Living, Learning, and Witnessing through Service

Outreach Ministries

Hospitality Apartments

The Hospitality Apartments provide rent-free housing to families in need who come to Houston for treatment at the Medical Center.  This ministry is an all-volunteer program that was begun by Joe Hightower and a group of Bering members in 1968.  While a number of Bering Members still serve at the apartments, it also draws on financial support and volunteers from a variety of denominations and congregations.

The volunteers work in the office to respond to inquiries, accept applications from families seeking assistance and assign apartments as they become available.  There are also opportunities to do yard work and other maintenance tasks around the apartments.

For information concerning volunteer opportunities please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Rocky Forshey, at 713.790.9120 or [email protected].

Lifeline Chaplaincy

The Lifeline Chaplaincy uses chaplains and trained volunteers to provide spiritual care for patients and their families who are in the Texas Medical Center.   An extension of that work provides funding for special patient needs such as short-term housing, parking, etc.

Volunteer opportunities include serving in administrative roles as well as visiting patients and their families.  Individuals who wish to visit patients go through special preparation and training and receive guidance from the chaplains on staff.

Paul Riddle at Bering Drive conducts the volunteer training and can provide additional information on those programs. You can reach Paul at 713.524.1055.

Christian Community Service Center

CCSC is an ecumenical organization that cares for the needs of the poor.  It operates a food pantry and resale shop in Bellaire and offers employment counseling, vocational training, and other services for families in need.

Bering volunteers staff a food pantry in West Houston on one Saturday per month.

Laura Bard serves as Bering’s liaison with CCSC.  However, to explore volunteer opportunities please contact the CCSC Resource Development Coordinator at [email protected]. They will answer your questions and describe current opportunities. Most volunteers find it helpful to schedule a 30-45 minute tour/orientation. 

Missions

The Missions Ministry provides spiritual support and oversight for our foreign missionaries.  These include Chester and Angela Woodhall in South Africa and Ruperta Davila in south Texas. Members of this ministry visit the missionaries in the field, coordinate visits to the U.S., and provide input for the Bering budget.

Cynthia Ownby is the chair of this ministry and is happy to describe its activities and opportunities. For more information, contact the Church Office.

Our Family

Children’s Ministry

Children need special teaching and activities to challenge their young minds as they learn about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, family, and friends.  This ministry draws upon Bering members who have a special heart for teaching children.

The ministry does not require a long term commitment and flexibly adapts to the availability of volunteer teachers.  It provides teaching kits or lesson plans that reduce the time required for preparation.  There are also opportunities to help with the annual VBS and Halloween Trunk or Treat.

Cynthia Ownby leads this ministry.  She can be contacted through the Church Office, and will happy to describe how varying  roles and teaching opportunities might fit your schedule and talents.

Adult Education

This ministry taps the talents of Bering members who are interested in leading adult classes on Sunday morning.   The teaching roles rotate on a regular basis and the format varies based on the class location (auditorium, Parlor and West Wing) and interests of the group.

Jeff Christian coordinates the teaching assignments. In some cases there is a common theme or focus for the class year.  However, teachers always have a great deal of freedom in developing the topic.

Jeff is always eager to hear from individuals who are open to leading a class for part of the year.

Audio Visual

 Individuals in this ministry create and run the PowerPoint slides that are used on Sunday morning.  Other members manage the sound system.

The Church Office can arrange for orientation training to introduce you to the Bering systems and procedures.

Encouragement

The Encouragement Ministry offers affirmation and support to Bering members and friends who are experiencing sickness, personal loss or other trials.  It also provides an opportunity to share with those who are celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and other joyous events.

During Sunday morning worship Bering members have the opportunity to write encouragement cards.  The members of the ministry then sort and mail the cards to the intended recipients.  Samira Fitts is the leader for this initiative and can help align your schedule with the ministry needs. For more information, contact the Church Office.

Library

The Bering library has a wide selection of books for helping Christians in their spiritual journey and in their personal and family life. There are Bibles of various translations, tools for scripture learning, church histories, devotionals, and thoughtful books for many life issues Christians face.

An online catalog of our inventory is coming soon.

Under the leadership of Anna Huber, ministry members receive, classify and place incoming volumes, and maintain the correct placement of existing materials.  If you are interested in helping with this ministry, contact the Church Office.

Children’s Library

Bering Drive’s children have their own special library, a colorful room filled with delightful books on reading levels from preschool through junior high. Children will find Bible stories retold through children’s eyes, character-building stories, biographies and historical fiction, along with mysteries and adventure for older readers. Books are available for self-checkout for a two week period.

 Communion Preparation

Each week those who serve in this ministry prepare the elements for the Lord’s Supper.  They also perform any necessary clean up activities after the service.

The Church Office can integrate your availability with the overall schedule.

Building and Grounds

Building and Grounds attends to the needs of our physical facility.  Our Church Administrator oversees the day-to-day activities, including the work of Antero Gutierrez, our custodian.  However, periodically special projects and work days require action by one or more volunteers. Alec Schrader serves as the leader of this ministry.  Please let him know if you have skills you can share in the areas of plumbing, electrical work, woodworking, carpentry or landscaping.

Meet and Eat

This ministry provides an excellent opportunity for members to get to know a wide variety of other members through shared meals and fellowship.  The coordinators set up groups of six to eight individuals drawing upon both couples and singles.  The individuals within the groups then take turns hosting a meal in their homes or at a restaurant.

The current coordinator is Bridget Hughes.   You can let Bridget know if you would like to assist in coordination or simply be assigned to a group as they are formed.

Benevolence

The Benevolence Ministry responds to the needs of Bering members who have special financial needs.   To the extent possible, the ministry helps meet short term needs while also providing financial counseling and identifying relevant community resources.

The Administrative Team oversees this ministry.  Please contact the Church Office if you have a heart to assist members with financial problems and are willing to help others work through what are sometimes sensitive and difficult issues.