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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Building Bridges into the Community through Common Interest

Many of our local high school kids are behind academically. Way behind. When I met the the principal of the Camelback High School, I ask him what his school's greatest need was. Without hesitation he said tutors. So we created a tutoring program in conjunction with the local Senior Center (they have a bunch of retired teachers who could help) and the Senior Center hosted the after school program.

It started off great guns, then began to fizzle. When Ann Justus, one of our members and teacher extraordinare (is that a word?), approached the administration about this problem, they suggested that we tutor the freshman football team next year on campus. They told us that 83 kids started freshman football last year and by the 6th game of the season they could not field a team because of academic eligibility issues. They could use the help.

So this coming fall, we will be tutoring and loving the freshman football team. We view this as one way to build bridges into the community through a common interest. We are hopeful that by loving them as Jesus does will cause a transformative (is that a word?) spark that would ignite the entire school...thus leading to healing, reconciliation (with God, friends, family, races, and ethnicities) peace, and joy that is Christ's alone.

A big dream...sure it is, but God is looking for willing instruments that He can use to redeem the world and make it a better place. Sign me up! How about you?

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