Mentoring Program

What is the Mentoring Ministry Program?
Established by the First Church’s Task Force on Poverty and Welfare in 1998, this program connects mentors with participating families or young people.

What is a mentor?
• a role model for positive behaviors and attitudes
• a supportive coach expressing support and boosting self-esteem
• a teacher providing learning experiences and knowledge
• a companion sharing interests and experiences
• a resource suggesting new ideas and sources of information
• a trusted friend who listens, cares and encourages
• someone who challenges another to be all they can be

A mentor is you!

What does a mentor do?
Mentors help mentees make the connection between their actions of today and their goals for tomorrow.

Mentoring may take a variety of forms: facilitate problem solving, assist in finding information, tutoring, transportation, emergency childcare, emotional support, constructive feedback and always prayer, simple encouragement, listening and caring.

If I become a mentor,
how will I know what to do?
Mentors participate in training sessions offered by program volunteers and through partnering organizations.

These sessions provide information about the goals of mentoring, what a mentor is and is not, and how to facilitate lasting change in a person’s life.

Once mentors are matched with a family or young person, they participate in feedback groups designed to further sharpen their skills and help them deal with problems that may arise in the mentoring relationship.

Mentors have a large support network to help them, such as program personnel, other volunteers and the mentee’s case manager.

How much time will it take?
Mentors are asked for a one year commitment which is usually about 6-8 hours per month.

During this year, they are expected to participate in training and feedback sessions as well as spend regular one-on-one sessions with their mentee.

Working as a team mentor allows more flexibility in time commitments. Please read the “team mentor” category.

Can I be a team mentor?
Yes. Within the SPIN program, two mentors can be a team and work with a single parent family.
Mentors working with the Lost Boys or Mentoring Moms, however, are usually in a one-to-one relationship with their mentee.

Group activities provide opportunities for both mentors and mentees to network with others in the programs. One such recent opportunity was our annual Mentoring Picnic and Swim event held on Saturday, July 9th at Morley Field. There were over one hundred in attendance including children, parents, and leaders from SPIN (Supportive Parents Information Network) as well as mentors and leaders from First Church.

The day’s activities included swimming, playing softball, kickball and a variety of other games. Many hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips and other goodies were consumed by all. The best part of the day was the time spent together enjoying conversation and bonding with one another.

Throughout the year there are many other networking activities scheduled for both mentors and mentees that provide opportunities to get to know one another better.

What if I want to be involved
but don’t want to be a mentor?
Other volunteer opportunities available within the Mentoring Ministry are to provide legal assistance, healthcare services, job coaching, job shadowing, scholastic tutoring and to serve on committees such as Fundraising, Communications, Resource and Referral .