Our belief is that everyone is gifted by God. Below is a list of ministries that you can participate in through the Matthew 25 Ministry Hub. Please look through it and see if there is a ministry to which God may be calling you to use your gifts in Christian service. If you don't see a ministry listed here that matches your particular gifts, if you want help discerning what your gifts are, or if you have questions about any specific ministry, please send us an email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or give us a call (319-362-2214) so we can connect with you.

VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)

• Training sessions are beginning now!  Please contact us ASAP if you are interested in helping with this ministry.
• Assist low-income people with their tax returns, bringing money back to them and the community in the form of refunds, free of charge.
• Training provided, requires a commitment of 4 hours/week.
• Runs January-April

Music and Mentoring on Mondays

• Musicians: share your gifts with a kid who can really use them.  Give one hour per week teaching individual music lessons to a child who couldn't normally afford to pay for them.
• Hosts: provide hospitality and supervision Monday nights 4-7pm while the computer lab and music lessons are running. 

Neighborhood Organizing

• A connected neighborhood is a stronger neighborhood, one in which children and families have more of an opportunity to flourish. Help us to connect and organize people in the Taylor neighborhood through one-on-one visits where we get to know neighbors and meetings where neighbors work together on projects they care about.

Neighborhood-building Events

• Help organize fun social events for people in the Taylor neighborhood such as concerts, block parties, etc.
• We (in partnership with other neighborhood organizations) hope to put on six of these per year.
• Next event will be during the winter.  Please check the "Latest News" section on the front page periodically for updates.

Book Buddies

• Develop a great new friendship teaching reading one-on-one to a student at Taylor Elementary. 
• Volunteers are trained by Taylor's Reading Specialist in the "Book Buddies" curriculum, a well structured program designed to give kids the support they need to become great readers.
• Requires a solid commitment of one-two hours per week during school hours. Taylor Elementary is on a modified schedule. To see the schedule, click here. 

Taylor School Collections

• Help to organize or promote within your church a collection for Taylor Elementary students and families.
• Previous collections include: socks and underwear, Christmas gifts, books for Taylor Library.
• This April, help your church collect new and gently used books for kids at Taylor Elementary.  Send them home this summer with some great reading.  For more info on how to participate, contact Matthew 25. 

District Training Events

• Help plan, host, or attend semi-annual training events for local church members in ministry. For instance, our last training was for local church mission committees.
• Next Training scheduled for Sunday, April 20th.  The study - "We Invited, They Came, Now What?" - will focus on the culture clash and other issues that arise when a typically middle-class church successfully invites low-income people into its midst.

Narcotics Anonymous

• This group meets at the Hub to carry out their own ministry of healing.
• If you know of someone who could use their help, talk to us, and we can get you connected.

Matthew 25 Board

• Serve on the board of Matthew 25, helping manage the month-to-month business of the organization.
• Presence required at monthly meeting the second Saturday of each month, 9-11 a.m., and whatever work you agree to do between meetings.

Summer Meals Program

• Serve lunch to (and eat with) neighborhood children and their families during the summer break.
• Volunteers serve 11:30-1:30 with lunch served 12:00-1:00. Volunteers can stay around after to join in informal games with kids.
• Look for information on how to participate in this ministry before next summer.

Summer or Winter Break Youth Immersion Experience

• Let us design with you a youth immersion experience for your church, where youth learn about urban poverty and have the chance to participate in a ministry of Matthew 25. Immersion experiences can range from one day to one week in length.