| 2007 Ministry Grants Report |
In 2007 Classis disbursed $88,500 to four congregations and nine
organizations to promote holistic evangelism and discipleship. Here are
some of the results achieved with these grants:
Boston Square CRC
Grant: $3,500
1. Goals that have been achieved by the program:
The summer kicked of with the Youth Retreat at Camp Newaygo – June 11-
13. The Lord blessed us richly, with providing Camp Newaygo – a near
perfect facility, and with providing a chaperone when Pastor Jay and
Elizabeth had their baby 6-weeks early. This retreat was truly a blessing to
all! We were able to plan our first Totally Tuesday event (puppet show and
activities for the community) and were able to perform our puppet shows for
some children who were at the camp at the same time as us. This was a
very rewarding experience. The young people came away empowered
from the weekend to lead in our summer ministries. The maturity,
understanding and willingness to take part that many of these young people
possess was incredibly encouraging to us as leadership at Boston Square.
The Retreat was an excellent place of nurture and provided the wanted
springboard into the summer ministries. We are blessed with an incredible
group of young people – the summer ministries would not have been nearly
as successful without their involvement. The young people led us with
puppet shows and willing hands in all our summer ministries, providing a
much needed boost in volunteer hands as we added a meal component to
our outreach programs. Simply put, without the help of the young people
who were challenged to lead at the retreat, the summer programs would not
have been the same.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
We had five young people who were not from our church partner with us, and
it was great to see them all involved. Three came on the retreat, and two
joined with us later in the summer, and I hope that all five will again join with
us for the retreat and summer ministries next year. All five were able to
experience what it means to serve in the kingdom of God.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
We would appreciate the prayers of the churches in southeast Grand Rapids
as we move into year two of our program. Please pray that the seeds that
were planted last summer will have a chance to grow. Please pray that we
will be able to reach even more people who are not part of our church. Most
of all, pray that God will continue to allow us to be a light in the community.
Eastern Avenue CRC
Grant:$6,000
First CRC
Grant:$5,000
Sherman Street CRC
Grant: $2,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
We fed an estimated 300 people, we also gave away 5000 pounds of food
from Gleaners. Our church is viewed as a church that is welcoming to the
Hip Hop community. Our goal was to cast a net to disciple young people.
We reached an estimated 100 youth and now, I am now in relationship with
5 youth and I am disciplining 2 of those youth and 1 young adult.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
Pray that more churches will have discernment to effectively reach our youth.
Pray for the youth and their families, that they will find a church that they feel
accepted.
Baxter Community Center
Grant: $9,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
The program has two distinct goals. The first of which is increasing the
number of participants in our program. The second is implementing a
curriculum that teaches how our stewardship over God’s money impacts our
lifestyles.
Goal #1: We projected that we would serve at least 15 people through the
course of 2007-2008 in our Freedom in Finance levels 1, 2 and 3 classes by
retaining members during the summer to encourage them to stay on track
as well as recruiting new members. Outcome #1: When the class was first
offered, we had 25 potential participants who were interested in participating
in the class of Freedom in Finances I. Out of the original 25 we had to
narrow down our number to 8 participants because of lack of committed
coaches. We had 8 participants start the fall session of Freedom in
Finances in 2007. After the third week we were down to 5 coaches and 5
participants. It appears that people do not understand the commitment
involved within this program or they are not ready to change their
behavior/lifestyle. Baxter made sure to follow up with those who were not
following through and assured them that when they are ready to fully
participate we are here to work with them. Out of the 5 participants that have
continued through the class only 3 will graduate. One of the program’s
requirements for graduation is that a person can demonstrate the methods
and strategies that are being taught in the class. Responsibilities of the
class include personal attendance, class participation, completion of
homework, and responsiveness to the instruction/input from their personal
finance coach.
Goal #2: The second goal is equipping the class members to make the
lifestyle changes that are suggested by the coach. Life style changes
include more than just showing up for class. The core teaching is that
everything belongs to God and that we have to be accountable for how we
spend our money. It is a change of mentality that we want our participants to
embrace and implement into their own lives. We have raised the standard
for graduation from the Freedom in Finances I Class from attendance to a
demonstration of grasping these principles, recognizing that the students
are making a paradigm switch in their own life as it relates to how to interact
with money and resources that we have. Outcome #2: Raising the
requirements for graduation, our class has resulted in a lower graduation
rate than in past years. Regardless of a perfect attendance record, the
students must grasp the concepts that are being taught. One way to
measure that is through one on one conversation between the coach and
the member. We rely on the honesty of those involved in the course to
measure this. We use the coach’s evaluation and an evaluation of the
participants spending habits in the last weeks of the class to gauge their
understanding of the class principles.
Successful completion of Freedom in Finance level 1 includes these
benefits:
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
Martie Mc Calm’s story (fictional name): How the budgeting class impacted
her life and the life of her children. Martie is a single mother of three kids of
12, 7, and 5. She is a student at Grand Rapids Community College, enrolled
in class 8+ hours a week. In addition to class time she must spend extra
time out of class to complete projects, work on homework and study. On top
of her class schedule she also volunteers as an intern in a field related to
her studies. Martie also works as an office assistant 20 hours a week. She
had two jobs, but had to let one of them go because it she wanted to spend
more time with her family. One of the motivators for Martie to join the class
was her interest in clearing her credit record. She came to Baxter
Community Center hungry to learn different ways to change her life. Martie
joined the Freedom in Finances I class in September and quickly grasped
the principles of the class. One of Martie’s favorite sayings came from the
first class, “God owns it all”. Understanding that God owns it all has helped
her manage her money better and to trust God. She has demonstrated a
lifestyle change.
This courageous woman has learned a lot from the class. We asked her to
explain a few of the things that she has taken away from the class.
