What is your Statement of Faith?
We believe in the one true God of creation.
He came to earth as the incarnate person of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived to teach mankind to learn the only WAY to live a righteous life is to surrender to HIM.
Jesus died on the Cross for our sins of the past, present and future. HE died, and on the 3rd day, He bodily rose from the dead to be at the right hand of God almighty.
We believe in the Trinity of God the father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit placed in the living person who has accepted Christ as his or her Lord and Savior.
We believe the Bible is the inerrant infallible work of God's inspiration through real men who wrote the messages of the Old and New Testaments of the only true Bible.
All religions are not alike. There is only one way to a true relationship with God, the creator, and that is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. If we believe this, it assures us, by Grace, of our salvation and eternal life. Those who do not believe will face eternity in Hell.
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What makes the Mentor Corps so different from other mentoring programs?
Three major factors:
First, the MC mentors will be Christian men who are at a certain level of maturity in their walk with Christ and are willing to spend approximately 8 hours in mentorship orientation and training. Feeling that you are "not qualified" is really the first qualification. We trust God to work through us.
Second, the mentee will be recruited from a Christian program aligned with a recovery center, a prison, a jail, or transitional housing. This individual will have surrendered his life to Christ and be willing to submit to the leadership of a mentor.
Third, the Mentor Corps is interested in helping the mentor grow as a godly man while he is helping another man (the mentee) grow also. The mentor will benefits from being part of a team of like-minded men – specifically, other mentors.
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Why does the mentor have to be a Christian man and not just a good man?
The Mentor Corps mentoring model is based on helping a man move out of a life of darkness – in addictions, incarceration, self centeredness, pride, anger, fear and a circle of failure. The mentor must be able to SHOW and TELL his mentee the way of a transformed man, a man fruitful in everyday Kingdom living. He must be able to lead... to be bold about giving support and direction as well as mercy and compassion. ↑Hide
Why does the mentee have to be a Christian man, not just a man wanting to get sober, out of addictions?
Many of the men the Mentor Corps will recruit have experienced many transitions - in and out of recovery, incarceration, relationships etc. The same outcomes happening over and over again. They MUST be willing to surrender their old nature to a new life of salvation in Jesus Christ. Only then can they experience the heart transplant of a newly-regenerated man, the deliverance from guilt by the blood of Jesus Christ and HIS Holy Spirit as the new power to TRANSFORM their lives – not just making some behavior changes for a while and then returning to a life of darkness. ↑Hide
How do you select the "Host Partners", the agencies you will recruit mentees from?
Agencies must have shown evidence of consistent Christ-centered programming in their facilities. They must share the "one heart and mind for the Lordship of Jesus Christ" in changing any man into being well, productive and sustaining in recovery. Mentor Corps leadership will interview potential host partners and get feedback from other agencies within the R3 Collaboration. They must be willing to work with us to "select" men who fit the pattern for a Mentor Corps mentee. ↑Hide
What does it take for me to become a mentor?
Attend a 2 hour Orientation session at your agency, church or site arranged by Mentor Corps.
Attend a 2 hour Basic Training session at your agency, church or site arranged by Mentor Corps.
Participate in 2 field experience sessions with local recovery/reentry/renewal agencies, where you visit men in Prison, The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) in Minneapols, etc.
Join a mentor "squad" and participate in group activities/meetings.
Be matched with a Mentee — but only one whom you agree to and when you are ready.
Study and prepare as necessary for meetings with your Mentee.
Commit to ongoing mentoring via weekly phone contact, and at least twice a month face-to-face sessions for a period of one year.
Attend exciting yearly "R&R" outings for mentors.
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What does it really take in my personal commitment to be a mentor for a year?
In a word, sacrifice. But be assured, God will honor your sacrifice. Once you have committed to the orientation and training phases and you are matched with a mentee the intentional mentoring begins. The "Tool Kit" offers a great deal of help in knowing the pattern of mentoring steps for each meeting or discussion. In almost all mentor/mentee relationships the first few months is much more intensive. It is common for the mentor to meet once a week face-to-face with the mentee. A couple of short phone calls a week may also take place. Subsequent face-to-face meetings of an hour or more are needed every couple weeks to focus on the mentee's personal success plan and life skills issues. Of course there can also be fun, recreational and joyful times in all of this, but there must be an agreement with the mentee on what growth and renewal looks like. Certainly spiritual guidance and prayer will frequently be a part of the face-to-face meetings and, of course, on the phone. Over time, you will determine with the mentee how much contact is needed to maintain accountability and foster continued spiritual growth. Remember, you will also be part of a Mentor Corps team of other mentors who will be there to help and encourage you in your personal spiritual growth as well. ↑Hide
Do I have to give money to the mentee?
