Ministry....
After School

Churches all over the Synod are thinking outside the box when it comes to reaching and connecting with kids.  A few churches have found a ministry connection with kids in the after school time frame. Hear how these two churches are meeting building caring relationships, providing mission education, and reaching kids one heart at a time:
 
-Hope Reformed in Spencer Iowa is home to an afterschool program called “Kid Connection” and busses kids in from every school in town.  It started with a group of moms 4 years ago that wanted their kids to have a chance to learn memory verses, have fun together with other kids and focus on some sort of mission’s project.  Now with over 50 kids coming their focus is still on the fellowship but have taken more of a pro-active approach with how they help kids understand missions and their involvement in it.  
Kim Smith, Director of Children and Family Ministries says, “A couple of years ago we deliberately made missions education more of a priority-and we love it!  The missionaries that we support as a church became more than names in the bulletin, we set out to make them “real” to the kids and have been blessed to have communicated with and met many of them”.   
One of their mission’s hightlights was their Haiti Bag Project.  They have a team that travels to Haiti after Christmas and they have and will again send 300 bags full of all sorts of goodies for the kids at Guimby School in Haiti.  This year they are even making cards that they have translated into Creole with their picture and name on it.  Another highlight is a few other special outreach events they host like their Fall Festival and their “Happy Birthday Jesus” party.

-Peace Reformed in Sioux City, IA is involved with a ministry called KIDS HOPE USA which is an afterschool mentoring program in which over 30 members from Peace Church are involved with McKinley School to love, encourage, help and prayer for students.  Each mentor spends one hour per week throughout the school year with their student.  Although academics are a part of the program, the primary goal of the mentor is to provide a caring, adult relationship with the child, focusing on the child’s emotional needs.  When relational needs are met, hope blossoms, and academics naturally come.  KIDS HOPE USA’s mission statement is: building relationships with one child, one hour, one church, and one school.  This program is changing lives……..one student’s heart at a time!  For more information check out Peace’s website page(www.peacereformed.org) under their mission’s link.