In retrospect we look at how our class is more than just a band-aid
approach to how people spend their money. We are trying to change people’
s lives and how they handle their money. We desire for our graduating
participants to be good stewards of their money, demonstrating what they
have learned in our classes. We know that Martie will recommend us to
others. The best compliment we can receive from a participant is their
recommendation to others. When the participant recommends us to others it
is an indication that we are doing our job and that we are doing our job
effectively. It is an indication of trust and of confidence that Baxter’s program
will treat you with respect and that something good will happen as a result of
your participation! The last note we would like to mention about Martie is that
even though she was attending class, being a parent of three, working and
attending an internship, she never missed a class. This is a demonstration
of how willing she was to change her life. This is also a demonstration of
Martie’s organizational skills in planning. She is able to juggle all the
responsibilities in her life and still not miss a class. We believe now that
Martie has a plan to improve her credit. She will follow that plan until her
credit is clear. Her mind is set on good stewardship and she is accountable
for what God has given her.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
Baxter Community Center believes in the awesome power of prayer and is
therefore asking for prayer in two areas. Thank you for your prayers of
support. Pray that the Deacons/Elders of the churches would attend the
training at Baxter to provide better financial solutions to their churches. We
understand that sometimes these Deacons/Elders are in positions to assist
people with their emergency needs. We ask that they Elders/Deacons
become familiar with Baxter’s Freedom in Finances Class 1, 2, and 3 so that
they can offer the classes as a solution to repetitive emergency need
families. Pray that more churches be open to training. Too often churches
do not want to walk their members thru classes or are afraid to suggest
budgeting classes. These classes can help members and their families to
break the curse of receiving but not giving. We want to encourage our
participants to build treasures in heaven and not on the earth.
Camp Tall Turf
Grant: $7,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
Camp Tall Turf’s SALT (Service and Leadership Training) program is
essentially divided in to 3 different programs, the Leader In Training (LIT)
program, Sunday night Bible studies, and a summer Adventure Camp. Our
program year actually starts at the beginning of the summer, so this report
will reflect the 2006-07 program in the Spring of 2007 and the 2007-08
program year with the summer and fall of 2007.
In May of 2007 we wrapped up our school-year LIT program and Sunday
night Bible study. Through both of these programs we served 19 youth. Out
of these 19 youth, 89% reported that they experienced the personal rewards
of serving others & their community. 78% of SALT participants reported that
they will choose to be positive role models by becoming involved in
programs or activities with their peers and/or younger children.
In the summer of 2007 we served 54 youth at the 5-day Adventure Camp
held in the middle of July. The overall goal of Adventure Camp is to hold a
session specifically for high school kids and challenge them with more
team oriented activities to take reconciliation to a new level as well as
encourage them to learn new skills and like all of our programs, to develop
our strengthen their relationships with God. One outcome that was achieved
was when asked on an evaluation if their time at camp made them feel
better about themselves, the majority of the 54 responded yes, it did. Almost
everyone also indicated that they learned to do something new at camp and
learned something about God.
During the summer we also had 14 LITs . The overall goal of the LIT
program is: To guide, support and develop the desire, commitment,
knowledge and skills needed to effectively serve, inspire and guide others to
make positive choices and become active servant leaders for others and in
their communities for the sake of Christ. Specifically this summer the LITs
indicated that they learned the most in areas such as character traits of
leadership, problem solving skills, team building skills, and understanding
types of leadership.
We are currently in the midst of our school-year programming. We don’t
have any numbers for outcomes, but we are serving 20 teens through the
Sunday evening Bible Study. 10 of those 20 are also serving as LITs for the
school year.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
This is actually a speech written by one of our LITs, BeAnka Mushenkye,
which she read at the annual Building Bridges banquet in 2007.
"One activity that is most important to me is being an LIT (Leader In Training)
at Camp Tall Turf. Camp Tall Turf has had a divine impact on my life, and in
saying divine I mean God sent. At times when I have a moment I sit back
and ponder over my life, thinking about where I was and where I am now and
how far God has brought me “ A mighty long way.” In doing so the Bible
verse Jeremiah 29:11 comes to mind. It says, “For I now the plans I have for
you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future.” Who knew that me walking in to the Camp Tall
Turf office simply for a job, and coming out with so much more was part of
his plan for me? I Peter 4:10 reads “each one should use whatever gift he
has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its
various forms. It was Evangelist Micke Bechtle who stated, “God designed
us the way he did so w e could carry out his purposed in a unique way.
Nobody else can be me as well as I can.” Through Tall Turf I have learned to
use the gifts God has given me, that he may be glorified, to benefit our
community.
"Tall Turf gives kids the ability to look beyond the state of mind that today’s
society traps them in, particularly inner city youth. Growing up as an inner
city child myself, I can truly say that Tall Turf has given me the chance to
experience so much more in life, especially through the LIT program. I was
given the opportunity to travel to place such as Mississippi, Alaska, Detroit
and many other places to do community work and missions trips. I have
also encountered growth spiritually and mentally. I share with the Jack
Kooyman, the CEO of Tall Turf, all the time how I wish and desire that more
inner city youth can experience programs and places such as these and
how their eyes will be opened to the possibilities that are out there in the
world. They will see what God truly has in store for them and they don’t have
to live in these boxes in which society continues to put them. Learning the
first step is taking that step. An unknown author said, “Fear was not meant
to be feared but understood.” Having that fear in my life that there’s nothing
out there for me, God, through Camp Tall Turf, became that understanding.
I recently read a book called “ A Hand to Guide Me” (forward by Denzel
Washington). I read a statement that said “Show me a successful person
and I’ll show you someone who had a club to go to, an organization, or
someone who has influenced them. “Teach a child in the way he should go
and they will never depart from it.” Camp Tall Turf through Jesus Christ has
been that for me.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
The churches can lift us up in a couple of ways: 1) We are planning the
spring break college tour so prayers for effective planning, safety in travel,
and a rewarding experience for the teens 2) We have begun planning for the
summer of 2008 so prayers for guidance in decision making, hiring staff and
LITs, and wisdom.
Campus Directions
Grant: $12,000
Criminal Justice Chaplaincy
Grant: $11,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
Each quarter, CJC sends a report to Classis detailing the number of
persons served and in what capacity. The fourth quarter is being compiled
and will be sent at the end of January with more details on the various
ministry programs. For now, the Goal was to serve 1,329 persons in 2007.
We know at this point that this number will be closer to 1,400. We are
grateful for the opportunity to have served this many and exceeded nearly all
our goals. One aspect of ministry is the Mentoring Services Program. We
were able to have ongoing matches for 29 persons during the year. In order
to achieve this number, we had to contact over 333 agencies, churches and
individuals, requesting them to become trained Mentors, with a 1 year
commitment of weekly meetings. The number who agreed to be trained was
96 persons. The majority of whom are from the GR area CR churches.
