Do Unto Others
What is Do Unto Others?
Following Jesus’ directive to help others, Do Unto Others (DUO) was founded to bring opportunities for social service to our church. The belief behind DUO is that people genuinely want to touch and improve the lives of others, but they just don’t always know how to get involved. It’s also hard for some people to jump into an unfamiliar project when they aren’t sure they’ll know any of their fellow volunteers.
Members of the group meet to plan projects that will keep PPMCC involved year round helping people in need. The group also provides a place for church goers to come when they know of someone(s) requiring assistance. Furthermore, DUO supports the work of Westside CARES, a coalition of 20-plus westside churches dedicated to providing aid to our less fortunate neighbors.
Since August 2005 DUO has been the “clearinghouse” for our church’s social service projects. Within a week of DUO’s inception, Hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans area. DUO immediately took in donations and set up a Hurricane Relief Center at PPMCC to help provide warm clothes, small appliances, furniture and household items for evacuees coming to our area. The five-month project ended up being the longest-running effort in the city. After that kickoff, DUO has provided a variety of opportunities for PPMCC attendees to share their time, talents, or resources with those in need.
Who Is Part of the DUO Team?
Anyone is welcome to be part of planning, organizing, and publicizing projects! There are no tryouts or elections. The only requirements are a heart for helping others and a willingness to protect the privacy of the people who are being helped, in cases where confidentiality is required.
How Does it Work?
Members meet occasionally to develop an ongoing plan of service. We try to mix up the types of projects, so some might require a financial commitment, such as donating food or buying a Christmas present, while others might require a donation of time, to build a Habitat for Humanity house or serve lunch to the homeless. We also try to serve various groups of people, whether they are in our church, the GLBT community, the city as a whole, or even on the other side of the world.
Once the projects are publicized, people throughout the church – and often friends of PPMCC attendees from the general community – are encouraged to participate. There also is a Do Unto Others email list that people can opt into that reminds people of upcoming meetings, events and projects.