Giving

• Pledging
  
• Make an Online
  Contribution
• Planned Giving
• Benevolence Program
• Gifting Stocks
• Time & Talent Giving

Benevolence

Plymouth Benevolences – a result of generosity of Plymouth members – is managed by the Benevolence Committee of Board of Deacons.

Current Evaluation Process

Recipients are invited to fill out an online application in the Fall. The due date to finish applications is in December. Members of the Benevolence Committee review the grant applications and do site visits, which are generally finished by Spring. Letters are sent in early Summer informing recipients about their awards.

Evaluation Criteria

We focus on funding non-profit organizations that have connections to the church’s mission and/or people. In our oversight of the congregation’s benevolence, the Committee will give priority to
  • The social action ministries of Plymouth Church
  • The educational partners of Plymouth Church
  • The projects identified by the ministerial staff as part of Plymouth’s core work
  • The projects of Plymouth’s Youth Groups
  • Organizations and projects where Plymouth members volunteer and/or partner in a meaningful way.

We'll give second tier priority to projects or organizations that
  • Have as their goal the improvement of the material or social or spiritual well being of their clients in central Minneapolis
  • Address core issues of poverty and homelessness
  • Have a record/history of assisting the needy of our community
  • Are facing crisis in their ability to assist their clients

We'll give a third-tier priority to projects or organizations that
  • Are working with Plymouth partners in other parts of the world.

The Committee never has enough funds to meet all of the requests it receives, nor even all of the requests that would meet the criteria above. When the Committee members deliberate and decide, they look for a balance in our giving that reflects Plymouth’s commonality of values and our diversity of interests.

Address questions to benevolence@plymouth.org

Organizations Funded by Plymouth Church

The local, national and international agencies we funded last year include:

African American Family Services — The mission of AAFS is to help the African American individual, family and community to reach a greater state of well-being through the delivery of community-based, culturally-specific chemical health, mental health and family preservation services.

Alliance Housing — Develops, owns and operates affordable housing for poor and homeless people. Started in 1991 by residents and staff of St. Stephen’s Emergency Shelter, Alliance Housing places homeless single adults and families in rooms and apartments in south Minneapolis. Prospective residents must be able to pay their rent and respect the property and their neighbors.

All Nations Indian Church — Through a partnership with the Early Childhood Resource and Training Center (ECRTC) in 2007, All Nations Indian Church works to provide programming for family, friend and neighbor (FFN) child care providers to participate in play and learn type program with activities for the children and modeling and education for the adults.

Aprendamos Computacion — The organization mission is to enhance the marketable job skills of Latino students and to involve Latino parents productively in their children’s education by providing them the opportunity to study computer technology in their native language.

Breaking Free — Serves women and girls involved in systems of prostitution/sex trafficking and other battered women who have been involved in the criminal justice system.

Boys and Girls Club (Phillips Location) — Programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence.

Campbell Memorial Scholarships (UTS) — Provide $17,500 toward a scholarship for students at United Theological Seminary (UTS). From its very inception, UTS has been forward-looking in its approach to theological education. A seminary of the United Church of Christ (UCC), UTS was the first seminary in mainline Protestantism with an ecumenical charter.

Compatible Technology International (CTI) — Founded in 1980 by a group of General Mills food scientists and research engineers. The team sought ways in which their knowledge, their expertise and their human kindness might help the poor in developing countries to resolve food problems and increase food supply by using local resources.

Center for Asians and Pacific Islanders (CAPI) — Provides refugee resettlement and anti-poverty services such as health education, job readiness and placements, housing and food assistance, youth violence prevention, social services for seniors and community engagement to about 3,000 refugees and immigrants annually.

Center for Victims of Torture — Works to heal the wounds of torture on individuals, their families and their communities and to stop torture worldwide.

Centro Guadalupano — Mission is to be companions on the journey with immigrant families and the economically disadvantaged by providing educational programs and human services.

Creative for Causes (Art Buddies) — Helps kids from low-income families discover their creative gifts while building confidence and big dreams. They pair each child, one-on-one, with a special creative volunteer: a mentor from the exciting fields of advertising, design and architecture.

