Benevolence Policy of First Baptist Church of Harahan

Purpose of the Policy

Benevolent assistance to those in need is not only a command of Christ, but one of the oldest and noblest of Christian traditions. However, the church has a responsibility to use wisely those resources with which God has entrusted us. At First Baptist Church of Harahan, we take both of those responsibilities very seriously. This policy is enacted to expedite and standardize the process of responding to benevolence requests.

Bylaws Article III, Section 2. Benevolent Fund committee

The duties of this committee will be:

• To investigate any request for benevolent assistance received by the church.
• To make an appropriate recommendation to the pastor as to a proper disposition of the request.

Benevolence Requests

Benevolence requests are defined as any physical or financial need that is brought to the church for help. The Benevolence committee is required by Bylaw III, Section 2 to investigate and recommend action on any benevolence request.

• A benevolence request can be initiated by the pastor, any member of the benevolence committee, any deacon, any Sunday School Teacher, or any other church leader. Such leader is hereafter referred to as the initiating member.
• The initiating member will interview the person in need, hereafter know as the requestor, to determine the nature of the need and submit the need for consideration of the committee using a Benevolence Intake form available in the church office or on the church intranet. The requestor should be asked to sign the front page of the form at the conclusion of the interview.
• The initial interview should always include prayer.
• The initiating member forwards the completed Benevolence Intake form to the committee for consideration. If time is critical, the submission of the form is not as important as the transmission of the appropriate information.
• A Walk-in request may be turned down by the initiating member without cause, or for any cause that seems appropriate to him or her.
• The committee may, after appropriate consideration:
  • approve a request under the authority of this policy,
  • deny a request, either with or without cause
  • refer a request to the church for further action.
• Neither the church or the committee is under any obligation to consider a request beyond the initial interview. If they do consider a request, the committee is required to consider such intangibles as the requestor’s:
  • Perceived spiritual condition and how an assistance decision might impact future spiritual growth
  • Other avenues of available assistance.
  • Relationship to the church
  • Personal responsibility for the crisis
  • attitude
• Regardless of the facts of any case, the committee should be open to the leadership of the Holy Spirit concerning any request, and strive to follow His guidance.
• The committee shall provide for the acquisition and replacement of gas and food cards that are sufficiently limited as to assure the church that they will be used for their intended purpose.Under no circumstances shall a disbursement be made to an individual requestor.
• If a requestor repays the assistance given, then the assistance timeline will be reset.
• All requests are intensely personal, and therefore should be considered confidential by all parties.

Committee Guidelines

The benevolence committee may act in Christian Charity on behalf of the church without further church approval to meet needs according to the following guidelines. Any exceptions to the amounts or time frames shall require the approval of the church in conference.

After assistance is granted one time, additional assistance may be granted at the discretion of the committee.

Walk-in requests—Walk-in requests are received from people who are unconnected to the church. In general, if the initiating member and the majority of the committee are unfamiliar with a requestor, it will be considered a walk-in.

• The church may provide a walk-in requestor with a $30.00 gas card, a $50.00 food card, or up to $50.00 of expenses paid to a third party.

• Under no circumstances shall the total assistance offered total more than $100.00 without additional approval by the church.

• After assistance is granted one time, it may not be extended again for twelve months without approval of the church.

The committee shall provide for the acquisition and replacement of gas and food cards that are sufficiently limited as to assure the church that they will be used for their intended purpose.

Known person requests—Known person requests are received from people who are connected to the church, but are not church members. They may be regular attenders, Sunday School members, or otherwise known to a significant number of church members. In general, a known-person request would be known to the initiating member before the initial interview, and not require significant explanation to the majority of the committee. If in doubt, the committee shall determine whether or not the person meets the known-person standard.

• The church may provide a known-person requestor with a $30.00 gas card, a $50.00 food card, or up to $100.00 of expenses paid to a third party.

• Under no circumstances shall the total assistance offered total more than $100.00 without additional approval by the church.

After assistance is granted one time, it may not be extended again for twelve months without approval of the church.

Member requests—Member requests are made by or on behalf of active members of the church. Active membership is defined in Article I of the Bylaws. If a request is made by or on behalf of an inactive member, the committee shall decide whether they will be categorized as a Known-person or member, calling upon the membership committee for guidance as needed.

• The church may provide a member requestor with a $30.00 gas card, a $50.00 food card, or up to $200.00 of expenses paid to a third party.

• Under no circumstances shall the total assistance offered total more than $200.00 without additional approval by the church.

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