Never. This is a hard and fast rule of the Mentor Corps. Occasionally, you may need to determine if the mentee really does need money for some issue, If so, you can help find an appropriate resource but you should never give money directly to him. You may choose to give a contribution to the Mentor Corps for assistance funds and have the mentee call for it, but your name is never attached to it. ↑Hide
What if I personally know of someone who wants a mentor, how can I help them get one?
Introduce that person to the Mentor Corps leadership. Together you would gather more information on this person's life journey. Additionally, they must have been through one of the "filter" agencies, or be willing to do that before they would be eligibile to be assigned a mentor from Mentor Corps. ↑Hide
How can my church get engaged with the Mentor Corps ministry?
The first step is to get the senior pastor and anyone he feels should learn about the Corps to meet with Jim Hale and his team. The next step would be focused prayer – for God to raise up those men with a heart for this type of ministry. Then, scheduling and recruiting men for Orientation & Basic Training sessions. The church may also wish to provide funding. ↑Hide
Is the Mentor Corps a non profit 501(c)(3) organization?
The Mentor Corps is a 501c3 not for profit ministry providing all appropriate charitable giving tax deductions for your contributions. We provide two options for your giving:
All your personal or your organization;s cash gifts may be sent to:
MENTOR CORPS
P. O. Box 46002
Plymouth, MN 55446
Or call Jim Hale at 612-963-0820
Or:
Any credit card gifts or appreciated publicly traded stock or mutual fund shares can be electronically transferred from your brokerage account to The Mentor Corps Fund with the Twin Cities Christian Foundation, thereby giving you a full fair market value deduction for your gift without paying any capital gains. Upon receipt at TCCF, the stock is sold with the cash then going to the MENTOR CORPS work.
Contact:
Sarah Trenda – Manager of Partner Relations
Twin Cities Christian Foundation
701 4th Avenue South, Suite 750
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Or call Sarah: 612-288-2286
Lastly, if you have other non-liquid gifts you would like to make to Mentor Corps, such as real estate or closely-held business interests, please contact Andy Bennett at TCCF 612-288-2292.
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What are the financial needs of the Mentor Corps, where are funds used?
We would be pleased to share our current 2008 annual budget with anyone. Our goal is to fund all activities, programs, and administration costs with a yearly budget of less than $100,000. Jim Hale is the founder and leader of the Mentor Corps and the only paid staff at this time. Other expenses are needed for website development (allowing for mentor access and public access), training tools, marketing resources, mentor training scholarships, and yearly retreats and gatherings for mentors and mentees.
Also, specific funds are needed for the exciting partnership with The Salvation Army ARC (Adult Rehabilitation Center) called Marching On. We will provide a focused mentoring process for men selected in the ARC for a minimum 1-year of mentoring, for the purpose of formulating a re-entry plan and in overall life skills guidance and support.
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How many mentors have been trained in the Mentor Corps and how many are mentoring?
In the first 6 months of 2008, over 60 men have attended the Orientation & Training sessions. There are at least 11 local faith-based agencies actively working with the Mentor Corps at this time. Currently there are 20 mentoring relationships in place. ↑Hide
How many mentees have relapsed or fallen out of the program?
To date only one man has dropped out because he was seriously ill. Most of the men progressed to finding jobs, and growing in new wellness in relationships with their families and the community. ↑Hide
What really is unique about the Mentor Corps?
From the beginning in 2007, the Lord revealed to our development team the need to change the mentoring paradigm to discipleship leadership. Men in recovery and reentry must be guided in spiritual renewal through the power of the Holy Spirit. They must be guided from a life cycle of failures to build a "Circle of Success" pattern of life. The concept of a partnership for renewal was developed and called a "Battle Plan for Renewal". This plan involves a collaborative effort of Christ-centered transition housing, Kingdom-focused business owners, capable funding supporters, financial and life skills resources, and a Mentor Corps mentor trained to help establish the man in Christ's plan for his life. ↑Hide