. During the week, our guests frequently have meals of spaghetti, chili or hot dogs. Sundays are a nice time for a “special family style supper” Suggestions for this include:

Tacos or burritos

Ham & scalloped potatoes

Turkey and dressing

Homemade beef stew

Beef stroganoff

Sliced fresh ham or pork roast

Chicken a la king with biscuits

Lasagna

Shepherd’s pie

Meatloaf and mashed potatoes

4.  Include in the meal a salad, vegetable, or fruit, some kind of carbohydrate (starch), and a simple dessert (e.g. cupcakes, cookies, apples).

5.   Please provide a beverage for everyone.  Suggested beverages are:  coffee for adults, milk or fruit juice for children and non-coffee drinking adults.  During hot weather, bring more cold drinks (5 gallons)

6.  Please bring paper plates/bowls, cups, napkins and plastic silverware.  Food handlers need to wear plastic gloves, aprons, and hats (provided by Cameron), or you may bring your own (hats can be baseball caps or whatever).

7.  Even though you may have food left over after serving the meal, we have found it best not to offer seconds, as some people will take advantage of this.  Therefore, just cover and label the extra food and put it in the refrigerator.  In most cases, it will be used the next day. We really appreciate your donations as they help us stretch our food for our clients.

8.  Because of other meals that will be prepared on Monday morning, we need you to leave the kitchen and dining room clean.

Suggested Guidelines for the Worship:  Keep it simple (like a children’s story) – aim for 5 minutes

1.  Welcome and introduction of the church or group by the staff.  Worship leader then takes over.  (#2 - #5 may be done in any order.)

2.  Open with prayer.  Include any requests from our guests such as birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations (e.g. number of months or years in recovery, achievement of GED) and concerns, including illness, death, etc.

3.  Scripture reading - ask if a guest wants to read. 

4.  Possibly have a skit, dialogue sermon, or any kind of creative worship involving some of the adults and children if possible.  Try to avoid judgmental sermons.  Rather, concentrate on sharing what you know about our loving God, and think about what people living in poverty might need to know about God, without being patronizing; or invite them to share what they know about God, etc. 

5.  Sing familiar songs.  You may bring song sheets.  We have a piano, or you may use guitar or other instruments such as bells or rhythm instruments.  Simple repetitive choruses work well as there are people who do not read or do not read music.

6.  The blessing of the meal may be done by a church member or one of the guests. 

Scheduling:  Churches can be scheduled for Sunday Celebration as often as every few months or as seldom as once per year.  If you want a particular date, you might need to sign up several months in advance.

Expectations CCM has for the Volunteer:  We expect you to arrive on time, bring everything needed for the meal and worship, and have about 6-10 people in your group.  Please ask the staff person if you have any questions or concerns.  Hopefully, most of the people from your group will spend time interacting with the guests.  We do not allow people to ask for money, come in late or to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  We have certain standards of behavior for participants and the staff is there to help you should the need arise. 

Expectations the Volunteer May Bring:  We hope that you expect to work in a pleasant atmosphere and that you will have fun while you participate in this program.  Please come with an open heart and mind to learn from our guests.  God works through all people and circumstances to teach us.  We want you to be aware that some people may not be able to express appreciation for the service that you are providing them, and we hope you will remember that we are serving in the name of God and because God calls us to faithful action, not in order to be appreciated by those we serve.