Big Bethel AME Church’s Saturday School Creatively Cares for Children
Program Collaborations
Through a robotics partnership, the Saturday School is in the process of developing its own technology based ROBO-KIDS EXPERIENCE. This ministry emphasizes developing discipline and critical thinking, teamwork skills, increase attention span, and promote creativity. The students create models using Legos, that will be programmed using appropriate music and sound.
Our continued partnerships with other faith communities and organizations like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Women, Inc., Bridging the Gap Mentoring Program, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Operation P.E.A.C.E. After-School Program, the Butler Street Community Development Corporation has resulted in providing tutoring assistance, mentoring connections, resources and opportunities for our youth. They are exposed to the arts, college and professional team sports, the Georgia Aquarium, the Civil Rights Museum, the Apex Museum, the Auburn Ave Library, and much more.
The school’s computer lab allows the students to enhance their areas of weakness in reading, math and science utilizing a special program subscription provided by a partner donor each year.
The Saturday School gained significant support from Georgia State University and foodservice businesses in the community. This collaboration has opened doors for establishing partnerships in gardening in the church's “outdoor classroom”/amphitheater. The program, called Noodle Cave, is sponsored by a young woman from Michigan who saw us one day trying to do some planting with the children. She will return to Atlanta this April to introduce four-week workshops to students. The produce will be prepared and eaten before the end of the school year.
Lifting Interfaith Ministry
We are entering a one-year program with the Interfaith Children's Movement, Inc. to work on strengthening families. The program, allows the diverse group of enrolled parents to hold leadership positions to develop and/or strengthen them in the area of basic life skills to become role models for others in their communities. There are approximately 25-30 students every week. The church provides transportation to and from four communities throughout Metro Atlanta. The full, productive day program begins at 10:00 am ends at 3:00 pm. and provides meals or snacks. We thank God for his grace and favor shown this vital ministry. We have been blessed beyond measure with God’s help and the support and vision Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. John Foster. Supporter Report submitted by Rev. Bessie Donaldson.
The number of uninsured children in the US exploded to nearly a half million in two years, despite there being a period of economic growth. This number may increase more rapidly if there is an economic downturn. According to a new state-by-state analysis by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families, there are over 4 million uninsured children in the nation raising the rate from 4.7 to 5.2 percent.
Researchers place the blame of the increase on recent policy changes which have the U.S. “now reverting backward on children’s health coverage.” “Recent policy changes and the failure to make children’s health a priority have undercut bipartisan initiatives and the Affordable Care Act, which had propelled our nation forward on children’s health coverage,” Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and a research professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy, says in a statement. “This serious erosion of child health coverage is due in large part to the Trump Administration’s actions or inactions that have made health coverage harder to access and have deterred families from enrolling their eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP.”
Some of the causes for the increases are attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid cuts, elimination of individual mandate penalty, and delays in funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
According to the report, the most children impacted are white and Latinx children, children under the age of six, and the children of families with low to moderate incomes. Texas has the largest number of uninsured children with 20 percent of all children being uninsured.
Access the report for more information .
Source:
Reynolds, Keith A. “Report: Number of uninsured children in U.S. grows.” Medical Economics, . Accessed 31 October 2019.
Northstar AME Zion Church in Newington, New Hampshire is making a difference in the lives of families. They recently adopted Lydia’s House of Hope in Somersworth as a way to show acts of faith and caring for the ten women and their children living in the home. The hope of the congregation is to make the lives of the mothers a little easier as they work on personal improvement goals.
Every Sunday, during the church service, the congregation is reminded that there is an ongoing collection of toiletries and diapers for the residents of the home. The members of church have responded with enthusiasm.
Northstar hopes to keep this outreach effort ongoing as one of their church’s blessings in addition to the food drive for the Salvation Army.
Columbus Avenue AME Zion in Boston, MA is offering crochet lessons as a way to bring others to Christ by teaching an old skill while studying his word.
When a nine-year girl wanted to learn to crochet, members of the church decided to offer lessons to all children whether they were members or not as well as to any interested adult. As a result, the first class included the nine-year old and her grandmother. The second class welcomed an individual with no church home affiliation-just an interest in studying and learning how to crochet. This quarterly project will occur again after the holidays.
AMEZ New England Liaison Report from Sister Ruth Gough
Many news reports have presented the serious problems that children confront from being online with their game-playing devices, computers, smartphones, and tablets. Children are exposed to cyberbullying, sexual advances, invasion of their and their parents' privacy, and other threatening behaviors. Adults need to understand how what children see online (both positive and negative) can have lasting effects on their physical and emotional wellbeing. Talk to your children about technology usage and implement some rules. For information to help address these issues, see "The Ultimate Parent Guide for Protecting Your Child on the Internet" and click here.
