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I heard a story the other day that I just can’t shake.

A young man, Jerome, was awarded a scholarship to Wheaton College through the Posse Foundation.  Jerome was transported from his high school in The Bronx to Wheaton’s beautiful campus in Illinois.  He had access to everything he needed to succeed at Wheaton, including a support team supplied through Posse.  But Jerome didn’t make it past his first semester before dropping out.  Why?  In his words, Jerome simply believed he didn’t belong there…wasn’t deserving of a college education.

A young lady, Melanie, attended the same public high school as Jerome and was in his graduating class.  Everyone always told Melanie that she’d be president when she grew up.  She was that smart, and that motivated.  When Melanie arrived as a freshman at this school and found that it had no advanced placement classes or library, she concluded that instead of being prepared for college, she and her classmates were being prepared to, in her words, “flip burgers” for the rest of their lives.  She, too, sadly chose to believe that she was not worthy of a college education or a bright future outside of the poverty-stricken neighborhood in which she’d grown up.  She struggles today as a single mom, and wonders every day what might have been if she’d chosen to believe something different.

The core belief that Jerome and Melanie share is that they are essentially worthless.  They believe that they have nothing to offer the world, and so, are undeserving of anything good in it.

These beliefs are false.  And we Christians, we are the truth-bearers.

How can we communicate to this generation of children that they are valuable beyond what they can imagine?  How can we show them the great love that resides in the Father’s heart for them? 

How can we convince them that He made them for a purpose, and gave them gifts to share with the world and glorify Him?

Well…we’re working on it.  There are so many factors that come into play in a child’s perspective of his or her place in the world.  But we do have the opportunity to become one of those factors…one of those voices in their lives that help form their ideas of themselves and who they were made to be. 

Shine has created a database for the purpose of offering special guest presenters to the teachers at A. Montoya Elementary.  It is our hope that a teacher could look on our database and find a biologist, a lawyer, a business owner, a stay-at-home parent, a chef, a politician, an artist, and YOU…a person who would be willing to come in once or twice a year to speak to his class or help him develop a special activity that pertains to your area of expertise. 

The goals of this database are as follows:

1. Lend support to our teachers. Teaching in a Title 1 school means that you fight the core beliefs Jerome and Melanie formed at young ages.  This is not an easy task.  Help them change these precious kids’ minds about themselves, and give the teachers new depth to their lessons. Show the teachers they’re not alone in their fight for this generation.
2. Show the kids their worth. They won’t believe they’re worth your  It means a lot when you step out of your busy, important life to be with them.  It demonstrates our core belief that God loves them.
3. Encourage the kids to dream. When you, a real person from their own community (NOT a teacher) tells them that a bright future is within their reach, it sticks a bit more than when their teacher says it. In fact, you may be the person that causes them to believe it.

Please consider adding yourself to the list of potential presenters.  We need artists, scientists, writers, stay-at-home parents, crafters, runners, business people, and YOU!  Please click on the following link to fill out the form to be added to the database.  Praise God that we get to be part of His transformative work!

Shine Bright Database

Click here to learn more about Shine and all the ways they serve students, teachers and families at A. Montoya!

As we come together on Sunday morning, it strikes me that God is often at work in ways that don’t receive a lot of attention. Sometimes, we just don’t realize how God is using our brothers and sisters.

Did you know that there are small groups that enter the public schools on a weekly basis to teach children about our Savior through His Word? Bible Club incorporates songs, snacks, and silliness for sure, but there is a desperate dedication to impart the beautiful Truth that impacts eternity.

Pamela Oliva is one of these gentle attendants. But the love blazes out when she talks about these little ones is contagious. She speaks of foster children, children being raised by grandparents, children whose lives are in turmoil, who for one hour each week have an anchor in their storm. They come, they hear, and sometimes God will open their eyes to see Him.

Celestial (not her real name) is one such child. Raised by Wiccans who were eager to have one more hour for her to be occupied elsewhere, she started coming to Bible Club. At first, it may have been for the candy. But Pamela noticed a change in her. There was a lightening in her spirit and her temperament. She hated to leave when the time finished. The Word was at work! And Bible Club didn’t just minister to her; her teen brother felt the impact of Christ’s love when he would sullenly show up to fetch her. It started with Pamela offering him a lollipop while he waited for them to finish, and with a pastor taking a sincere interest in him and engaging him in conversation. By the end of the year, both Celestial and her brother had changed radically. Did they accept the Lord as their Savior? Pamela does not know for sure, but she can attest that there was a real transformation.

The most difficult aspect of Bible Club is that it is hard for the leaders to interact with the parents. Other than a quick greeting at the pick-up, there is just not a lot of time to build relationship.

So, we invited them to dinner and a puppet show … and they said YES!

Would you like the chance to meet, love, and show hospitality to families in the community? This is the most amazing part – God is bringing the community to US! The dinner is this Tuesday night here at MCC and we would love if you would partner with us!

There are three ways that you could participate:

1. Do you want to come and break bread? Please contact Elizabeth and RSVP so we know how many to plan for!
2. Not able to come? Can you help provide the food? We are doing a taco bar and need a variety of things to make it happen. Please sign up Sunday so we know what we will have.
3. Most importantly – will you join us in prayer?

