Faith.Worship
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Vision 2017
Faith & Worship
Randal Curtman/News-Times
Ministry Founder: The Rev. Bob Allen was instrumental in the establishment of Interfaith Help Services and the Interfaith Clinic in El Dorado. Both ministries have served thousands of Union County residents since the early 1990s.
Churches combine resources to improve community
Back in the 1990s, when the Rev. Bob Allen first came
to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, he saw the need for a pair of ministries that have since become linchpins for the needy in Union County.
Interfaith Help Services and the Interfaith Clinic both came about as a result of Allen’s search for a bet- ter way to help the com- munity.
“When I came here, it was as assistant to a very young priest,” Allen said. “He would just ask, ‘what do you need?’ then write a check. I thought there had to be a better way of doing things.”
Although he is retired, Allen, 76, is still active in the direction of the min- istries he helped establish. A native of Stuttgart, Allen is also the former rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.
“I come in pretty much every day to see how things are going,” Allen said.
The Interfaith Help Services offers food and assistance with utilities and other needs Union County residents may have.
“We figured out pret- ty early we should focus on Union County, so we could make the most of our resources,” Allen said.
Interfaith Help Services combines the support of 10 church congregations: St. Mary’s, First Presbyterian Church, College Avenue Church of Christ, First United Methodist Church,
Terrance Armstard/News-Times
Purse Donations: Members of Interfaith Help Services, Carolyn McCurry, left, Mary Guthrie, center, and Barbara Dickson display purses in December that were donated by members of Harmony Baptist Church. Church members donated the 14 like-new purses filled with various gift items. The IHS is a nonprofit organization supported by 10 local churches and serves the people of Union County who are in need.
churches and physicians, and eventually the clinic merged with the SHARE Foundation.
“The SHARE Foundation’s contribu- tion to the clinic has been remarkable,” Allen said.
Primary medical care services offered at the Interfaith Clinic include limited dental services, minor surgeries, medi- cation assistance, EKG’s, medical insurance assis- tance, and individualized care plans.
At the IHS offices, food is the most requested item the program provides to community residents, fol- lowed by assistance with utility bills.
“We say we are here to help you, but not do it for you,” Allen said. “We don’t usually pay a whole utili- ty bill.” The problem they most often see is people getting behind on utilities and having to deal with a large bill.
Another benefit of the cooperation between the churches involved with IHS is by pooling resourc- es, it cuts down on poten- tial fraud.
“We have seen cases where people will go around to all the churches to get help, then they will sell the things they got,” Allen said.
Visits to the IHS food pantry are also limited in number per month, but there are also other churches offering food pantries in El Dorado, including the Liberty Baptist Association and
St. Paul United Methodist Church, among others.
While senior citizens are a part of the population IHS serves, they are not the majority, Allen said. “We see a lot of parents, often they work in mini- mum-wage jobs, and if you have two or three kids, it’s tough to make ends meet.”
When Interfaith Help Services can’t meet a per- son’s needs, they turn to other agencies for assis- tance.
“We coordinate with other churches and groups, and if we can’t help them, we can refer them to somewhere else, like the Salvation Army,” Allen said.
More than a quarter of a century later, Allen is still engaged in the ministries he began in El Dorado.
“These two agencies, Interfaith Help Services and the Interfaith Clinic, have been the most suc- cessful part of my minis- try,” Allen said. “It’s amaz- ing to see the way people come together to meet the needs of the community.”
To volunteer or to seek help, visit the IHS office at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. Office hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Thursday. For more infor- mation call 870-862-2294.
The Interfaith Clinic is located at 403 W. Oak, sec- ond floor, in El Dorado. The clinic’s hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. For more informa- tioncall870-864-8010.
Both agencies close for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
First Baptist Church (Main Street), East Faulkner Church of Christ, Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Faith Community Church and Cross Life Church.
Volunteers from each church help staff the IHS office, and each church contributes financially to the program.
“We didn’t set a minimum contribution,” Allen said. “Even if it is just $1, that’s all right, we just wanted the different churches to be committed to the pro- gram.”
Likewise, the Interfaith Clinic is a not-for-profit medical clinic that serves low-income patients in Union County. Interfaith Clinic provides high qual-
ity care on a sliding fee scale, according to the SHARE Foundation web- site, sharefoundation.com. Both insured and unin- sured low-income patients may qualify for services. Once qualified, same day appointments are available most days.
Initially, the clinic was started through Allen’s efforts with other local
Volunteers impact spiritual, economic life of Union County residents
What impact does your weekly volunteering real- ly have on the community?
According to a report from the Arkansas
Department of Human Services, volunteers in Arkansas provided an estimated total of 123,396,424 hours of labor in 2015, for an estimated economic contribution of $2,361,807,556.
This figure is based upon an extrapolation from a total of 10,551,434 reported hours from a representative sample of 864 nonprofit organizations, school districts, state agen- cies, local governments, and other organizations across the state, according to a report published on the website, humanservices.arkansas.gov.
The annual survey was first published in 1983 by the Department of Human Services, Division of Community Service & Nonprofit Support in collaboration with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
The 2015 survey and report were prepared by Dr. Vickie Edwards of Troy University and the UALR Survey Research Center. Volunteer labor allows nonprofits to operate more efficiently and make better use of their limited resources.
This report illustrates the wide variety of tasks that Arkansas volunteers perform, and demonstrates that
Arkansas has a vibrant nonprofit and volunteer communi- ty that contributes positively to community and economic development statewide.
If you are looking for a place to make a difference, start with your house of worship, or consider contacting the Liberty Baptist Association or Interfaith Help Services and volunteering.
The Liberty Baptist Association, headquartered in El Dorado, operates a thrift store and a food pantry in El Dorado. The association is comprised of 54 different churches in South Arkansas and offers a number of pro- grams and ministries throughout the region.
In 2017, the association is offering a number of programs for church members and the general public, starting with the Senior Adult Celebration luncheon, which will be held at 11 a.m. March 16, at Central Baptist Church in Magnolia. “It’s always a good time when the seniors in the association get together for Christian fellowship,” associational mis- sionary Ernest DeSoto said in the association’s November newsletter. “The message from KATV news reporter Jason Pederson will be inspiring and a delicious meal will be served.”
Cost for the senior adult celebration is $7.
Terrance Armstard/News-Times
Thrifty Shopping: Mary Burgess shops at the Liberty Ministries Thrift Store on March 2.


































































































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