In tough economic times, members of a Raleigh church are reaching out to people in need.

"It sort of triggered a sense in this church that this is a time we need to step up," said Lib Campbell, pastor of adult discipleship and congregational care at St. Mark's United Methodist Church.

St. Mark's is implementing an initiative called ‘Stretching Out Our Hands.'

In mid-February, nearly a hundred members of the church met to come up with a plan of action. They formed teams to research needs of people in the community, develop partnerships with nearby schools, and create assistance programs.

One component is a ‘Fund the Need' program.

"Within the congregation, we had someone who had trouble paying utility bills," said Pastor Ben Williams. "We had somebody else in the congregation who said, you know, I can do ten dollars of that. Somebody else said, I can do another hundred of that, and we began to put it together."

"A lot of us realized as individuals there wasn't a whole lot we could do, we all have our limitations," said Jim Jones, a member of the congregation. "But as a church, when we put all of our efforts together, we could do some pretty big things."

They say monetary contributions are only part of what will make the initiative a success.

"You've always got yourself, your time," said Tommy Jenkins, church member. "Sometimes what someone needs is someone who's going to listen to their story."