We received 72 requests to be mentored from ex-offenders. Please see the
attached Mentoring Services Program, statistics for 2007.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
This is a brief story of a person being mentored by Tom Weeda from
Sherman St. CRC. The person is a 62 year old, black male, named
“Charles”, who was in an out of prison for most of his life, i.e. he was sent to
prison 8 times for armed robbery to uttering and publishing (writing bad
checks). The date of his first offense was 1966. He was referred to us by his
Parole Officer on 7-05-07. Over the years, when he was out on Parole for
brief periods of time, he would work at odd jobs, such as dry walling and
painting to sustain himself. He has no family to assist him in any manner.
He was assisted with clothing, boots and referrals to other agencies for
additional needs. CJC also paid for a short stay in temporary housing for two
weeks. Charles is now at the Mel Trotter Mission. He will stay there, until he
finds the means to be self sufficient.
He was placed into Alternative Directions for 2 months, trying to find
employment and then with the help of CJC obtained a Mentor, namely Tom.
They began meeting on a weekly basis in October. The mentor is to be
friend and not provide resources. Charles is being assisted by Hope
Network with trying to find a job. Hope Network works with ex-offenders in
training and employment situations, through state contracts. It may take a
year or more for Charles to become stable enough live on his own.
Alcoholism has been the main source of his problems and he readily
admits to needing help and meetings on a regular basis. He will remain a
long-term client of CJC and we will more than likely put more resources in
place for him this year. He is a likeable person with “the gift of the gab” and
wants to do what is right. The Mentor will become a stable influence on him
and perhaps have him become part of the church at Sherman St. We thank
God for Tom Weeda and others who do this work.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
Please pray for more people to come forward to be Mentors. We will train
persons to feel comfortable and make it a positive experience. The influence
of mentors is tremendous. CJC also has a 10 minute video strictly on
mentoring. Let us know if you would like us to come to your church and give
a presentation. Thank you for your support.
Volunteers in Service
Grant: $4,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
Nellie, a Kids Hope USA mentor, from Heritage CRC faithfully spent time
with her student McKenna weekly at her school until this past September
when Nellie discovered that McKenna would be attending a new school that
did not have a school based mentoring program. Through the Volunteers In
Service Youth Mentoring Initiative with DA Blodgett (DAB), Nellie became a
community based Big Sister to McKenna. Although it took time to adapt to
this new arrangement, Nellie and McKenna began visiting together every
week outside of school. Mostly they spend time at Nellie’s house doing
crafts, games, working on the computer or doing school work and other
times they go out shopping or for something to eat. “It’s about putting
McKenna first and what’s best for her. I just need to be her friend” said
Nellie. During the holidays, DA Blodgett offered free tickets to the Grand
Rapids Symphony Holiday Pops concert for all their Big Brothers and Big
Sisters. Nellie took McKenna and sat six rows from the front. McKenna’s
eyes were big as saucers during the concert. Both McKenna’s mom and
grandma cannot express what it means to have Nellie in McKenna’s life.
They say, “Everyday we say how lucky we are that McKenna has a Big Sister
in her life….she looks forward to the time they spend together. Nellie feels
like family.”
Many kids are on a list waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister. We are very
excited that since we launched this initiative in September we have helped
match 7 Big Brothers/Big Sisters. We pray that this pilot throughout 2008 will
inspire even more church members to respond.
3. Something about the program to lift to God in prayer:
Alternative Directions
Grant: $7,500
Living Water
Grant: $4,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
Living Water Ministries sought funding from the Grand Rapids East Home
Missions Committee to further enhance the holistic evangelism and
Christian discipleship aspects of our program services. Specifically, funding
was sought to further this goal in three areas: mentoring, worship
enrichment, and spiritual development.
In the area of establishing a mentoring program, the majority of time during
this grant period has been directed towards researching and developing the
mentoring training curriculum. In the spring of 2007, the Living Water
Ministries Executive Director, Kimberly Stapert met with Lori Weirsma and
staff from VIS. They shared training volunteer materials and resources.
Resources from AmeriCorps, Bridge of Hope, and addiction recovery
organizations were gathered and incorporated into the curriculum. The
curriculum is now in final stages of completion and will be presented to the
Living Water Ministries board of directors at the February 2008 meeting for
their review, comment and approval. Kimberly Stapert is working with Grace
CRC member, Karen DeVos, who is serving as a volunteer coordinator. She
is actively involved in recruiting Grace CRC members who are interested in
serving as mentors. It is planned that the first mentor training will be offered
in mid-April 2008. The training will be offered for two hours on two Saturday
mornings. It is our goal to have a minimum of 6, maximum of 12 mentors
attend the training. If we are not able to recruit this number of participants
among Grace CRC members, we will seek additional mentors from other
Classis East CRC churches.
In the area of providing worship enrichment, we have not identified the Living
Water peer specialist who would be the best fit for involvement with the
worship committee. This is a goal that we will be working towards in the last
quarter of the grant period. Living Water Ministries clients have participated
in worship at Grace in other ways. They have participated in the gospel choir
and performed liturgical dance. There have been two Living Water services
during the grant period and Living Water clients have served as worship
leaders, read scripture and presented their testimonies. Grace CRC
members have provided transportation so that clients are able to
consistently attend the services.
In the area of enhancing spiritual development, numerous clients of Living
Water Ministries, have consistently joined members from the NA group that
meets at Grace, church neighbors and church members at the Thursday
lunchtime spiritual development Bible study led by Pastor Jack Kooreman.
This past year, we spent time studying the book of Psalms and then
Exodus. Once the Living Water housing program moves to the house next to
the church, in February 2008, we will begin offering a weekly in-house Bible
study for the residents focusing on topics such as: Christian sexuality, grief,
offense, forgiveness, prayer, God’s grace, etc.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of this program:
Dee (name changed for confidentiality purposes) came to the Living Water
office at Grace church following an NA meeting. She dropped in to check us
out and became involved in our Tuesday night “Women at The Well” group.
Dee had moved to GR from Chicago in order to recover from a life filled with
addiction, prostitution, hopelessness and despair. Soon, she began
attending Sunday services and the Thursday lunchtime Bible study. Dee
developed a relationship with Living Water staff and Grace pastor, Jack
Kooreman. In November, she made profession of faith and officially joined
Grace church. Since then, Dee has obtained a job at Mel Trotter Ministries,
established independent housing, re-established a positive relationship
with her youngest child and is enrolled in classes for her Associates
degree. God is good!
