This month we are highlighting people engaged in multi-housing ministry, and we can’t wait for you to meet Janet Wietbrock, Executive Director of Creating Caring Communities. Janet has been with Creating Caring Communities since its inception in 2009. Let’s get to know more about Creating Caring Communities and the teams Janet leads.
Tell us about Creating Caring Communities and what makes it so special.
Creating Caring Communities is a nonprofit organization that hires, trains, and mentors Christian couples to live in intentional community within an apartment community. Our vision and purpose is to create community to connect residents with each other, with their CC Team and with God. Our hope is to build authentic relationships with our neighbors and out of those relationships, share our faith in Jesus Christ.
One thing that might make us special is our focus on creating and maintaining a strong team connection. Currently, we have six teams throughout Chico and these 6 teams are the only couples in a community of 100,000 doing this type of ministry. It has the potential to become discouraging and isolating, and we want to avoid that. We want the teams to feel supported and cared for and encouraged to keep doing what they are doing as we believe it is holy work and want our teams to find continual joy in that truth. We meet once a month and have a meal together, share highlights and lowlights, and pray with one another as one way to facilitate this. We also encourage teams if they are low on hours to serve at another team’s event which helps build great team comradery. In addition, I also meet with each team once a month and attend events as a support when my schedule allows.
What are three qualities you look for when interviewing a team for one of your properties?
When we interview a potential team we ask them to share their testimony. This allows us a peek into their personal relationship with Christ. It becomes very obvious quickly if Jesus is Savior or Savior and Lord. We are looking for the latter.
We also ask them what groups of people do they enjoy being with (seniors, kids, young adults, peers) and what groups are hard for them. These answers often tell us a bit about their love for people which helps us know if they would be a good fit. We are looking for people who love people.
We also are looking for Christians who are ok if they never lead a person to Christ while they serve as a CC Team. Of course, we want that to happen, but it is not our focus. Relationship building is.
Can you share about a time you have seen God working in one of your apartment communities?
There are so many beautiful stories of people’s lives being transformed through Caring Community Teams but one that stands out to me is when one of the teams asked their Facebook friends if they could send a Christmas card to a resident who was a veteran suffering from PTSD. This resident struggled to come to events because of his PTSD but would attempt to. It was clear to the team he was in need of community and friendship. The team would stop by and visit him but connecting to the greater community was difficult for him. When he received over 50 Christmas cards and some gifts, something shifted in him. He started attending events and would bring some of the cards to share with other residents. Eventually the team asked him to come to church with them and he did. To this day he still attends church and is walking with Jesus. It is a lesson in what a small gesture of kindness can do to a hurting heart.
Why do you think churches should be paying attention to and engaging in multi-housing ministry?
Churches should be paying attention because an apartment community is filled with unchurched/non-believers and when there is already a team in place, it is an excellent and easy opportunity to visit, bless, and maybe even pray with non-believers. Part of our role is to change people’s perspective about church and God, and the more people who just want to love and bless others without an agenda attached, the more successful we will be.
What are practical ways local churches can support people engaging in ministry in apartment communities?
Attend events and help out a team with prep, serving, and clean up. Come and just listen to people’s stories and ask to pray with them.
What’s one resource you have found helpful in developing and mentoring teams to serve in apartment communities over the years?
The organization Apartment Life and all of their resources have been essential to our ability to develop and mentor our teams. The Bible is also essential for gaining wisdom and insight in developing leaders in our teams.
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A giant thanks to Janet and the teams she leads for the important work they are doing in California. Are you or someone you know engaging in apartment ministry? We want to hear about it! Email us at [email protected].
Part of our role is to change people’s perspective about church and God, and the more people who just want to love and bless others without an agenda attached, the more successful we will be.
Janet Wietbrock, Executive Director of Creating Caring Communities
