Your congregation is ready to make an incredible impact.
Become an Us For Them Church
Whether serving the poor, the Eldery, vulnerable people in third world countries, people in the hospital or even prison, great churches provide a variety of outlets for Christians to find their calling and serve others through undeniably loving service and sacrifice. Us For Them represents a new way to do just that.
Becoming an Us For Them church is quite simple. It costs nothing. It requires only a commitment from a church or ministry’s leaders to educate the congregation about living kidney donation and invite them to prayerfully consider giving. Churches that sign up will be provided with videos and other resources. We are in the process of developing those resources now, and we have an expected release date of June 2020. But there’s so much you can do in the meantime.
Engage your church with this new ministry
4 simple ways to start Us For Them in your church
1. Encourage your congregation to prayerfully consider living kidney donation
Talk about this ministry from the pulpit. Encourage people to take the pledge. Ask them to mention their church in the message field of the form, so we can pray with them and for your church too. We promise we’ll never fundraise from people who pledge to consider kidney donation. We aren’t interested in their money or yours - just your kidneys.
2. Serve people experiencing kidney failure
Do you visit hospitals to pray for people? If so, consider visiting dialysis centers too. Millions of Americans spend several hours each week receiving dialysis treatment. It can boring. It can be painful. And it’s always exhausting. It’s a place where people are often desperate for encouragement.
Does your church give alter calls? Do you pray with those who’ve decided to give their lives to Christ? Do you pray for the sick or for other people in need of a miracle? If so, consider from time to time specifically asking if there is anyone in need of a kidney transplant. Ask if they’d be willing to let the congregation pray for them.
But don’t stop there. Ask if anyone in the congregation desires to consider becoming a living kidney donor. You never know when God might orchestrate a life-giving match right there in your gathering. You can have potential donors stand up or raise their hand, or maybe just keep that part private if it’s more appropriate in your setting. But no matter what, ask them to take the pledge here.
3. Serve people who feel called to become living donors
If you have living donors or people in the process of becoming living donors in your congregation, here are a three tips on how you can serve these ministers of Christ’s love.
Respect their privacy. The process of becoming a living kidney donor can be a roller coaster of emotions. Many donors report dramatic shifts from day to day; from resolve and courage knowing they are saving a life, to fear and anxiety considering the worst case scenario outcomes.
Consequently, many living donor candidates choose to drop out of the process at some point during the extensive medical testing that occurs leading up to surgery. In these cases, medical professionals are trained to make it really easy for people to back out without feeling any social pressure from friends, family members, or the designated recipient of their kidney. If someone decides they no longer want to donate the doctor will simply tell the recipient that the donor was not suitable for donation. Simple as that.
But in a church the pressure might be different. So be careful how you communicate with and about anyone who decides to become a living donor. It’s important that their decision not be celebrated in a way that would make them feel undue pressure to give this gift if they aren’t truly called.
We commit to always respecting the privacy of anyone who would prayerfully consider becoming a living kidney donor.
Pray for them regularly. Maybe the pastoral staff has an ongoing prayer list. Maybe there’s a prayer team in place. Whichever way your church prays, make sure living donors and donor candidates are on your regular prayer agenda. And make sure they know you’re praying.
Organize 1-2 weeks of meals, childcare, and other support. Living kidney donation is major surgery, but recovery is quick for most donors. For the first couple of weeks the donor will rely heavily on family and friends for support. They will be very tired, and most are not allowed to drive for the first several days. Churches can serve living donors and kidney transplant recipients with meal trains, childcare, transportation and other support ministries that many churches offer.
4. Book our founder, Jon Lee, to introduce this ministry to your leadership and/or congregation.
Jon is a renown Christian branding expert, experienced public speaker, and a living kidney donor. Jon consults and trains churches and ministries in marketing, branding, and developing a living kidney donation ministry in your church. Availability is limited.