Ready to serve

SHORELINE — Combining a warm meal, less fortunate people and generous volunteers has resulted in something besides a happy crowd — a new nonprofit.

“A warm meal for a struggling family can go a long way,” said Rose Swetman, executive director of Turning Point and co-pastor of Vineyard Community Church.

Turning Point is a new nonprofit founded by members of Vineyard Community Church, in North City. Founders of the nonprofit hope to expand social services in North King County and South Snohomish County, by filling gaps in service.

The nonprofit is coming to fruition after nine months of planning, and in addition to a free monthly meal, communication workshops will be offered to married couples and at-risk youth who otherwise could not afford to such programs.

Rose Swetman, 48, and her husband, Rich, 57, are co-pastors of the church and have been the driving force behind the new organization, which has about 50 volunteers.

“We wanted to develop an entity that would be completely focused on social services in the community,” Rich Swetman said. “It made a lot of sense to create an entity to do that, which wasn’t completely identified as the church.”

The first public event was a free warm meal for less fortunate community members, on Sept. 11, where residents enjoyed pancakes, sausage, fruit and muffins.

“This is an opportunity for them to go to a nice meal because many can’t afford restaurants,” Rich Swetman said. “We will put on a nice meal for them with tablecloths, tables, and we’ll serve them.”

Turning Point is unique in that although it is founded by Vineyard Community Church, which has about 140 members, the nonprofit is open to volunteers both affiliated with the church and those who are not.

“Some people aren’t comfortable with being part of a church group,” Rose Swetman said. “It’s not that we are trying to hide it, but we value partnering with all people and Turning Point seems like a better bridge for that to happen.”

The Swetmans value partnering with other organizations to serve the less fortunate, and even before relocating to Shoreline from Mountlake Terrace about a year ago, the church partnered with Snohomish County Housing Authority and the Center for Human Services. They also partner with Interfaith Hospitality Network of Seattle, and once per quarter host as many as four homeless families.

“We put a high value on partnering with those who already work in the community,” Rose Swetman said.

Based on their work with other nonprofit groups, the Swetmans and church volunteers began assessing where gaps in service were, and decided to offer a monthly brunch for three months, from September through November (possibly longer if there is a need).

The nonprofit also will offer communication classes for married couples. Although the workshop is typically offered at $160, classes will be made available to people without the economic means on a sliding fee scale. Eventually, they hope to develop a workshop for adolescents.

“We hope the communications workshop will grow into an area of family support and youth communication,” Rich Swetman said. “Some of the other gaps that have been discussed include supporting teens in the community at risk.”

Turning Point is funded primarily by the Vineyard Community Church and through donations. The Swetmans hope it will eventually be solely supported with funds from outside the church, such as grants, donations and fund-raisers.

The name Turning Point was decided upon, said Rose Swetman, because the expression is often used to explain moments of change, which she hopes the nonprofit will promote.

“We all have turning points in our lives,” Rose Swetman said. “It is our way of saying some day we hope that people go to a couple workshop and it was a turning point, or when they met people during a warm meal.”

Ingrid Buchan, 26, who has attended the church for about 10 years, has been involved in working as a liaison person between Turning Point volunteers and other nonprofits. She attended the first Sunday brunch and although the turnout was not as high as expected, she anticipated the next brunch would bring a larger crowd, as they are still learning how to reach out to the people in need.

“We are excited for it to be a consistent event,” Buchan said.

Jim Lunn, 53, Turning Point program director, said the need for the nonprofit became apparent when volunteers began researching needs in the community and realized many relationships could benefit from a communications class. The workshops will teach individuals, couples, teenagers and parents how to communicate effectively, he said.

“Our hope is to offer coaching, to help strengthen families and relationships,” Lunn said. “As well as just serving lower-income folks in the community.”