PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE JOBS PARTNERSHIP OF FLORIDA
The Diocese of Central Florida recently partnered with Jobs Partnership of Florida in an effort to get its churches more involved in helping those in need. On Nov. 14, 2017, Bishop Greg Brewer and the Rev. Justin Holcomb, Canon of Vocations, hosted rectors, vicars, and priests-in-charge from churches in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties for a lunch and presentation by Jobs Partnership of Florida.

Although the economy is steadily improving, millions of people are still looking for jobs, and millions more are not making enough to make ends meet.

According to an article in thebalance.com https://www.thebalance.com/current-u-s-unemployment-rate-statistics-and-news-3305733, the unemployment rate in America is 4.1 percent. Higher still is the underemployment rate of 12.5 percent, according to a www.statista.com report last July.

Hoping to cut into those numbers is the Diocese of Central Florida, which recently partnered with Jobs Partnership of Florida in an effort to get its churches more involved in helping those in need. On Nov.  14, 2017, Bishop Greg Brewer and the Rev. Justin Holcomb, Canon of Vocations, hosted rectors, vicars, and priests-in-charge from churches in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties for a lunch and presentation by Jobs Partnership of Florida.

The purpose of the lunch was to introduce those in attendance to Jobs Partnership and to invite them to incorporate the organization’s agenda into their own church’s outreach programs, according to Sarah Caprani, the Executive Assistant to Brewer. Currently, only All Saints’ Episcopal in Winter Park and Church of the Good Shepherd in Maitland are involved with Jobs Partnership.

Jobs Partnership helps the unemployed and chronically underemployed become a part of the workforce through mentoring and coaching from lay people at churches.

“Jobs Partnership reached out to me in my role as Canon for Vocations,” Holcomb said. “After learning more about the organization, I helped the bishop set up a lunch for rectors to learn about Jobs Partnership.”

Although Jobs Partnership currently only serves the Orange County area, the organization is hoping to expand its reach with the help of the Diocese of Central Florida.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for mobilizing lay leaders in our churches to serve a significant need in our area through missional, Kingdom-driven volunteer work,” Brewer said in his invitation to Diocese churches. “Jobs Partnership describes the need well:

“Across Florida, 45 percent of households struggle to afford the basic necessities of housing, childcare, food, healthcare and transportation,” Brewer said. “About two-thirds of these are the working poor or chronically underemployed families. Jobs Partnership provides a proven solution built on the Biblical truth that all people are created and designed by God to work, to be fruitful and to have purpose in their lives.”

The faith-based impetus behind Jobs Partnership’s agenda was a big reason why the Diocese of Central Florida got involved. The acts of stewardship and reaching out are important facets of the Episcopal Church.

“One of the distinguishing marks of the Holy Spirit’s work in the Church is a profound compassion for those in need,” Holcomb said. “Working with Jobs Partnership to help the underemployed and unemployed is one of many ways the church engages with the community in acknowledging the worth of every human life and the dignity of human work.

“While working with organizations such as Jobs Partnership often helps us grow in our faith, it is never about how it helps us,” Holcomb said. “It is about participating in God’s work of redemption, restoration, and renewal in the world.”

Members of Church of the Good Shepherd are enjoying their work with Jobs Partnership. The Maitland church was the second of the Diocese’s churches to get involved with Jobs Partnership.

“Our involvement started when they drove onto the campus asking if we had any space for them to hold a class,” said Church of the Good Shepherd rector Laura Bronos. “We offered them a room, but since we are a small congregation with no sexton at the time, we handed them the keys to the room to use.

“Our deacon, Dick Costin, did volunteer as a mentor for one session, and two of our parishioners attended the classes which were very, very helpful,” Bronos said. “My involvement has been on the pastor’s council and as a cheerleader for the ministry, which I think is fantastic, and we had some kick-off prayer services in our chapel, especially as they were going through the re-design of the curriculum (and) we provided a prayer covering.”

Bronos is so pleased with Jobs Partnership that she is hoping Church of the Good Shepherd can provide more mentors as time goes along. “I do believe they offer something unique for the chronically underemployed and unemployed,” she said.

As for how many churches in the diocese should be involved in Jobs Partnership, Holcomb said the Diocese does not have a target number. Instead, Holcomb hopes churches will take advantage of opportunities.

“The diocese gives the churches a fair amount of autonomy in how they will live out their calling to be salt and light in their communities,” Holcomb said. “Part of my job is to help the churches learn about the opportunities like this in their communities. It is then up to each church to decide where they can most effectively engage with their community.”