Holistic Ministry
To effectively transform a city, ministries must be developed to transform
the lives of the people and reverse the consequences of sin in their
lives. Without question it is the life of Jesus Christ, the ministry of
God's Holy Word, and the work of the Holy Spirit that sets a person free from
the power of Satan and makes them a child of God.
The establishment of
literacy sites, GED training, job assistance centers, after-school tutoring,
computer labs, Christian schools and other ministries are necessary to transform
the city. Any urban church planting should undertake at least some of
these ministries to meet the needs of their community.
Literacy Program
Our literacy site, Learning for Life, continues to
grow. We continue to be amazed how low the reading and math skills are in the
community where we live. But as the students are faithful, their grades are
going from D’s and F’s to B’s and C’s.
A 7-year-old
boy who had never been to school before October 1999, now knows
most sounds in the alphabet and can spell his name. His vocabulary is slowly
growing, and a light is shining in his eyes.
The Site Coordinator from the Newark Literacy
Campaign visited our site. He joined our opening prayer, praised our program,
and said we are impacting our neighborhood.
Afterschool Tutoring
Many of our Junior High and High School students are coming
to our after-school tutoring program. We work with them in math, reading,
science, and any other area they need help with. We also use this time to mentor
them and help them grow as productive, committed Christians.
