United Ministries

Mission

The mission of United Ministries is to provide assistance to families with dependent children who have emergency needs such as housing and utilities, and to offer hope, encouragement, and spiritual guidance.

Provide assistance means helping the client in a holistic approach by:

• Providing financial assistance
• Helping with problem-solving
• Helping to develop a family budget
• Networking with other agencies
• Providing information on food programs and on other services in the community
• Discussing ways to help keep utility bills down

Families means that at least one parent/guardian and at least one dependent child under the age of 18 live in the home full-time.

Emergency needs means that a recent crisis situation has occurred in the family and that they need financial assistance to pay such things as rent or utilities. Ideally, the crisis situation is a one-time event and is not an on-going situation.

Housing is assistance with a client’s valid rental agreement or mortgage.

Utilities is assistance with a client’s past due electric, water, and/or natural gas bills.

Offer hope means counseling with the families in crisis to help them see that they are not alone and that their situation can be better in the future.

(Offer) encouragement means listening to the families in crisis and insuring that they know they are important in God’s eyes. It means affirming what the client is doing right and suggesting changes that may bring improvement.

(Offer) spiritual guidance means listening carefully to the client’s story and offering support, prayer and scripture to bring comfort and direction.

Vision

United Ministries envisions the greater Pensacola area as a thriving, sustainable, and safe community where residents are treated with respect and work together for the common good; where churches unite in purpose to demonstrate the compassion of Christ; and where the United Ministries’ volunteers and staff act on behalf of local families with financial and spiritual needs in order to prevent homelessness.