Asking Your Church to Support SSP
By Tony Gnecco
SSP Board member & Adult Volunteer from Asbury United Methodist Church in Livermore, CA
Asbury UMC has been volunteering with SSP for almost 40 years. We have families where three generations have participated in a week of summer service. Yet until 2023, Asbury had never supported SSP financially with a donation. I guess all I had to do was simply… ask.
“I guess all I had to do was simply…ask.”
Asbury puts aside a portion of its annual budget to support local charities and non-profits, and our “Serving Others with Love” (SOWL) team is in charge of identifying groups to support. Although not exactly “local” to Livermore, SSP’s work aligns extremely well with our Core Values Statement: “Centered in Jesus Christ, we grow in faith, celebrate community, and serve others with love.”
Each August, we host an SSP Sunday service after returning from SSP. This allows youth and adults to share how their week of building, both a loving community with strangers as well as ramps and decks, has bolstered their faith and love for service. So, the Asbury congregation understands the value of sending groups to SSP, and how it syncs with our Core Values.
Because the congregation was so familiar with SSP’s program and has seen its positive impact on the volunteers who go each summer, the “would you please consider donating directly to SSP?” ask to the SOWL team was actually very simple. The team then directed our Finance Committee to make SSP a recipient of some of the local charities funds.
“It’s worth asking [your congregation] about making a contribution directly to SSP to support all the good work they do.”
All churches are structured differently. However, if your congregation is already familiar with the positive impacts SSP has on both youth and adults, and a portion of the General Fund budget is dedicated to supporting charities, it’s worth asking about making a contribution directly to SSP to support all the good work they do.
Editor’s Note: There are many ways to support SSP financially, from one-time donations and monthly giving to even donating a vehicle! Contact Adam Vargyas, SSP’s Development Director, with any questions about what giving to SSP can look like.