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Yielding to the benevolent purposes of God prepares us for the yoke of kind, gentle, patient service to others.

- John S. Mogabgab, Alive Now

For not only do people need food, but they need also the touch of a hand, the sound of a voice. For food lasts but a day, but love is for always.

GraceWorks Community: The Bishop's Young Adult Initiative is an opportunity for young adults, churches, and communities to grow together.

Scroll down to read our mission statement, goals, and details of the program as concerns young adult volunteers.  Read about upcoming events and the latest News, visit our Materials page to see our brochure, or Contact Us and speak to a staff person.  Read about life in GraceWorks from the volunteer perspective at our blog.  If you work for or know of an agency that might like to have a GraceWorks volunteer placed in service for a year, please visit our Agencies page.  You can also learn about ways to Get Involved, or request more information if we haven't answered all your questions.

Thanks for your interest in GraceWorks Community!

  -- Kerry Greenhill, Director

Mission Statement

The mission of the Bishop’s Young Adult Initiative is to form communities of servant leaders committed to seeing and serving Christ in the poor and marginalized and in each other.  As part of GraceWorks Community, young adults are invited to “live, serve, learn, and grow” during their year-long commitment:

Live     a simplified lifestyle in intentional community;

Serve   full-time in local human/social service agencies, meeting needs and meeting people where they are;

Learn   about social needs and justice issues, faith connections and leadership skills; and

Grow   personally, spiritually, socially, and professionally.

GraceWorks Community is sponsored by the Denver Area Episcopal Office of the United Methodist Church, serving Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone Conferences, and is rooted in the Wesleyan (United Methodist) tradition of connecting spiritual growth with social holiness.  Our core principles are Service, Community, Simplicity, and Spirituality.

Goals

 In the process of achieving this mission, the Bishop’s Young Adult Initiative seeks to:

1)   Educate young adult participants about the concrete and systemic needs of the materially poor and marginalized, and foster leadership development through service and community living;

2)   Form young people in holistic Christian discipleship in the Wesleyan (United Methodist) tradition, through the experience of service and advocacy with poor and marginalized persons, while living a simple lifestyle in intentional community with other volunteers; and

3)   Strengthen churches’ connections with and involvement in their own communities and the broader region through the work of young adult participants for compassionate social transformation.

Details of Program

Types of Volunteer Placement: Volunteers serve in community-based agencies that address material and systemic needs relating to hunger, homelessness, child welfare, violence, HIV/AIDS, academic enrichment, and other issues connected to poverty and marginalization.  Interested placement agencies in Cheyenne include Cheyenne Community Clinic; Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Laramie County; Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless; COMEA, Inc. (a homeless shelter also providing low-cost transitional housing); Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne; Community Action of Laramie County; Wyoming Kinship Advocacy; and Cheyenne Interfaith Hospitality Network. 

Geographic Area of Service: Volunteers are currently being placed in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  We plan to open additional houses in Montana, Colorado, and Utah, beginning in 2008.  

Length of Service: One-year commitment (approximately August 20 to August 3) with the option to extend for a second year. 

Requirements/Volunteer Qualifications: Age 18-30 at time of beginning year of service (high school diploma or GED), unmarried with no dependents; demonstrated maturity to live and serve in community; commitment to mission and values of the program. 

Financial Arrangements and Benefits: Room and board, transportation assistance, health insurance, and a small monthly stipend are provided.  Student loans may be deferred during the year, and an education award is available at the end of a year's service for those who qualify.  Participants are encouraged to work with their home church/community to contribute financial support to the program. 

Living Arrangements: Volunteers live together in intentional community, gathering weekly for a meal and meeting with the house chaplain or program director.  Each volunteer has her/his own bedroom in the house.

Size of Program: We can currently place 4-6 volunteers per year. 

Training: Volunteers take part in training and orientation to community living and to the geographic region during the last week of August, prior to beginning their work placements. Job training takes place within each agency or organization.  Retreats during the year address issues relating to self-knowledge, leadership development, and vocational discernment.

Program format: Weekly house meetings include time to share issues with service placement or community living, as well as facilitated discussions on faith "practices" such as Household Economics, Hospitality, Honoring the Body, Keeping Sabbath, and Forgiveness,  Volunteers also gather three times during the year for retreats to reflect on the principles of service, community, simplicity, and spirituality from a broader perspective.  

Application Deadline: For priority consideration, apply by March 31 to start in August of that year.  Applications received after this date will be considered as space is available.  

Rocky Mountain Conference      Yellowstone Annual Conference      United Methodist Church

Site last updated August 22, 2007.

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