“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.
Programs on the National Level:
On the national level, empty tomb provides both a financial discipleship strategy as well as information on church giving patterns.
- 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. The results of a multi-year study on stewardship patterns were published as Behind the Stained Glass Windows: Money Dynamics in the Church (Baker Books, 1996). A small group strategy is presented in At Ease: Discussing Money and Values in Small Groups (Alban Institute, 1998), written with U. Milo Kaufmann. - 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™, 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 Health Services
Christian Health Services work helps meet the health needs of financially poorer people by providing limited funds for medical needs, primarily prescriptions; also, layettes and other items are provided to needy families, generally the mothers. - Clothing Work
Clothing can be dropped off, and then is sorted and made available free in Jesus’ name. Now accepting Fall-Winter clothes through March 15. Help is needed in sorting clothes and greeting people. Hours are: Monday – Friday, 9 AM to 4:30 PM, and Saturdays, 9 AM to 1 PM. Closed on posted holidays. - Free Food Work
Congregations receive calls from empty tomb and then deliver groceries provided by the church to the family or individual in need. More congregations who are able to deliver food are needed. - Furniture Work
Donated furniture is picked up and delivered to households that have expressed a need in the Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy area. Volunteers are needed both to pick up and deliver the furniture in empty tomb’s furniture truck. - Helping Work
Helping Appointments: Mondays, 9 AM for up to 10 callers. Up to $30 is available for various needs, such as rent, power bills, bus tokens, and automobile gasoline. Call (217) 356-2262. Helping Referrals: Agencies can refer a need for an individual for larger amounts. Funds available through donations.
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 or email info@emptytomb.org for more information. Our address is 301 N. Fourth Street, Champaign, Illinois 61820.
Clothing Room Hours
empty tomb’s Clothing Room is scheduled to be open Mon. through Friday: 1:00-4:30 PM. Saturdays: 10 AM to 12:30 PM. We are open on the half hour, for up to 12 people. If more than 12 people are waiting at an opening, we draw numbers. Please note: People need to be 18 years or older to come to the Clothing Room, except for the Monday-Friday 4 PM opening. The 4 PM Monday through Friday Clothing Room opening is reserved only for parents who are with their children. Please call 217-356-2262 for updates about posted holiday and other closings.
empty tomb, inc.® Financial Information
The following links are to pages from empty tomb’s 990 Form, Return of Organization from Income Tax.
Fiscal Year October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023 [in PDF file format]
Fiscal Year October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021 [in PDF file format]
Fiscal Year October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2020 [in PDF file format]
©2020- empty tomb®, inc. All rights reserved. For information on citing the copyrighted materials of this site, please see the empty tomb®, inc. Trademark and Copyright Information page. The contents of this web site pertaining to the works and name of works of empty tomb®, inc., including but not limited to, Christian Family to Family Relationships, Christian Health Services, Clothing Work, Free Food Work, Furniture Work, Helping Work, Home Maintenance Work, The National Money for Missions Program (NMMP), Mission Match, Wake the Sleeping Giant, and Discipleship Tree are property of empty tomb, inc. Additionally, the Yoking Map, in name or in concept, as well as the faces of the children of the world, may not be used or reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form without prior expressed written permission of empty tomb, inc. The opinions and philosophies of the web sites to which this empty tomb site has linked are those of their authors and not necessarily shared by empty tomb®, inc.