Find Her Bible Story in Acts 9:36-43

Dorcas (Tabitha in Hebrew), lived in a city named Joppa and was a member of a congregation of women who cared for the needs of others. Dorcas was known for her works of charity and liberally gave her talents, resources, and skills to others. She was a talented seamstress who used her home as a place to sew clothes for the poor and widows, and to teach others how to sew and do charitable works.

Dorcas died suddenly, probably in the middle of a sewing circle. Her body was laid out by the women in her group who started grieving her death. Hearing that the Apostle Peter was nearby, they sent for him to come to the house of Dorcas. When he arrived, they showed him many of the beautiful clothes she had sewn for the poor and told him stories of her benevolence.

Peter went in alone to pray over her dead body. Miraculously, God brought Dorcas brought back to life. Peter brought her out of the room and presented her to those who had gathered to mourn her death. Immediately, Dorcas returned to her good works.

Dorcas never sought a high position or status but was known as a leader in the community because of her charitable work. She was the first woman in the Bible to be called “Disciple”.

Some women desire to lead businesses that serve the needs of the poor and downtrodden in their communities. If that’s you, perhaps you already are a leader of a non-profit organization or will choose to start a new non-profit organization in the future to have a role in supporting unmet needs.  You can also serve your community with a locally based business or go global with your support by creating an Internet based business that provide some type of support to a nonprofit. This became important since the pandemic changed how people function in business worldwide.

Nonprofits had to immediately take their services online and find new ways to meet the needs of their community clients. It required innovation to make the switch and to be effective. Today, nonprofits need people to help them create new ways to diversify their service delivery systems, find donors to keep their programs viable, and bring visibility to their efforts through new marketing and public relations methods.

Could that person be you?

A few things that could help would be to check with the nearest Nonprofit Foundation Center in your area or online to learn about grants for funding a nonprofit operation or for programming, fundraising events, or other functions. Also look for corporate sponsorships and funding to support the cause you’re interested in. Nonprofits are always looking for community people to volunteer their expertise to help their programs and services and raise funds. Even getting the word out that a nonprofit organization is seeking volunteers and supporters would be helpful.

Sounds like work for a modern day Dorcus, don’t you think? Leave some comments below.