Investing in Young Leaders: Volunteers Needed!

Kids Adelante began nearly three years ago with one volunteer and five little girls in our basement. It has obviously grown a lot since then. This trimester we are averaging just over 40 kids and 11 volunteers each Thursday night. The Thursday night “Outreach Bible Study” program has drawn in kids ages 4-12 and has exposed them to the message of the Bible in a variety of ways. However, once a week is not enough to overcome the challenges these kids face from peers and life as they approach middle school. A couple of weeks ago the principal from M.E. Pearson elementary school met with our staff for a “lunch and learn” session and shocked us all with the news that fifth graders in his school are routinely recruited by middle school gang members! Our time is short.

Plans are currently underway to launch a “Leaders-In-Training” program to mentor and tutor the kids in Kids Adelante who have demonstrated leadership characteristics. Our hope is that investing heavily in these kids will help them become positive leaders among their peers as they make their way through the minefield that lies ahead. We want to inspire a vision and hope for their lives that supersede the messages they receive from the urban culture in which they live. Currently our plan is to involve up to 10 students in a three-day-a-week after-school program that will include recreation and tutoring in math and language arts, as well as mentoring in character development.

**Here’s where YOU come in! If you have a passion for investing cross-culturally in kids, there are some pretty exciting and easy ways to connect! We still need volunteer tutors for Wednesday afternoons as well as teams to provide light afternoon meals for the kids each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The meals could be a perfect project for small groups to share! If God is moving you in this direction, please call or email jarrettm@missionadelante.org to find out how you can be involved. The launch is scheduled for mid-September!

In other news:

• The upcoming Volunteer Team Meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, August 4, which is one week later than it was previously scheduled. This means we will have less than a week to prepare for the summer “graduation” party. Please mark your calendars now for the team meeting on August 4th at 6:30 pm and the Summer “graduation” party on SUNDAY, August 10th in the late afternoon!
• Eight Hispanic and six American volunteers met together on Sunday afternoon and formed the new "Servant Community." They showed excitement for the vision and eagerness to participate. They'll have monthly meetings from now on to maintain momentum.
• Fifteen volunteers came to Mission Adelante to serve during Heartland Community Church's "YES! Day" last Saturday. Despite heavy rain most of the day, they worked outside for half the day and maintained good attitudes!

Prayer needs:

• Pray for the group of 20 youth from Emmanuel Baptist Church as they prepare to come next week to lead V.B.S. in the neighborhood and do work projects around the facility.
• Continue to pray for the kids with whom Megan McDermott has been pursuing friendships. The kids have come to Kids Adelante with friends in the past, and want to come back, but the parents have stopped allowing them to come, and have also started resisting Megan's effort to spend time with them. Please pray for Megan and Mission Adelante to find favor with the parents.
• The father of some siblings that participate in Kids Adelante is in prison. Please pray for the family to depend on God and to find comfort and peace in spite of their difficult situation.

Current needs:

In order to stock our resource center and provide for families in need, we're requesting:

• grocery store gift cards
• household supplies including laundry detergent, dish soap, and cleaning supplies.

Important upcoming dates:

• Monday, August 4, 6:30 p.m. at the Mission: New date for Volunteer Team Meeting
• Sunday, August 10, late afternoon at the Bethany Community Center: Trimester-end party and graduation