Opportunities For Churches and
Church Groups

Have your church sponsor a “Fill A Plate With Hope” Sunday

Click here to see pictures of church groups and individuals in action.

Sign up your church to sponsor a donation drive (see HOW YOU CAN HELP)

We invite you to contact our church relations and ambassador coordinator for more partnership opportunities. 

Contact Erin Dobraska at 264-0411, ext 109 or e-mail to edobraska@hopeiowa.org.

You can also call our main number 265-7272 or send an e-mail to info@hopeiowa.org

Almost every church emphasizes mission support and outreach. The Great Commission calls us to action here and abroad.  We encourage you to remember the mission field right here in our back yard where we have homeless, hungry and hurting people, many of which have a need to know the Lord.

HOW CAN OUR CHURCH GET INVOLVED WITH HOPE MINISTRIES?

Hope Ministries welcomes the involvement of churches in our ministry to the homeless, hungry and hurting in central Iowa.  Listed below are suggested first steps to introduce your church to Hope Ministries and to explore potential outreach, volunteer and mission involvement opportunities.

Step One:
Review Our Website – www.hopeiowa.org

  • Hope Ministries’ award-winning website provides a comprehensive outline of our facilities, programs and services.   This is a good first-step in discovering the scope of our outreach in central Iowa.

Step Two:
Have your pastor or church leadership attend our Leadership Lunch and Learn. Click HERE for dates and times.

  • Have your pastor or church leadership attend our Leadership Lunch and Learn.  You may choose from either the first Wednesday or second Monday of each month. This is a wonderful opportunity for clergy and their staff to learn more about Hope Ministries programs and services and our volunteer and outreach opportunities. The agenda includes sharing in a community lunch in our Hope Café, located at our Hope Ministries’ Bethel Mission facility followed by a 4 facility tour and one on one question and answer time with Hope Ministries Chief Development Officer and our Church Relations Coordinator.

Step Three:
Attend a Community Awareness Tour

  • Community Awareness tours are held on the 1st Thursday of each month, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., or by appointment. This is a wonderful opportunity for your church leadership team to learn more about Hope Ministries. During your tour you will visit 4 of 6 facilities included under the Hope Ministries umbrella of services.

Step Four:
Invite a Hope Ministries’ Speaker to Your Church

  • Hope Ministries can send a representative to speak at your Sunday morning worship or other church functions.   This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce our ministry to your membership.  Our speakers often invite one of our recovery graduates to attend and share their testimony.  Videos and display boards as well as materials to hand out are also available upon request.

Step Five:
Designate an Ambassador or Ambassador Team

  • Hope Ambassadors serve as the ‘Voice of the Homeless’ for their congregation.  Ambassadors act as a liaison to coordinate communication between Hope Ministries’ and your church regarding volunteer, outreach and mission partnership opportunities.

Step Six:
Become a King’s Closet Church

  • Hope Ministries’ King’s Closet program is a year-round outreach program providing free clothing to individuals and families. The purpose of King’s Closet is to serve God by ministering to the material needs of the impoverished in Des Moines and central Iowa and to extend our outreach to area agencies and churches serving the disadvantaged. Vouchers for free clothing are available through authorized King’s Closet agencies and churches. Authorized King’s Closet agencies must have a Hope Ambassador.

Step Seven:
Schedule Your Church to Experience Our Service and Mission Team

  • Hope Ministries Service and Mission Teams (SAM) are a wonderful ‘first-time’ experience with Hope Ministries that has a little of everything in it.  SAM is held on each Saturday of the month and includes a two hour work-group project,   standing in the lunch line with members of the Des Moines community and sharing in our community meal at our Hope Café, hearing a testimony from one of our recovery graduates, learning about homelessness in Iowa, a tour of the largest emergency shelter for homeless men in Iowa and a hands on visit to 5-6 homeless tent camps here in Des Moines.

Additional ways your church can partner in ministry to the homeless and hungry:

• Remember Hope Ministries, our shelter and recover residents, staff and volunteers in your church prayers.

• Become a Mission Partner with Hope Ministries. CONTACT US for information.

• Remember our ministry within your annual mission’s budget.

• Invite a speaker on Sunday morning or for other church functions ie: Sunday adult Sunday School, adult forums, children’s and adult sermons, temple talks,

• Request our 5-minute inspirational video to play during mission’s Sunday.

• Invite Hope Ministries to bring a display for your mission’s Sunday

• Sponsor an annual Hope Sunday and invite us to bring a resident to speak about what it means to be homeless and hopeless.

• Have your Sunday School adopt our TRICK OR TREAT SO OTHERS CAN EAT (TOTSOCE) Halloween alternative to teach your children to help those in need and bring the light of Jesus into a dark holiday.

• Sponsor a clothing or food drive for our clothes closet and meals programs.

• Have your church adopt a room at our Hope Family Center.

• Have your church join our Hope’s Helpers e-mail once a month urgent needs list.

• Identify members who may be interested in being part of our Prayer Team.

• Sign up your church to volunteer for our Saturday morning Hope on the Streets outreach.

• Sign up your church to volunteer at our Hope Bargain Center.

• Sign up your church to provide a once-a-month meal at our Hope Family Center.

• Sign up your church to provide a 30-minute evening chapel at our Bethel Mission facility.

• Become a church “adopt a family” sponsor at our Hope Family Center.

• Encourage your men to volunteer to be a mentor for one of our residents at the Door of Faith men’s recovery center or for children at Hope Family Center.

• Encourage your members to become involved as volunteers.




We thank the Bible Study Small Group from Evangelical Covenant volunteered for 3 hours on a Saturday during our PURPOSE DRIVEN WORK DAYS at our Hope Bargain Center sorting donations.