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
Please pray for the continued sustainability of the ministry of Living Water.
We will be looking to form new collaborative relationships in 2008, so that
the ministry can strengthen and enhance our organizational and funding
structure. We ask that the right doors be opened, in God’s timing and that in
all the decisions we have to make that God’s will be done, not ours. Thank
you for the opportunity to share with you about what Living Water ministries
is doing to serve the least of these among us who are vulnerable, thirsty and
in need of the Living Water that is found only in Christ Jesus.
Oakdale Neighbors
Grant: $4,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
The grant from Classis Grand Rapids East is being used for two purposes:
to identify and equip 30 households in and around the Oakdale
neighborhood to pray for, care about and share with their neighbors and to
mentor 20 youth so that they exhibit spiritual, emotional, and educational
growth.
To date, 16 households have agreed to be block Lampposts by praying for
their neighbors. Oakdale Neighbors encourages these households with
periodic notes and has asked them to distribute information about Oakdale
Neighbors' programs to their neighbors. We hope these households will
become a network of block and neighborhood leaders.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
The Oakdale neighborhood has experienced several violent and property
crimes in the past year. Please pray that residents of the neighborhood will
have the strength to be "salt" and "light" in their neighborhood. Pray that
Oakdale Neighbors' efforts will help create a neighborhood of vitality and
grace--a reflection of the Kingdom of God.
Restorers
Grant: $8,000
1. Goals or outcomes that have been achieved by the program:
I am excited to report the outcomes which our families have experienced as
a result of participating in this class. Our Financial Freedom program is a
12 week, 2 hours per week class. We work on creating a working budget
along with connecting our resources back to the giver, who is God. We also
have a variety of guest speakers who present on a variety of finance related
topics. We have been able to serve over 50 participants over the course of
2007. Already, our Spring 2008 Financial Freedom class has over 50
people on a waiting list to sign up.
The goals which we established for 2007 are as follows:
All of our participants report an increased knowledge of their finances and
are committed to sticking with their budgets. They also have a good working
budget based on their current income and are able to set realistic, attainable
goals for their future. For many, qualifying for a home or going back to
school are what they are planning. We provide a spiritual financial
foundation from which our participants can build upon. The most significant
outcome is that all participants grew in their faith throughout the class, and
understand what God wants for their lives.
We witnessed faith at work through the power of prayer. For several of our
participants it seemed as if the enemy got busy as soon as they signed up
for class and committed to coming. One person lost their job, another had
their mortgage money stolen at work and another had her car reposed.
Through it all, they were able to see God at work and still were able to give
thanks and praise for His grace and mercy.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
One participant came into the class and through the structured process
realized that in addition to needing a budget she also had a food addiction.
Through her new budget, she was able to see a spending leak that led right
to fast food restaurants. She was spending $300-$400 per month on fast
food. Her coach worked with her to identify this leak in her spending habits.
She also realized that she needed to gain control of not only her finances but
her weight as well. Since starting the class, her budget is on track and she
has lost 25 pounds over the 12 week period. She credits this class, her
coach and believing that she had to be a good steward not only of her
money, but of her body as well.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
The fact that we have over 50 people on a waiting list with more calling every
day is evident that there is a serious need for this program. Please pray that
God will continue to provide the financial resources needed for this
program. We are in serious need of volunteer coaches, who walk along
side of the participants throughout this class, encouraging them to reach
their goals.
Campus Chapel in Ann Arbor
Grant: $5,500
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
On-campus lectures and events sponsored by Campus Chapel and the
Center for Faith and Scholarship (which is directed by Dr. Rolf Bouma and
operates out of Campus Chapel) were attended by well over the goal of
1000. The worshipping community is composed of between 60-70 students
and faculty/staff families. Developing small groups and courses that overly-
committed students will commit to remains a challenge. However there has
been progress. Over the last year, about 40 were involved in such
programming.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
One student came to U of M in the fall of '06 after a summer in which his
world was thrown on its head. His father died and his girlfriend cheated on
him with his best friend. Meeting regularly with Pastor Mark and attending
worship at the Chapel helped to sustain him through a very difficult
semester. After taking the Winter Semester off, he returned with some
misgivings to U of M this fall-- since he had decided to leave the engineering
program. Through his involvement with the Chapel, however, over the last
couple of months he has become more energized about his studies and his
life in general. In fact, he recently became the Chapel's Social Justice
Coordinator. He currently plans to attend seminary after college.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
Last February, the Chapel worked with Zondervan to bring Rob Bell to
campus. 900 mostly college-aged students showed up. On so many
different levels, this was remarkable. Most importantly, however, it was for us
a confirmation of the fact that students here are looking for a vision of the
faith that pushes past simplistic categories like "liberal" and
"fundamentalist." We would appreciate your prayers for our efforts to seek
ways to tap into this through our worship, programming and in particular our
efforts at collaborating with other ministries. There's far too much of a
territorial impulse between ministries here.
organizations to promote holistic evangelism and discipleship. Here are
some of the results achieved with these grants:
Boston Square CRC
Grant: $3,500
1. Goals that have been achieved by the program:
The summer kicked of with the Youth Retreat at Camp Newaygo – June 11-
13. The Lord blessed us richly, with providing Camp Newaygo – a near
perfect facility, and with providing a chaperone when Pastor Jay and
Elizabeth had their baby 6-weeks early. This retreat was truly a blessing to
all! We were able to plan our first Totally Tuesday event (puppet show and
activities for the community) and were able to perform our puppet shows for
some children who were at the camp at the same time as us. This was a
very rewarding experience. The young people came away empowered
from the weekend to lead in our summer ministries. The maturity,
understanding and willingness to take part that many of these young people
possess was incredibly encouraging to us as leadership at Boston Square.
The Retreat was an excellent place of nurture and provided the wanted
springboard into the summer ministries. We are blessed with an incredible
group of young people – the summer ministries would not have been nearly
as successful without their involvement. The young people led us with
puppet shows and willing hands in all our summer ministries, providing a
much needed boost in volunteer hands as we added a meal component to
our outreach programs. Simply put, without the help of the young people
who were challenged to lead at the retreat, the summer programs would not
have been the same.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
We had five young people who were not from our church partner with us, and
it was great to see them all involved. Three came on the retreat, and two
joined with us later in the summer, and I hope that all five will again join with
us for the retreat and summer ministries next year. All five were able to
experience what it means to serve in the kingdom of God.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
We would appreciate the prayers of the churches in southeast Grand Rapids
as we move into year two of our program. Please pray that the seeds that
were planted last summer will have a chance to grow. Please pray that we
will be able to reach even more people who are not part of our church. Most
of all, pray that God will continue to allow us to be a light in the community.