Crisis Connection — A nonprofit agency that provides 24-hour crisis counseling by telephone. Its community call center relies on trained volunteers and paid staff who answer calls 365 days per year. Anyone can call from throughout Minnesota to receive support at any time.

Dignity Center — An outreach ministry of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, this program brings support, opportunity and resources for people in transition as they regain stability and move toward self-sufficiency.

EMERGE — Works with people who face challenges in housing and employment and with the organizations and businesses that partner in their success.

English Learning Center — Part of Our Saviour’s Outreach Center. Volunteers teach students, who come from over 20 countries — every continent except Antarctica.

Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches — Since 1905, the GMCC has battled poverty in Minnesota. It operates a successful family of social service programs and recruits support across denominational lines to help struggling Minnesota families remain self-reliant.

Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery — Works in partnership with parents in crisis and the community to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. It supports families in crisis 24 hours a day, 365 days a year through free, voluntary services.

Groveland Emergency Food Shelf — Helps distribute more than 25,000 pounds of food to people who need it each month. Groveland Emergency Food Shelf, located in Plymouth’s basement, is part of a five-church effort to feed food-insecure youth and adults. Per month, the Food Shelf sees about 1,000 people.

Hope Community — A catalyst for change, growth and safety. It's building a sustainable neighborhood model through community organization, active education, leadership and affordable housing development. The organization is located at the corner of Franklin and Portland Avenues.

International Village Clinic — IVC is dedicated to bringing health and medical services to the poor villages of India. IVC is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization.

Jeremiah Program — Assists single mothers and their children to break the cycle of poverty by providing a campus community where they can prosper in all senses of the word.

Kinship Greater Minneapolis — Helps children ages 5-15, in need of additional support, to realize their God-given potential through adult friendships. Kinship also provides a unique service opportunity for individuals, couples and families to put their faith into action on behalf of children.

Meals on Wheels — Its mission is to, along with its program partners, lead the effort to ensure that individuals in our community receive nutritious meals and the human connection they need to enable them to live independently.

Minnesota AIDS Project — MAP envisions a world free of AIDS. The organization’s mission is to lead Minnesota's fight to stop HIV through advocacy, education and service. Founded in 1983, MAP is a statewide, nonprofit agency committed to enhancing the lives of people living with HIV, prevention education for those at risk for HIV and advocating for the rights of all affected by HIV.

Minnesota Council of Churches — Its mission is “to manifest unity in the church and to build common good in the world.” The Council not only builds relationships between denominations but also, significantly, within the larger religious community as well as with other organizations, agencies and institutions within the nonprofit and public sectors across the state.

NACCC Missionary Society — Strives to select projects that are distinctively Christian and distinctively Congregational. Currently, missionaries in 10 countries are receiving our support. Aid is given to churches and other mission projects in the United States, some of which are cross-cultural in nature.

Open Arms of Minnesota — Something good that's come from a terrible disease, HIV/AIDS. The organization is committed to serving nutritious meals to people who live with HIV/AIDS, as well as the needs of those with other life-threatening illnesses.

Pan-African Community Organization — Provides culturally and linguistically accessible education, support and referral services to facilitate the health and wellness of African immigrants and their families in Minnesota.

Pathways — This "Health Crisis Resource Center" is a nationally-recognized, distinctive non-profit organization, located in the Uptown Area of South Minneapolis, offering services to persons with life threatening illness since April 1989.

Pillsbury United Communities — Recognizes the complex causes and effects of social and economic inequalities and works to effect positive change by connecting individuals and building meaningful relationships. Programs offered are not about handouts or charity, but encourage give-and-take relationships between members of the community and Pillsbury United Communities.

Plymouth Christian Youth Center — Its mission is to enrich the skills, prospects and spirit of North Minneapolis area youth and adults, in partnership with families and communities. The young people on whom they focus much of their work are those in the inner-city of Minneapolis who are facing significant barriers in life as they strive toward such full growth and active citizenship.

Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation — Founded in 1999, PCNF is a non-profit housing organization which owns and develops housing to meet a range of community needs. The Foundation has developed housing for those who are homeless, for those in the workforce who need moderate rents and for those seeking home ownership opportunities.

