"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
-Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, quoted in John 17:20-21 (NIV)

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
-Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

"Serving the Whole Church as it Serves Others."

empty tomb, inc. is located in Champaign, Illinois. It is a Christian service and research organization. empty tomb, inc. serves the church in different ways, providing both a financial discipleship strategy and information about church giving patterns on a national level. On a local level in the Champaign-Urbana, IL area, empty tomb, inc. provides opportunities for volunteers to become involved in meeting various needs in Jesus' name. You can contact us by e-mail by clicking here.

The Work of empty tomb®
Some of Jesus' "harder sayings," that we love our enemies, feed the hungry, and love our neighbor as ourselves, were said to Christians, in general, and therefore to the church, the gathered body of believers. It is the church's responsibility to act on these commands of Jesus that we love one another.

empty tomb, inc. exists to make the inconvenience of following Jesus in these points as convenient as possible. empty tomb exists to serve the whole church in her striving to be obedient to Jesus by serving others. Renewal results from such obedience, and in this way, empty tomb is involved in church renewal.

The staff at empty tomb works with these efforts daily. Volunteers play a central role in actually making the works happen.

The following summaries outline the specific works of empty tomb, inc.

• Research/Education
  Research into church stewardship patterns has produced The State of Church Giving series on national church giving patterns. The Poor Have Faces (Baker Book House, 1992) applies the research to practical Christian discipleship. More recently, the results of a multi-year study on stewardship patterns was published as Behind the Stained Glass Windows: Money Dynamics in the Church (Baker Books, 1996).
  
  
• The National Money for Missions Program^®
  This ministry is designed to help historically Christian congregations increase missions spending as a portion of total spending. Efforts include Mission Match^®, the Wake the Sleeping Giant^® campaign, the Discipleship Tree ^TM, and MissionMATCHanExpense^®.

Works on the local level:
In the Champaign-Urbana, IL area, the works through empty tomb serve as contact points between richer Christians and people in need, both Christians and non-Christians. Volunteers are active members of historically Christian congregations. If the person in need is a Christian, there is an opportunity to do good to those in the household of faith; we Christians grow a little more in the oneness for which Jesus prayed in John 17. If the person in need does not know Christ, there is the potential for sharing the good news of Jesus as well as meeting a particular need. In either case, the Christian with resources who reaches out grows in his/her understanding of discipleship and in relationship to God.

• Christian Family to Family Relationships
  This work provides support structures and encourages friendships between Christians with resources and families in need.
• Christian Health Services
  Christian Health Services provides a Christian nurse at Frances Nelson Health Center. Layettes are prepared for newborns, and limited medical prescription funds are available.
• Clothing Work
  Clothing is provided on a drop-off basis and is available free in Jesus' name. Help is needed in sorting clothes and greeting people.
• Free Food Work
  Congregations donate money to purchase food, or collect canned goods and deliver food from their pantry to families in need. More congregations who are able to deliver food are needed.
• Furniture Work
  Donated furniture is picked up and delivered to needy households. Volunteers are needed both to pick up and deliver the furniture in empty tomb's furniture truck.
• Helping Work
  Limited cash grants are available for various emergency needs, such as rent assistance, power bills, and prescriptions. Additional funds are needed here.
• Home Maintenance Work
  Designed to help low-income people who own their homes to make renovations; labor is done free in Jesus' name. Laborers are needed to work on projects.

Volunteer Information
Volunteers at empty tomb are Christians who are attending a historically Christian church. Working through empty tomb is one way a volunteer can respond to the love of God they have experienced through Jesus Christ. Call 356-2262 and speak with the Volunteer Coordinator for more information. Our address is 301 N. Fourth Street, Champaign, Illinois 61820.

empty tomb® financial information
The following links are to pages from empty tomb's 990 Form, Return of Organization from Income Tax.