Eastern Avenue CRC
Grant:$6,000
First CRC
Grant:$5,000
Sherman Street CRC
Grant: $2,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
We fed an estimated 300 people, we also gave away 5000 pounds of food
from Gleaners. Our church is viewed as a church that is welcoming to the
Hip Hop community. Our goal was to cast a net to disciple young people.
We reached an estimated 100 youth and now, I am now in relationship with
5 youth and I am disciplining 2 of those youth and 1 young adult.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
Pray that more churches will have discernment to effectively reach our youth.
Pray for the youth and their families, that they will find a church that they feel
accepted.
Baxter Community Center
Grant: $9,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
The program has two distinct goals. The first of which is increasing the
number of participants in our program. The second is implementing a
curriculum that teaches how our stewardship over God’s money impacts our
lifestyles.
Goal #1: We projected that we would serve at least 15 people through the
course of 2007-2008 in our Freedom in Finance levels 1, 2 and 3 classes by
retaining members during the summer to encourage them to stay on track
as well as recruiting new members. Outcome #1: When the class was first
offered, we had 25 potential participants who were interested in participating
in the class of Freedom in Finances I. Out of the original 25 we had to
narrow down our number to 8 participants because of lack of committed
coaches. We had 8 participants start the fall session of Freedom in
Finances in 2007. After the third week we were down to 5 coaches and 5
participants. It appears that people do not understand the commitment
involved within this program or they are not ready to change their
behavior/lifestyle. Baxter made sure to follow up with those who were not
following through and assured them that when they are ready to fully
participate we are here to work with them. Out of the 5 participants that have
continued through the class only 3 will graduate. One of the program’s
requirements for graduation is that a person can demonstrate the methods
and strategies that are being taught in the class. Responsibilities of the
class include personal attendance, class participation, completion of
homework, and responsiveness to the instruction/input from their personal
finance coach.
Goal #2: The second goal is equipping the class members to make the
lifestyle changes that are suggested by the coach. Life style changes
include more than just showing up for class. The core teaching is that
everything belongs to God and that we have to be accountable for how we
spend our money. It is a change of mentality that we want our participants to
embrace and implement into their own lives. We have raised the standard
for graduation from the Freedom in Finances I Class from attendance to a
demonstration of grasping these principles, recognizing that the students
are making a paradigm switch in their own life as it relates to how to interact
with money and resources that we have. Outcome #2: Raising the
requirements for graduation, our class has resulted in a lower graduation
rate than in past years. Regardless of a perfect attendance record, the
students must grasp the concepts that are being taught. One way to
measure that is through one on one conversation between the coach and
the member. We rely on the honesty of those involved in the course to
measure this. We use the coach’s evaluation and an evaluation of the
participants spending habits in the last weeks of the class to gauge their
understanding of the class principles.
Successful completion of Freedom in Finance level 1 includes these
benefits:
- IDA accounts (Individual Development Accounts) where banks will
match 3:1 everything a participant puts into an account. - A getting out of debt plan (to significantly reduce debt or eliminate
debt) - An understanding that everything you have comes from God and that
he desires for you to be a good steward over it.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
Martie Mc Calm’s story (fictional name): How the budgeting class impacted
her life and the life of her children. Martie is a single mother of three kids of
12, 7, and 5. She is a student at Grand Rapids Community College, enrolled
in class 8+ hours a week. In addition to class time she must spend extra
time out of class to complete projects, work on homework and study. On top
of her class schedule she also volunteers as an intern in a field related to
her studies. Martie also works as an office assistant 20 hours a week. She
had two jobs, but had to let one of them go because it she wanted to spend
more time with her family. One of the motivators for Martie to join the class
was her interest in clearing her credit record. She came to Baxter
Community Center hungry to learn different ways to change her life. Martie
joined the Freedom in Finances I class in September and quickly grasped
the principles of the class. One of Martie’s favorite sayings came from the
first class, “God owns it all”. Understanding that God owns it all has helped
her manage her money better and to trust God. She has demonstrated a
lifestyle change.
This courageous woman has learned a lot from the class. We asked her to
explain a few of the things that she has taken away from the class.
- In her own words, she feels that, “She is more of a giving person
after taking the class.” What she has learned in the class makes her
think about what she buys, where she buys it, and what she can give
to others. - She is now equipped with the knowledge of how to clear her credit
and she has a plan of action to achieve it. - She felt that Catherine (her head coach) was very successful in
teaching her because she offered advice that was relative to her
situation. Her personal coach was also helpful in offering
suggestions. - She feels that her attitude toward shopping has changed. She labels
herself as frugal, and is always looking for the deals. - She shops the marketplace at Baxter because that helps her keep
her costs down. She uses the marketplace to help her find
boots/clothes for her kids. If she had to spend the money on the
warm clothes or boots, she may not have purchased the items. - She uses the daycare at Baxter to help her reduce the costs.
- The coaching empowered her with many tips on saving money.
- The homework sparked a desire in her to read more, including
reading her Bible more. The classes are based on scriptures from
the Bible. - She learned about the resources available to her at Baxter including
the Marketplace (free Christmas tree, Christmas food basket,
clothes, boots, and food) and Child Development Center. She is
excited to use Baxter’s tax program in spring.
