What to Do if a Stranger at Church Asks You for Financial Aid

Members of Congregation:

Introduce the person to a member of the Pastoral Committee.

P.C. members:

Be friendly, introduce yourself, ask their name and inquire about their situation.

Ask if they have sought help elsewhere, social services or food bank for example.

Ask if they have ID, contact information, phone number?

Tell the person that you will need to talk to other members of your church community to decide whether immediate crisis assistance is available. Consult with another member of the P.C. at this point. Decide together if the request seem legitimate and the person sincere.

1. If you both have a feeling that the person is not being fully honest, is evasive or seems to be hiding something, defer the decision to a more extensive visit with the person(s) by two members of the P.C. (two deacons, or a deacon and other P.C. member).

2. If your feeling is the person seems sincere and the need genuine, then choose one of the following options:

Option A) contact emergency social services for and with the person(s),

Option B) give food voucher (buy one at a grocery store),

up to $50 for one person, $100 for a family,

Option C) buy food for the person(s), at same amounts,

Option D) pass the matter along to deacons.

Note: It is okay to err on the side of generosity, giving the person the benefit of doubts. We do want to show compassion. If we start to have frequent visitors asking for money or food we can re-evaluate our approach.

After this interaction things will be passed on to whoever is currently in the diaconal role for follow-up. You should be able to give the deacons the following information:

The person’s name, contact information, address and/or phone number as well as a list of other organizations/places they have approached for help.

[Adopted by the Fellowship Pastoral Committee on January 12/09]

Diaconal Guidelines for Providing Financial Aid to Strangers

N.B. There must ALWAYS be two members of the PC present for these meetings, at least one of whom has been appointed to a diaconal role, if possible. After the initial meeting with PC members, these members are encouraged to seek the involvement of other congregational members who may have knowledge or expertise to provide assistance.

Meet with stranger(s) in a neutral location, such as public library, coffee shop, mall food court… (could buy them a coffee, juice, bowl of soup...)

Ask about where they have solicited help previously and what happened during that search.

Ask about whether they have a social worker, and if so, would it be okay to contact him/her?

Ask for ID. If they don’t have ID, offer to go with them to obtain one as they would need it for accessing government services.

Assure them that we plan to help them, but may need time to confer with other members in order to provide accountability for the whole church.

Following up:

Contact NADC, currently Henry Bosch, to check for assistance and possible repeat requests from the stranger made at other congregations.

Verify information given where possible.

If everything checks out and seems legitimate, arrange with the person to go to agencies, govt. or otherwise, to solicit aid and support.

Provide stranger with a list of resources, shelters, and/or agencies available with information as to how to access them. This information can be found in your deacon’s PC files or from NADC.

If you feel comfortable, offer to pray with them about their struggles. Invite them to become part of our worshipping community.

[Adopted by the Fellowship Pastoral Committee on January 12/09]