MINC: Ministries in the North Country

A mission program in the Presbytery of Northern New York


MINC is a Cooperative Parish existing to empower believers to respond to solid preaching and worship, to serve neighbors, to teach children and young people, to encourage seminary students to consider rural ministry, to celebrate the gifts of God.

 
In the parlance of 2002, MINC is a faith based organization! After two years of planning, meetings with church representatives, and the Rev. Carl Geores, who was to become the consultant, MINC began in 1989 as two clusters which included 11 churches, all but one with membership well below 100 members. Through bible study, prayer, and Carl's leadership, the two groups grew in faith and program. Within the first year, an embryonic Housing Rehab program was begun with one home, and an Outreach program was started with donated money and help for one sick and very much alone man. Christian Education was almost non existent in many of these churches - congregations felt too small to hold Sunday Schools. Soon, children from several churches were gathered in "Super Saturday Schools", where numbers were great enough for children to actively participate in learning about Jesus. The adults who brought the youngsters to these Saturday School, hosted at a variety of churches, were also empowered, and many returned to their churches to begin Sunday Schools. MINC continues to empower teachers and students with shared curriculum across Vacation Bible Schools, and assistance with Sunday School materials.

Foster Kids Xmas is a program that provides Christmas gifts for teenagers in foster care. Notoriously hard to buy for, teenagers in Foster Care rarely receive any such gifts. Churches and individuals contribute gifts and money, the gifts are wrapped and sent to the young people through their social workers. About 50 young people are served each year.

A Farm Program emerged, first with small college scholarships to students from farm families; then we added Thanksgiving Dinner Boxes to farm families in appreciation of their contribution towards raising food for all of us and a Garden Seed Program, where seeds are donated to rural families so they can grow some of their own food. Other people may buy a "garden package" of seeds, thus providing money to fund the project. Most recently, the MINC Farm Program invested in a rototiller, which will be used to prepare gardens for those in need of such help.
A MINC Intern Program was begun early on. Both summer and year long seminary interns were situated in small churches, both to help the churches, and provide intern training in rural ministry. This program is now being run in the Presbytery through the Committee On Ministry.
Two Outreach Workers are reaching out to neighbors. Middle class people find it hard to believe that people in extreme poverty live "right around the corner". Through the work of Rural Rehab, we are beginning to see the reality. During the summer building season, as the visiting work groups come with money and muscle to minister in the Housing Program, we find people living in substandard housing with sub standard health conditions and very little understanding of governmental systems to aid the poor. MINC's Outreach workers assist people in all these areas, guiding them towards helping agencies and programs, and in the last resort, helping to pay for food and heating fuel, from funds in the MINC Emergency and Farm accounts. These Accounts are funded by donations, many from churches outside the local Presbytery, who have participated in the Rural Rehab Program. MINC is currently focusing on a potential new direction of Medical Outreach help. Health care systems are complex, the availability of help is often unknown, and insurance unavailable.
Not every idea works. A Parish Nurse Program was started, and didn't work. The national program appears geared to urban settings and was little help to us. The individual we hired to work in a limited geographic area, resigned after receiving training which is required by the national program and five months on the job. It was a disapointment. It is hoped that Medical Outreach can help fill this need.
MINC staff currently consists of the 2 Outreach Workers and a Rural Rehab Work Coordinator, plus three very part time assistant RR adult supervisors in the summer. By the end of 2001, about 350 north country families have been served through the MINC Rural Rehab Program. More than 2000 volunter visitor workers have served and learned through Rural Rehab. This program is the most costly, most noticeable, and most recognized of the MINC ministries. In fact it appears to be the "engine" which drives MINC. Rural Rehab and Outreach are housed in this program. Staffing money comes partially from the money Presbytery provides and the pledges made by MINC member churches. The rest comes from other gifts or grants, plus a payment of $5,000 from the Rural Rehab budget, which is funded by gifts from various churches, visiting work groups, and from individuals who find hope in investing in the future of their neighbors. Much of the funding is generated from outside the area of the local Presbytery, as churches who have sent work groups continue to give generously, and often send groups and additional money again and again.
Office work and accounting are contracted through the Presbytery of NNY. MINC is no longer solely Presbyterian. There are now about 26 churches involved in the MINC Ministries, from Roman Catholic, to Baptist, Methodist, UCC and Lutheran.

MINC continues with bible study, prayer and service to neighbors in Jesus' name.

Thanks be to God!

ME Frackenpohl 3/13/02