In retrospect we look at how our class is more than just a band-aid
approach to how people spend their money. We are trying to change people’
s lives and how they handle their money. We desire for our graduating
participants to be good stewards of their money, demonstrating what they
have learned in our classes. We know that Martie will recommend us to
others. The best compliment we can receive from a participant is their
recommendation to others. When the participant recommends us to others it
is an indication that we are doing our job and that we are doing our job
effectively. It is an indication of trust and of confidence that Baxter’s program
will treat you with respect and that something good will happen as a result of
your participation! The last note we would like to mention about Martie is that
even though she was attending class, being a parent of three, working and
attending an internship, she never missed a class. This is a demonstration
of how willing she was to change her life. This is also a demonstration of
Martie’s organizational skills in planning. She is able to juggle all the
responsibilities in her life and still not miss a class. We believe now that
Martie has a plan to improve her credit. She will follow that plan until her
credit is clear. Her mind is set on good stewardship and she is accountable
for what God has given her.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
Baxter Community Center believes in the awesome power of prayer and is
therefore asking for prayer in two areas. Thank you for your prayers of
support. Pray that the Deacons/Elders of the churches would attend the
training at Baxter to provide better financial solutions to their churches. We
understand that sometimes these Deacons/Elders are in positions to assist
people with their emergency needs. We ask that they Elders/Deacons
become familiar with Baxter’s Freedom in Finances Class 1, 2, and 3 so that
they can offer the classes as a solution to repetitive emergency need
families. Pray that more churches be open to training. Too often churches
do not want to walk their members thru classes or are afraid to suggest
budgeting classes. These classes can help members and their families to
break the curse of receiving but not giving. We want to encourage our
participants to build treasures in heaven and not on the earth.
Camp Tall Turf
Grant: $7,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
Camp Tall Turf’s SALT (Service and Leadership Training) program is
essentially divided in to 3 different programs, the Leader In Training (LIT)
program, Sunday night Bible studies, and a summer Adventure Camp. Our
program year actually starts at the beginning of the summer, so this report
will reflect the 2006-07 program in the Spring of 2007 and the 2007-08
program year with the summer and fall of 2007.
In May of 2007 we wrapped up our school-year LIT program and Sunday
night Bible study. Through both of these programs we served 19 youth. Out
of these 19 youth, 89% reported that they experienced the personal rewards
of serving others & their community. 78% of SALT participants reported that
they will choose to be positive role models by becoming involved in
programs or activities with their peers and/or younger children.
In the summer of 2007 we served 54 youth at the 5-day Adventure Camp
held in the middle of July. The overall goal of Adventure Camp is to hold a
session specifically for high school kids and challenge them with more
team oriented activities to take reconciliation to a new level as well as
encourage them to learn new skills and like all of our programs, to develop
our strengthen their relationships with God. One outcome that was achieved
was when asked on an evaluation if their time at camp made them feel
better about themselves, the majority of the 54 responded yes, it did. Almost
everyone also indicated that they learned to do something new at camp and
learned something about God.
During the summer we also had 14 LITs . The overall goal of the LIT
program is: To guide, support and develop the desire, commitment,
knowledge and skills needed to effectively serve, inspire and guide others to
make positive choices and become active servant leaders for others and in
their communities for the sake of Christ. Specifically this summer the LITs
indicated that they learned the most in areas such as character traits of
leadership, problem solving skills, team building skills, and understanding
types of leadership.
We are currently in the midst of our school-year programming. We don’t
have any numbers for outcomes, but we are serving 20 teens through the
Sunday evening Bible Study. 10 of those 20 are also serving as LITs for the
school year.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
This is actually a speech written by one of our LITs, BeAnka Mushenkye,
which she read at the annual Building Bridges banquet in 2007.
"One activity that is most important to me is being an LIT (Leader In Training)
at Camp Tall Turf. Camp Tall Turf has had a divine impact on my life, and in
saying divine I mean God sent. At times when I have a moment I sit back
and ponder over my life, thinking about where I was and where I am now and
how far God has brought me “ A mighty long way.” In doing so the Bible
verse Jeremiah 29:11 comes to mind. It says, “For I now the plans I have for
you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future.” Who knew that me walking in to the Camp Tall
Turf office simply for a job, and coming out with so much more was part of
his plan for me? I Peter 4:10 reads “each one should use whatever gift he
has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its
various forms. It was Evangelist Micke Bechtle who stated, “God designed
us the way he did so w e could carry out his purposed in a unique way.
Nobody else can be me as well as I can.” Through Tall Turf I have learned to
use the gifts God has given me, that he may be glorified, to benefit our
community.
"Tall Turf gives kids the ability to look beyond the state of mind that today’s
society traps them in, particularly inner city youth. Growing up as an inner
city child myself, I can truly say that Tall Turf has given me the chance to
experience so much more in life, especially through the LIT program. I was
given the opportunity to travel to place such as Mississippi, Alaska, Detroit
and many other places to do community work and missions trips. I have
also encountered growth spiritually and mentally. I share with the Jack
Kooyman, the CEO of Tall Turf, all the time how I wish and desire that more
inner city youth can experience programs and places such as these and
how their eyes will be opened to the possibilities that are out there in the
world. They will see what God truly has in store for them and they don’t have
to live in these boxes in which society continues to put them. Learning the
first step is taking that step. An unknown author said, “Fear was not meant
to be feared but understood.” Having that fear in my life that there’s nothing
out there for me, God, through Camp Tall Turf, became that understanding.
I recently read a book called “ A Hand to Guide Me” (forward by Denzel
Washington). I read a statement that said “Show me a successful person
and I’ll show you someone who had a club to go to, an organization, or
someone who has influenced them. “Teach a child in the way he should go
and they will never depart from it.” Camp Tall Turf through Jesus Christ has
been that for me.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
The churches can lift us up in a couple of ways: 1) We are planning the
spring break college tour so prayers for effective planning, safety in travel,
and a rewarding experience for the teens 2) We have begun planning for the
summer of 2008 so prayers for guidance in decision making, hiring staff and
LITs, and wisdom.
Campus Directions
Grant: $12,000
Criminal Justice Chaplaincy
Grant: $11,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
Each quarter, CJC sends a report to Classis detailing the number of
persons served and in what capacity. The fourth quarter is being compiled
and will be sent at the end of January with more details on the various
ministry programs. For now, the Goal was to serve 1,329 persons in 2007.
We know at this point that this number will be closer to 1,400. We are
grateful for the opportunity to have served this many and exceeded nearly all
our goals. One aspect of ministry is the Mentoring Services Program. We
were able to have ongoing matches for 29 persons during the year. In order
to achieve this number, we had to contact over 333 agencies, churches and
individuals, requesting them to become trained Mentors, with a 1 year
commitment of weekly meetings. The number who agreed to be trained was
96 persons. The majority of whom are from the GR area CR churches.
