Helping people find jobs during crisis is critical. Amid a global pandemic, the members of your congregation and your surrounding community are all affected. Some are facing under-employment or have lost their jobs entirely. Social distancing restrictions have placed many in a state of limbo that’s not only financially devastating, but it’s emotionally devastating as well.
As a leader in your church, you’re feeling the weight of your community’s suffering. As much as you deeply care for your people, how can you practically and effectively bring opportunities for their livelihood?
Your church can help keep the economic engine running. By tapping into the business expertise of your church community, you can enable individuals to get access to jobs like they never could before. Eliminating hoops and bringing qualified individuals and businesses that need them together. Here are three simple and proven ways that help place your people back into jobs.
Stay Connected
Help the growing numbers of people looking for a job find the appropriate resources to locate work.
- Connect people of similar interest and talent. Connect those looking for work with others in the same industry that will point them in the right direction based on interest and talents.
- Add job openings to your website. Research local organizations who assist individuals with unemployment and job search. For example, in Kentucky visit Kentuckiana Works.
- Help those without technology to apply for services, unemployment, and jobs.
Partner Up
Collaborate or connect with service agencies in your area to discover current jobs and employer needs.
- Discuss job openings with business leaders in your church. Start making a list of company names, industry, contact person, phone #, email address, and website. Reach out to these partners and lead your community to them.
- Create flyers to distribute to local businesses. Let businesses know you would like to provide talent to their workforce.
- Establish a collaboration with a local school’s Family Resource Coordinator to connect with families who have lost jobs and need resources.
Honor your Heroes
Stories of hope and success are important motivators as well as celebrating businesses treating their employees well.
- Create a “Spotlight” on your website or social page. Honor a local business in need of employees, a business holding together their workforce, or a person in the congregation who is still working everyday (restaurant, hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, etc.)
- Send a “Thank You” package to workers who are at risk: send cleaning products, hygiene products (i.e. toilet paper), food/snacks, medicine, books, toys for a child or something “nicer” like a laptop to someone in need.