There are several local, city and global serving opportunities near and dear to hearts of Fair Haven members.
Visit chapelwood.org/serve for a complete list of serving opportunities sponsored and promoted by Chapelwood.
Serving Fair Haven:
There are many occasions to serve on a weekly, monthly or "as needed" basis at Fair Haven. Weekly opportunities include ushering, singing in the Chancel Choir or ringing with the Fair Haven Bells, reading Scripture and more. Each month, the Altar guild helps prepare for communion. Throughout the year, Fair Haven hosts community events like concerts and Trunk-or-Treat that require many volunteers to set-up and run. Visit the Fair Haven Sunday Morning Worship Teams page to see more of these opportunities.
Serving the City of Houston:
Fair Haven is host to many opportunities to serve the local Community:
Fair Haven Food Pantry - Weekdays Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Each weekday our Fair Haven Food Pantry serves hundreds of local families who have a need for fresh and pantry food items. During the 2020 Pandemic, the Food Pantry entered into a partnership with the Houston Food Bank to be a food distribution site and many thousands of families and individuals were fed by items sorted and distributed by volunteers from the community coming to serve at Fair Haven.
Today, the Food Pantry operates a "client service" model that allows clients to select items from food donated by local individuals and churches as well as weekly distributions from the Houston Food Bank. 20 volunteers are needed daily to sort and restock food as well as serve the clients. Visit the Food Pantry signup genius to select times to serve.
Cornerstone Family Ministries - Weekdays, Monday-Friday after school hours
Volunteers are needed to help elementary age students with homework, crafts and recreation after school every day in The Shed at Fair Haven. Also needed are volunteers to help plan fun events for the kids. Volunteers are encouraged to spend more than one hour a week at our program, but we are flexible. After school hours, weekdays 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Contact Amanda Etheredge with Cornerstone for information about volunteering.
S.W.A.P. MENTORS:
Student With Amazing Potential (S.W.A.P.) is a monthly program helping students from Spring Oaks Middle School. The focus of this program is to expose students to career and higher education possibilities, help them dream about their futures, and build relationships with them through small groups. Mentors are needed to attend Saturday S.W.A.P. events each month in the Fair Haven CLC and help facilitate small groups during that time. This is a once a month commitment during the school year. Contact Suzanne Harter for more information about volunteering.
Memorial Assistance Ministries offers ESL classes throughout the year. Currently classes are taught on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in the Fair Haven CLC. Students must register for courses for Spring, Summer and Fall semesters. To get involved as a volunteer, contact MAM's Volunteer Engagement Department at [email protected], phone number 713-574-7540, or visit their website: https://www.mamhouston.org/volunteer
Serving around the Globe:
Manos Juntas is a methodist mission located in the border towns of Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley. Annually, teams go to help with medical visits and construction projects. Supplies are collected at Chapelwood Greenbay and Fair Haven twice a year to share with the mission. The Next collection drive will be held in the month of October. Green collection bins will be located in the Narthex and Fellowship Hall entry for donated items to be dropped off.
Volunteers are also invited to join Mission Teams to Manos Juntas on the Texas/Mexico border, traveling by car and van down and back. The mission will consist of varying projects (anything from construction to medical to VBS-like work) depending on the team talents and preferences. Contact Suzi Callaway for more information.
Annual Serving Events:
In addition to twice annual Manos Juntas Drive, these other regular collections are requested:
Feed the Need: in November, Feed the Need will provide additional food for the holidays for our Spring Branch neighbors, distributed through the Fair Haven Food Pantry and East Spring Branch Food Pantry.
Food Pantry Book Drive: Preschool and elementary age books are distributed from the Food Pantry. Children who are brought with their family to the food pantry may choose a book each time they come. Books for all ages are always needed.
Christmas Eve Diaper Drive: Programs such as WIC, SNAP or Medicare do not pay for or provide diapers, so each year Chapelwood collects packages of diapers (size 4,5 or 6) to be donated to the Fair Haven Food Pantry.