We received 72 requests to be mentored from ex-offenders. Please see the
attached Mentoring Services Program, statistics for 2007.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
This is a brief story of a person being mentored by Tom Weeda from
Sherman St. CRC. The person is a 62 year old, black male, named
“Charles”, who was in an out of prison for most of his life, i.e. he was sent to
prison 8 times for armed robbery to uttering and publishing (writing bad
checks). The date of his first offense was 1966. He was referred to us by his
Parole Officer on 7-05-07. Over the years, when he was out on Parole for
brief periods of time, he would work at odd jobs, such as dry walling and
painting to sustain himself. He has no family to assist him in any manner.
He was assisted with clothing, boots and referrals to other agencies for
additional needs. CJC also paid for a short stay in temporary housing for two
weeks. Charles is now at the Mel Trotter Mission. He will stay there, until he
finds the means to be self sufficient.
He was placed into Alternative Directions for 2 months, trying to find
employment and then with the help of CJC obtained a Mentor, namely Tom.
They began meeting on a weekly basis in October. The mentor is to be
friend and not provide resources. Charles is being assisted by Hope
Network with trying to find a job. Hope Network works with ex-offenders in
training and employment situations, through state contracts. It may take a
year or more for Charles to become stable enough live on his own.
Alcoholism has been the main source of his problems and he readily
admits to needing help and meetings on a regular basis. He will remain a
long-term client of CJC and we will more than likely put more resources in
place for him this year. He is a likeable person with “the gift of the gab” and
wants to do what is right. The Mentor will become a stable influence on him
and perhaps have him become part of the church at Sherman St. We thank
God for Tom Weeda and others who do this work.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
Please pray for more people to come forward to be Mentors. We will train
persons to feel comfortable and make it a positive experience. The influence
of mentors is tremendous. CJC also has a 10 minute video strictly on
mentoring. Let us know if you would like us to come to your church and give
a presentation. Thank you for your support.
Volunteers in Service
Grant: $4,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
- Praise God that 11 people/families have been enfolded into a local
church this year. In VIS history it is known that 116 people/families
haven been enfolded into a local church. - 68 church visits were made to 41 churches to inform church leaders
about the referral and resource services of VIS and the Equipping
Church Network (ECN). - 54 agency visits were made to 43 agencies to strengthen existing
partnerships and forge new relationships, as well as provide training
as part of our new CRWRC responsibilities. - There are currently 14 ECN/CRWRC Covenant Partners (12
churches, 2 non-profits), with 5 of them new in 2007. VIS
congregational/organizational coaches made formal presentations to
20 different churches/organizations in the pursuit of organizational
partnerships. - The Connecting Team served 426 families this year.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
Nellie, a Kids Hope USA mentor, from Heritage CRC faithfully spent time
with her student McKenna weekly at her school until this past September
when Nellie discovered that McKenna would be attending a new school that
did not have a school based mentoring program. Through the Volunteers In
Service Youth Mentoring Initiative with DA Blodgett (DAB), Nellie became a
community based Big Sister to McKenna. Although it took time to adapt to
this new arrangement, Nellie and McKenna began visiting together every
week outside of school. Mostly they spend time at Nellie’s house doing
crafts, games, working on the computer or doing school work and other
times they go out shopping or for something to eat. “It’s about putting
McKenna first and what’s best for her. I just need to be her friend” said
Nellie. During the holidays, DA Blodgett offered free tickets to the Grand
Rapids Symphony Holiday Pops concert for all their Big Brothers and Big
Sisters. Nellie took McKenna and sat six rows from the front. McKenna’s
eyes were big as saucers during the concert. Both McKenna’s mom and
grandma cannot express what it means to have Nellie in McKenna’s life.
They say, “Everyday we say how lucky we are that McKenna has a Big Sister
in her life….she looks forward to the time they spend together. Nellie feels
like family.”
Many kids are on a list waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister. We are very
excited that since we launched this initiative in September we have helped
match 7 Big Brothers/Big Sisters. We pray that this pilot throughout 2008 will
inspire even more church members to respond.
3. Something about the program to lift to God in prayer:
- Executive Director Succession – We pray that the new Executive
Director hired will help lead VIS where God is calling us to minister in
the future and that this significant leadership change will have a
positive effect on staff, board and constituents. - Building Relocation – We rejoice that VIS will move to permanent,
owned space in the spring. This opportunity to be good stewards will
help us increase capacity to do our ministries in the future. - CRWRC Partnership – We pray that 2008 will bring many more
opportunities to develop new church and community partners.
Alternative Directions
Grant: $7,500
Living Water
Grant: $4,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
Living Water Ministries sought funding from the Grand Rapids East Home
Missions Committee to further enhance the holistic evangelism and
Christian discipleship aspects of our program services. Specifically, funding
was sought to further this goal in three areas: mentoring, worship
enrichment, and spiritual development.
In the area of establishing a mentoring program, the majority of time during
this grant period has been directed towards researching and developing the
mentoring training curriculum. In the spring of 2007, the Living Water
Ministries Executive Director, Kimberly Stapert met with Lori Weirsma and
staff from VIS. They shared training volunteer materials and resources.
Resources from AmeriCorps, Bridge of Hope, and addiction recovery
organizations were gathered and incorporated into the curriculum. The
curriculum is now in final stages of completion and will be presented to the
Living Water Ministries board of directors at the February 2008 meeting for
their review, comment and approval. Kimberly Stapert is working with Grace
CRC member, Karen DeVos, who is serving as a volunteer coordinator. She
is actively involved in recruiting Grace CRC members who are interested in
serving as mentors. It is planned that the first mentor training will be offered
in mid-April 2008. The training will be offered for two hours on two Saturday
mornings. It is our goal to have a minimum of 6, maximum of 12 mentors
attend the training. If we are not able to recruit this number of participants
among Grace CRC members, we will seek additional mentors from other
Classis East CRC churches.
In the area of providing worship enrichment, we have not identified the Living
Water peer specialist who would be the best fit for involvement with the
worship committee. This is a goal that we will be working towards in the last
quarter of the grant period. Living Water Ministries clients have participated
in worship at Grace in other ways. They have participated in the gospel choir
and performed liturgical dance. There have been two Living Water services
during the grant period and Living Water clients have served as worship
leaders, read scripture and presented their testimonies. Grace CRC
members have provided transportation so that clients are able to
consistently attend the services.
In the area of enhancing spiritual development, numerous clients of Living
Water Ministries, have consistently joined members from the NA group that
meets at Grace, church neighbors and church members at the Thursday
lunchtime spiritual development Bible study led by Pastor Jack Kooreman.
