Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/ADRA/Community Service/R3a

Adventist Community Services is usually what the church calls it community service efforts, but you should find out what name is used in your area. Older people in the church still may refer to Adventist Community Services (ACS) as Dorcas, but that name began to be phased out in the 1960s. There are still a few local churches that have a Dorcas Society and it is one of the several ministries under the official NAD Department called Adventist Community Services. Dorcas is named for a woman in the book of Acts who had spent her life serving the poor and was raised from the dead by the apostle Peter. There may also be a group known as Adventist Youth Emergency Service Corp in your area. This program sponsored by ACS and NAD Youth Ministry is for teens and young adults to participate in both ACS Disaster Response and local community services.

Local ACS normally provides clothing (new and used), food, and support to local individuals and families in need. They keep records of those assisted and offer referrals to other organizations when needs are outside of the common skill available at ACS.