Outreach Opportunities
In Our Community & Beyond
Upcoming Opportunities at a Glance – full details below
- Loaves & Fishes – Second Saturday of each month & designated Wednesday’s
- DuPage Care Center – Third Sunday of each month
- Prison Ministry – First and Third Saturday of each month
- Hesed House – November 13 & 14
- Mission Trip interest form
- Join our Mission Leadership Team
- Pray for our Mission Partners
- Feed the Need! – Save the date, March 1-2, 2025
Loaves and Fishes Community Services |Volunteers Needed
Good Shepherd is proud to partner with Loaves & Fishes to help end hunger and transform lives. Loaves and Fishes Community Services currently serves 9,000 families or more each week from the surrounding communities. Would you consider how you might join our team to assist this valued mission partner in the important work they do in our community?
Courtesy Patrol at the Aurora Distribution Hub – Second Saturday of each Month
Good Shepherd is committed to providing a Courtesy Patrol Team on the second Saturday of each month at the Aurora Hub. Courtesy Patrol is an important job – the first and final interaction with clients! You will help direct cars into the parking lot or load groceries into their vehicles. This group of volunteers always has a great time!
Two volunteer shifts
- 7:30 – 10:00 am
- 10:00 am – 12:15 pm
Join our team on any Second Saturday beginning on September 14th. Sign up here.
Naperville Market Place – Bi-Monthly Market Refresh
We will also provide a Bi-Monthly Market Refresh Team at the Naperville site. Help restock the market shelves after a busy day of distribution to prepare for the next open market shift. This is an indoor activity that supports the efficient operation of our Market for evening distributions. We will serve on designated Wednesdays from 3:30-5 pm.
Join our team on designated Wednesdays starting October 9th, here.
Hesed House | November 13 & 14
Hesed House’s mission is to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, and give people the chance to hope again. Hesed House is a national model for ending homelessness – one person, one family at a time. With a federal grant and generous matching donations, Hesed House is scheduled this fall to complete a multi-million dollar renovation & expansion project in their warehouse space at 680 S. River Street. We celebrate this incredible enhancement for the vulnerable in our community.
The next date our team is serving is November 13 & 14. A sign-up will be posted 2-3 weeks in advance.
Welcome New Hesed House Coordinators
Welcome Dave & Greta Hanson to our Leadership Team as the new Good Shepherd volunteer coordinators for Hesed House and Jen Stefani as our Family Shelter Team Leader. . After over a decade of serving in this role, Matt Hebel will be handing the baton to this incredible team as he focuses his time as Chairperson for Feed the Need. We are grateful to each of these leaders for the IMPACT they are making in our community!
Prison Ministry
First and Third Saturday each month
The first and the third Saturday of each month, a team of 6-12 volunteers head into Statesville Prison to minister to inmates there. Inmates spend 167 hours a week inside their cells. Our visiting team distributes bibles & various spiritual reading materials. They listen, pray and minister to them however the spirit leads the conversation. This is equally as impactful for our team as it is for the inmates and many lives have been changes through these interactions. The time commitment is from 8am-Noon.
Email our leader for more details here.
DuPage Care Center
3rd Sunday of the Month from 9:30 – 11:45 AM
Do you know that Good Shepherd provides an off-site worship service once a month for residents living at DuPage Care Center? It’s an important way that we serve our community. Every third Sunday we provide a team to worship with residents physically unable to go to church. Pianists, musicians, vocalists, and anyone with a smile who can push a wheelchair are invited to join our team in this impactful service! Just a few hours, once a month, helps to bring worship and joy to grateful residents!
Email our leader for more details here.
Cherish Watoto Kenya | Bernard Wandera
We were grateful to have Bernard Wandera, Director of Cherish Watoto Kenya, onsite here in May. This was a unique opportunity to hear directly from Bernard about the incredible journey of taking children from extreme poverty in the slums of Nairobi to possibilities through Cherish Watoto Kenya and the impact of our partnership. If you missed one of the inspirational in-person opportunities, some recorded options are below.
Podcast with Ross Cochran featuring Bernard Wandera
Live session featuring Bernard Wandera and Jeannine Allen. Link will be available soon on You Tube.
Feed My Starving Children
Aurora Packing Site
Each day FMSC distributes meals in schools, orphanages, clinics, and feeding programs around the world to deliver hope and break the cycle of poverty. Kids and adults of all ages hand-pack nutritious MannaPack® meals specifically designed to assist in reversing and preventing undernutrition. FMSC is a long-time mission partner of Good Shepherd. We are a premier supporter of Feed the Need every February, and sponsor several group packing sessions throughout the year. Outside of that, you can sign up directly to serve at the Aurora site. It is a fun, impactful way to help with the world hunger crisis.
Sign up and full details here.
Mission Trip Interest
Join us on an incredible journey of faith and service! God’s transformative work happens through His people, and a mission trip is a powerful way to be part of that work. Whether you’re an experienced traveler or just beginning to consider short-term missions, we invite you to complete our interest form today. By doing so, you’ll help us discern the when, where, and how of our mission trips for the remainder of 2023-24.
As we hear stories of the tremendous impact that mission trips have on both those serving and being served, we’re excited to see what God has in store for us. By taking this step of faith, you’ll have the opportunity to deepen your relationship with God, connect with fellow believers, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. So why wait? Complete the interest form today and let’s discover where God is calling us to serve together.
Local Mission Leadership Team
Do you have a heart for local missions? We are growing our leadership team with individuals who can help us plan and execute local serving events like Hesed House. This will be a joint effort, amongst passionate people, doing kingdom work right in our own backyard. Together, joyfully, we can make a difference.
Contact Jeannine Allen to learn more.
Thrivent Action Teams
If you are a Thrivent Member, you are eligible for a $250 gift card to support community-involved service projects. Please consider partnering with Good Shepherd to put this money into action with our current community outreach efforts! Together we can make an impact! We will walk you through the easy process step by step.
Email us to learn more.