I also turned in our revised paperwork for Flint City Salvos, the UM Flint Student Organization. We have a table tomorrow afternoon at the UM Flint Student Fair. Should be a good time. Dave finished the front of the table cloth. We used some cool stencils, added some web addresses, and included some key words that describe what we are all about. I think it has a very earthy/organic feel to it. We'll be sure to snap some pics when we get there. Anyway, we should now be approved to become an official student org. and allowed to promote all over campus, use rooms, hold bible studies, have a table where we can promote issues we care about, especially those on a local level that deal with issues of justice.
We're almost done flyering the neighborhood. Just a few streets left and it is all flyered. The Family Fest won't be as huge as last year, but I think it will be a good time.
We've been going through our neighborhood picking up kids each day for Prime Time, our after school program. It's been interesting and exciting. By waiting at the bus stop for the kids, I have noticed a whole lot more children than I thought lived in the neighborhood. I'm not sure where they all came from, but there are a lot. And so, we're very determined to meet their parents, promote what we have and get them into Prime Time. On the other hand, yesterday we had kids with us from local schools and heading into the neighborhood the kids asked why we were in the ghetto. This may have been because we are driving past blatant drug houses and weaving around parked cars whose owners could be seen sitting in the car jamming music, or hanging out near the vehicle adding to the street congestion. But, I have to say that I am a strong proponent of picking up the kids. The parents last year were not very committed despite verbally showing an interest in our youth programs. This is something we saw happen in Regent Park when we visited. When the 614 picked up kids and dropped them off they were able to establish stronger relationships with both the kids and the parents. They began to have a mentoring relationship and not just a service provider/babysitter relationship. So, I truly hope this continues and we gather even more kids from the neighborhood. I worry for them, and my fear is backed up by the findings mentioned at the CDDA Conference which stated that once a kid reaches 4th or 5th grade they become harder to connect with and it is almost impossible to have any relationship or impact at all.
Tonight is the first night of our corps' youth activities. All four kids we picked up from the neighborhood are staying and are pumped about becoming Sunbeams or Explorers. They show an enthusiasm that I rarely see when it comes to SA programming, at least with kids who have grown up in the sal. I used to see little to no value in a lot of our programs, but that is not the case with youth from our neighborhood. It's awesome. It energizes the kids, the leaders, the congregation and helps us to work harder.
For my part, I'll be working with kids teaching them how to play guitar or bass or drums in hopes to start a youth lead worship band. Later on we'll drop our kids off and hopefully they will have had a great time here.
I come home from days like this exhausted, but I also come home and reflect on how much I love my job.
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