Engage My City is a local outreach initiative to relationally serve our city in tangible ways. Throughout the month of August, we will be highlighting areas of impact within our city and will provide opportunities to partner with organizations through volunteering. Our goal is to have deep impact through consistent involvement in the city God has placed us.

Will You Engage?

24-Hours of Prayer

Wednesdays

July 31 + August 7 + August 14 + August 21

Prayer impacts our daily lives, which is why, as part of Engage My City this year, we’re committed to 24 hours of prayer on four specific days!

Join us each Wednesday for a 30-minute prayer slot. You can pray from your home, car, workplace, or anywhere convenient since there’s no on-site location at the church.

Once you sign up, you’ll receive an email with specific prayer requests to guide your time, which you can print or access digitally.

Week 01

Abbett Elementary School

July 28 – August 3

Abbett is a part of Fort Wayne Community Schools and Pine Hills has been partnered with this school for over a decade. We will be assisting the school in preparing for the new school year by assembling backpacks, prepping classrooms, and cleaning up their grounds.

Learn more about Abbett Elementary School.

All Serving Opportunities Are COMPLETED!

Thankfully, no! We have been blessed by some donors who have financially covered the cost of all school supplies and backpacks. Simply show up at Abbett during your sign-up time and help assemble the backpacks with the supplies provided.

Of course! We encourage you to participate as a family each week. Here is a suggested volunteer opportunity for Week 1:

We are providing backpacks and school supplies for each student at Abbett. Join us on Wednesday, July 31 to help assemble these backpacks that will be given out at Abbett’s back-to-school event. Or, join us on Saturday, August 3 for a cleanup day at Abbett as they prepare their grounds for back-to-school!

Pine Hills Middle School Youth and High School Youth are involved all month long in a variety of additional opportunities during their gathering times as well. If you need help selecting the best opportunity for your family, we would love to chat with you on a Sunday morning. Find us at the sign-up tables in the lobby!

Week 02

International House

August 4-10

International House is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization committed to sharing the love and light of Jesus Christ with refugees and other internationals living in the Fort Wayne area. We will have the opportunity to learn more about the international community in Fort Wayne through various projects supporting and serving iHouse.

Learn more about International House.

All Serving Opportunities Are COMPLETED!

Most of the supplies will be provided, but we will communicate with you if there are specific items you need to bring that applies to your project. Make sure to bring water and work gloves (if desired/needed) also.

Yes! There are a variety of projects available, some of which include indoor cleaning or yard cleanup. Pine Hills also has a project of taking water to various project sites during the week we are serving with International House. Simply go to pinehills.church/emc and select “International House” to sign up for delivering water bottles to project sites.

Of course! We encourage you to participate as a family each week. Here is a suggested volunteer opportunity for Week 2:

Join us on Saturday, August 10 for a clean-up day at International House’s property. There is something for the whole family to do! Or, if you have younger kids, and flexibility throughout the week, delivering water bottles to project sites could be a great fit for you and your family.

Pine Hills Middle School Youth and High School Youth are involved all month long in a variety of additional opportunities during their gathering times as well. If you need help selecting the best opportunity for your family, we would love to chat with you on a Sunday morning. Find us at the sign-up tables in the lobby!

Week 03

The Rescue Mission

August 11-17

The Rescue Mission, founded in 1903, is a faith-based, nonprofit organization, providing restorative care to men, women, and children experiencing a homeless crisis. Their ministry serves Fort Wayne, Allen County, and its eleven surrounding counties. We will be serving all of the meals at The Rescue Mission this week and sorting items at Treasure House, their thrift store.

Learn more about The Rescue Mission.

All Serving Opportunities Are COMPLETED!

Volunteers must wear loose-fitting tops (no crop-tops, halter-tops, sleeveless shirts, or tank-tops). Clothing that promotes drugs, alcohol, sex, profanity, or violence is not acceptable. Recommended attire for food service volunteers is long-sleeved shirts, slacks, or capri pants, or long dresses. Closed-toe shoes are required, as well as a hair net (provided by The Rescue Mission) or a ball cap.

The minimum age for serving a meal at The Rescue Mission is 7 years old and the minimum age for serving at Treasure House is 10 years old (with adult supervision).

Of course! We encourage you to participate as a family each week. Here is a suggested volunteer opportunity for Week 3:

Throughout the week, we have the opportunity to join residents and those in our community in the chapel services hosted at The Rescue Mission. Sign-up to bring your family to one of these special half-hour services led by our Pine Hills Worship team. Your attendance will surely be an encouragement to the residents!

Pine Hills Middle School Youth and High School Youth are involved all month long in a variety of additional opportunities during their gathering times as well. If you need help selecting the best opportunity for your family, we would love to chat with you on a Sunday morning. Find us at the sign-up tables in the lobby!

Week 04

New Mercies Ministries

August 18-24

We will be facilitating a yard sale at Headwaters Church for New Mercies Ministries with many volunteer opportunities available. Donations can be given throughout the week and volunteers will be needed to receive, clean, sort, and organize donations in preparation for the sale.

Learn more about New Mercies.

All Serving Opportunities Are COMPLETED!

Yes! Donations can be dropped off at Headwaters Church (2000 N Wells St, Fort Wayne, IN 46808) during the following times:

8/20: 1:00 – 7:00 PM

8/21: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

We would love to accept any of your gently used household items and clothing. We will not be able to receive the following donations: Tires, Beds, Mattresses, Pool Tables, Pianos, Paint/Chemicals, and Perishable Items.

Of course! We encourage you to participate as a family each week. Here is a suggested volunteer opportunity for Week 4:

Time to go through all those old toy bins and clothing tubs from the attic. Collect gently used donation items for the New Mercies sale to drop off at Headwaters Church during the designated collection times. Then shop the sale on Friday, August 23rd with your whole family.

Pine Hills Middle School Youth and High School Youth are involved all month long in a variety of additional opportunities during their gathering times as well. If you need help selecting the best opportunity for your family, we would love to chat with you on a Sunday morning. Find us at the sign-up tables in the lobby!

Reading Plan

Throughout Engage My City we are reading through all six chapters of Galatians as a church. Click on the link below to get our reading guide + more information!

Podcast

The Engage My City Podcast is designed to answer honest questions through raw and thought-provoking conversations. Each episode features roundtable discussions with staff and elders at Pine Hills to shed light on the questions we often hesitate to ask and to provide thoughtful insights that can empower us to surrender to the Holy Spirit’s transformative work in our lives.

Digital Magazine

Check out our Engage My City magazine designed to help you engage with topics and causes associated with our partner ministries through articles and engaging content!

Share a Story

We love hearing stories about the projects you’re completing and, especially, how God may have shown up while you were serving!