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One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand,
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there were
one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my
life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could
only see one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most
trying periods of my life there have only been one set of footprints in
the sand. Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for
me?”
The Lord replied, “The times when you have seen only one set of
footprints, it when I carried you.”
Mary Stevenson
“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be
watered.” Proverbs 11:24-25
InterfaithA Mission to Support Our Community
Bismarck, ND
How do we do it?Interfaith receives referrals from churches and other local agencies for families and individuals who are seeking assistance. Interfaith has no paid staff, so we rely solely on our committee, whose members are from area churches, and volunteers. Interfaith utilizes the volunteers, Judy Smith, financial supervisor and Brenda Kriedeman, LSW, to keep the work going.
Interfaith collects donations from congregations and individuals in the community, then immediately turns those donations into assistance for those who need it.
In 2014, Interfaith received almost $40,000 in donations. 72% of these donations came from churches in the surrounding community, others came from individuals and businesses. That same year 14% of the donations were given directly to 20 different families in need. The donations are given to these individuals and families to assist with childcare, education, food, transportation, birth certificates, and so much more. In fact, over 78% of donations were used in assisting families with housing and utilities so that Interfaith can proactively assist with the fight against the homelessness growing in our community.
Our StoryTwenty eight years ago Pat Hall and Bob Nordvall, two Bismarck pastors, talked about the concerning unmet economic needs of people coming to the churches looking for assistance. At the time there was no organized effort that supported or provided for those who did not qualify for assistance. In November of 1985 members of United Way and pastors from the community joined together to create Interfaith. It was decided that Interfaith would be a ministry outreach and all proceeds would be collected from cooperating congregations.