This past year, we spent time studying the book of Psalms and then
Exodus. Once the Living Water housing program moves to the house next to
the church, in February 2008, we will begin offering a weekly in-house Bible
study for the residents focusing on topics such as: Christian sexuality, grief,
offense, forgiveness, prayer, God’s grace, etc.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of this program:
Dee (name changed for confidentiality purposes) came to the Living Water
office at Grace church following an NA meeting. She dropped in to check us
out and became involved in our Tuesday night “Women at The Well” group.
Dee had moved to GR from Chicago in order to recover from a life filled with
addiction, prostitution, hopelessness and despair. Soon, she began
attending Sunday services and the Thursday lunchtime Bible study. Dee
developed a relationship with Living Water staff and Grace pastor, Jack
Kooreman. In November, she made profession of faith and officially joined
Grace church. Since then, Dee has obtained a job at Mel Trotter Ministries,
established independent housing, re-established a positive relationship
with her youngest child and is enrolled in classes for her Associates
degree. God is good!
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
Please pray for the continued sustainability of the ministry of Living Water.
We will be looking to form new collaborative relationships in 2008, so that
the ministry can strengthen and enhance our organizational and funding
structure. We ask that the right doors be opened, in God’s timing and that in
all the decisions we have to make that God’s will be done, not ours. Thank
you for the opportunity to share with you about what Living Water ministries
is doing to serve the least of these among us who are vulnerable, thirsty and
in need of the Living Water that is found only in Christ Jesus.
Oakdale Neighbors
Grant: $4,000
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
The grant from Classis Grand Rapids East is being used for two purposes:
to identify and equip 30 households in and around the Oakdale
neighborhood to pray for, care about and share with their neighbors and to
mentor 20 youth so that they exhibit spiritual, emotional, and educational
growth.
To date, 16 households have agreed to be block Lampposts by praying for
their neighbors. Oakdale Neighbors encourages these households with
periodic notes and has asked them to distribute information about Oakdale
Neighbors' programs to their neighbors. We hope these households will
become a network of block and neighborhood leaders.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
The Oakdale neighborhood has experienced several violent and property
crimes in the past year. Please pray that residents of the neighborhood will
have the strength to be "salt" and "light" in their neighborhood. Pray that
Oakdale Neighbors' efforts will help create a neighborhood of vitality and
grace--a reflection of the Kingdom of God.
Restorers
Grant: $8,000
1. Goals or outcomes that have been achieved by the program:
I am excited to report the outcomes which our families have experienced as
a result of participating in this class. Our Financial Freedom program is a
12 week, 2 hours per week class. We work on creating a working budget
along with connecting our resources back to the giver, who is God. We also
have a variety of guest speakers who present on a variety of finance related
topics. We have been able to serve over 50 participants over the course of
2007. Already, our Spring 2008 Financial Freedom class has over 50
people on a waiting list to sign up.
The goals which we established for 2007 are as follows:
- Graduate 50 participants
- Increase understanding regarding finances
- Establish a working budget
- Understand God’s plan for our lives, including finances, improved
relationships, and greater peace. - Increase credit scores, ability to qualify for home ownership and
increased income through employment
All of our participants report an increased knowledge of their finances and
are committed to sticking with their budgets. They also have a good working
budget based on their current income and are able to set realistic, attainable
goals for their future. For many, qualifying for a home or going back to
school are what they are planning. We provide a spiritual financial
foundation from which our participants can build upon. The most significant
outcome is that all participants grew in their faith throughout the class, and
understand what God wants for their lives.
We witnessed faith at work through the power of prayer. For several of our
participants it seemed as if the enemy got busy as soon as they signed up
for class and committed to coming. One person lost their job, another had
their mortgage money stolen at work and another had her car reposed.
Through it all, they were able to see God at work and still were able to give
thanks and praise for His grace and mercy.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
One participant came into the class and through the structured process
realized that in addition to needing a budget she also had a food addiction.
Through her new budget, she was able to see a spending leak that led right
to fast food restaurants. She was spending $300-$400 per month on fast
food. Her coach worked with her to identify this leak in her spending habits.
She also realized that she needed to gain control of not only her finances but
her weight as well. Since starting the class, her budget is on track and she
has lost 25 pounds over the 12 week period. She credits this class, her
coach and believing that she had to be a good steward not only of her
money, but of her body as well.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
The fact that we have over 50 people on a waiting list with more calling every
day is evident that there is a serious need for this program. Please pray that
God will continue to provide the financial resources needed for this
program. We are in serious need of volunteer coaches, who walk along
side of the participants throughout this class, encouraging them to reach
their goals.
Campus Chapel in Ann Arbor
Grant: $5,500
1. Goals that have been achieved by this program:
On-campus lectures and events sponsored by Campus Chapel and the
Center for Faith and Scholarship (which is directed by Dr. Rolf Bouma and
operates out of Campus Chapel) were attended by well over the goal of
1000. The worshipping community is composed of between 60-70 students
and faculty/staff families. Developing small groups and courses that overly-
committed students will commit to remains a challenge. However there has
been progress. Over the last year, about 40 were involved in such
programming.
2. A story of a changed life as a result of the program:
One student came to U of M in the fall of '06 after a summer in which his
world was thrown on its head. His father died and his girlfriend cheated on
him with his best friend. Meeting regularly with Pastor Mark and attending
worship at the Chapel helped to sustain him through a very difficult
semester. After taking the Winter Semester off, he returned with some
misgivings to U of M this fall-- since he had decided to leave the engineering
program. Through his involvement with the Chapel, however, over the last
couple of months he has become more energized about his studies and his
life in general. In fact, he recently became the Chapel's Social Justice
Coordinator. He currently plans to attend seminary after college.
3. Something about this program to lift to God in prayer:
Last February, the Chapel worked with Zondervan to bring Rob Bell to
campus. 900 mostly college-aged students showed up. On so many
different levels, this was remarkable. Most importantly, however, it was for us
a confirmation of the fact that students here are looking for a vision of the
faith that pushes past simplistic categories like "liberal" and
"fundamentalist." We would appreciate your prayers for our efforts to seek
ways to tap into this through our worship, programming and in particular our
efforts at collaborating with other ministries. There's far too much of a
territorial impulse between ministries here.
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