Plymouth Outreach Board Third Sunday Meal — Serves more than 200 meals to neighbors in need each month. Plymouth hosts the Third Sunday meal, which strives to serve fresh, healthy food with dignity. Volunteers serve a free hot meal to more than 200 guests of all ages in Plymouth’s dining hall.

Project for Pride in Living — PPL’s mission is to work with lower-income individuals and families to achieve greater self-sufficiency through housing, employment training, support services and education. Recently combined with Loring Nicollet-Bethlehem Community Center.

Project Homeless Connect — A one-stop shop model for delivering services to people experiencing homelessness. Twice each year, Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis partner with service providers, businesses, citizens and faith communities to bring multiple resources to one location where people can come to find the services they need.

Project Minnesota/León (PML) — A people-to-people sister state organization facilitating mutually beneficial relationships and solidarity between the people of Minnesota and León, Nicaragua. In pursuit of this mission, PML supports small scale, local initiatives for community development in León and provides opportunities for educational and cultural exchange.

Restorative Justice Community Action — RJCA works in Minneapolis neighborhoods to enhance offender accountability for urban livability crimes by empowering local citizens to participate directly in the justice process.

Sexual Violence Center — Each year, SVC provides more than 2000 youth and adults with 24-hour crisis phone service, individual counseling, support groups, advocacy and legal clinics at no cost. SVC works with community systems, such as hospitals, law enforcement agencies, courts, schools and other social services organizations to assist sexual assault victims and prevent sexual violence.

Simpson Housing Services — Their mission is to house, support and advocate for people experiencing homelessness. SHS knows that with close, individual advocacy and support, men, women and families experiencing homelessness achieve housing stability. It's committed to housing first: house people quickly, then provide services as needed.

Southeast Asian Refugee Community — SEARCH was established in 1992 to meet the need for cultural and linguistic-specific employment services for a diverse and growing Southeast Asian community.

Sierra Leone-Plymouth Partnership — SLPP is a long-term, independent partnership between Sierra Leone and Plymouth Church. SLPP was created in spring 2005 by former Peace Corps volunteer Jeff Hall to educate members about conditions in Africa and to offer specific, dynamic forms of help.

Southside Family Nurturing Center — Founded in 1974 on the belief that child abuse and neglect are preventable. With modest beginnings in the basement of Our Savior's Lutheran Church on Chicago Avenue, the organization now serves over 100 families with over 130 children every year in its 110-plus-year-old "mansion” of the Phillips neighborhood.

Stevens Square Community Organization — SSCO provides a respectful forum for community involvement and leadership that builds on neighborhood strengths to promote and improve Stevens Square-Loring Heights as a fun place to live, work, and play.

Sub-Saharan African Youth & Family Services — SAYFSM provides HIV education and materials appropriate to African-born persons throughout Minnesota. Offers confidential HIV counseling, rapid HIV testing and referrals. Offers HIV case management and a support group focusing on HIV-positive African-born individuals.

Tubman — Promotes safe and healthy families, individuals and communities through evidence-based intervention, prevention and education. Tubman helps women, children and families struggling with relationship violence, substance abuse and mental health issues.

UCC One Great Hour of Sharing — The UCC works with international partners to provide sources of clean water and food, education and health care, small business micro-credit, emergency relief, and advocacy and resettlement for refugees and displaced persons.

United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities — From its inception, UTS has been forward-looking in its approach to theological education. A seminary of the United Church of Christ, UTS was the first seminary in mainline Protestantism with an ecumenical charter.

We Win Institute — A non-profit organization dedicated to the academic and social success of all children. We Win is helping children having the greatest difficulties being successful in school and in life. It emphasizes African history and culture, to create pride for children of African descent, and it celebrates and welcomes children of all cultures into its programs.

Westminster Counseling Center — Provides pastoral counseling – care of the soul in a holistic context – to individuals and groups. Pastoral counseling blends religion and theology with methods of contemporary and traditional psychology.

Women’s Environmental Institute — An environmental research, renewal and retreat center designed to create and share knowledge about environmental issues and policies relevant to women, children and identified communities especially affected by environmental injustices; to promote agricultural justice, organic and sustainable agriculture and ecological awareness; and to support activism that influences public policy and promotes social change.

Women Venture — Helps women become economically successful and prosperous.

 

 

          Organizations Funded by Plymouth Church