Pray for the Lord to prepare hearts to hear the Gospel on Tuesday night. Pray that we will be a blessing, that we will serve them in a way that reflects the love of our Savior. Pray that we will be transformed by our interactions.

Pray for protection for the club leaders – physical, mental, and spiritual. Pray for their stamina and strength as they continue to humbly serve in His name through His Word.

Pray for the children who come. Pray that they will grow in the Lord, pray that their parents will come to Christ and that families will be drawn to worship the Lord in churches on Sunday mornings.

As a family with young kids, we constantly strive to instill thankfulness, throughout the year but specifically around Thanksgiving.

The good news for you, and my family, is that I married a brilliant lady, a teacher by trade and fun person by lifestyle. Years ago she found the book, “Thanksgiving, A Time to Remember”, and set up a lesson plan around it.  Each night of Thanksgiving week, we read a section, followed by acting it out.  The lesson finishes on Thanksgiving, with a final reading and an activity centered on thankfulness, or gratitude.

This great book teaches about the history of the settlers, their faith, and their rocky start with the native people. It is even arranged for different age groups, so you can read/teach older kids or younger or both. The book ends with a Thanksgiving feast, food of all kinds and types; breads, vegetables, meat and desserts! 

The gratitude activity is actually based on remembering the year before; the faith to succeed and the scarcity of resources. 

Food was so scarce the year before, that in order to make it through the cold winter, settlers were each rationed a few kernels of corn daily. Daily. In remembrance of that tough winter, each of the settlers takes 5 kernels of corn and shares what they are grateful for.

We mimic this activity in our family. 

Wherever we are and whoever we are with, we each get five kernels and a fancy sheet of paper. Everyone then writes down and shares five things that they are thankful for. We share our gratitude for what God had done for us and our love for each other. There is also the random mention of Star Wars or Pokémon, but Jesus is well represented. A cup is passed around; as you share your items, you put in your kernels one at a time. 

In a time of celebration, our family is reminded that the pies, the food, the football and the naps are not the most important part of this holiday.  Rather, these things are an intentional celebration of those things we are thankful for throughout the year.

Your family may have its own traditions that focus on gratitude and thankfulness.  Or maybe you don’t and it’s time to start one.  Either way, make time to be intentional with your family, and create opportunities to share what is important, what this season is about. This is a great lesson to start the holiday season. They may blow you off at the beginning, but they will see the benefits.  May you and yours be gratefully blessed this Thanksgiving season!

Paul (aka Mr. Brouse to kids at MCC) is MCC's Children's Ministry leader, husband to Mindy Brouse and the father of 7. 

I learned about Operation Christmas Child 15 years ago. I was at McDonald’s with my cousin’s wife, Lisa. Our boys were playing on the red and yellow plastic slides and she took the Happy Meal doll and said she was going to put it in the box for “her” girl.

Knowing she had three busy boys (at that time 7, 6, & 4) I asked her what she meant and she explained the idea behind the Samaritan’s Purse ministry, Operation Christmas Child. I loved the idea! What a great thing for Gabriel and I to do together – buying small toys and sending them to a child who would otherwise have nothing to open! Including a Gospel tract in their language!

For several years Gabriel and I packed shoeboxes for children we’d never meet, in countries we had never been to, praying these small gifts would bring them joy and into a relationship with their Savior. Later, as I worked with teen girls, we included them on shopping and packing expeditions too. At the time I saw it as a fun project that hopefully introduced children to Jesus. 

Then I was invited to hear a guest speaker at the Operation Christmas Child “Kick-Off”… and it changed the way I viewed the ministry completely! The speaker's name was Nadia, and she was from Russia. She described life in the Russian orphanage as bleak, lonely, and at times horrific. The workers, she said, would force the children to fight each other and place wages on who would win. She was unloved, uncared for, and saw no future for herself.

But then one day, a woman showed up with shoeboxes filled with gifts! Nadia couldn’t believe it! Pencils, hair clips, toys, all for her? But what was most important to her was a toothbrush. She finally had her own toothbrush, one she didn’t have to share! After the woman left, the workers took the nicer things from the children, but Nadia hid her toothbrush.

Even more importantly, the workers couldn’t take from her the realization that there was someone on this planet who actually cared about her.

Why would someone care about her? Nadia was perplexed.

And it was at that time that she read the Gospel and learned about the Savior that loved her and that His love was so overpowering that it changed everything!

Like her, He had been beaten, abused, and abandoned. But He forgave and she needed to forgive, and the Holy Spirit brought life to her!

We all were weeping by the time she finished.

I wept for the neglect and pain; I wept for a glorious God who intervened.

After hearing Nadia I wanted to be a part of this in a way that I never had before. This was no longer just a fun, teachable moment; there is a real Gospel opportunity here.

Now, I don’t know about you, but a toothbrush is a really easy thing for me to come by. I have one to clean jewelry, one to scrub tile, and seem to acquire them. The practical thing that changed about my shoeboxes was that now every single one of them has a toothbrush, and when I have packing parties, every shoebox has to have one. It’s an iron-clad rule.

But even more so, now we pray before we shop. We pray as we pack. I pray throughout the year for who may have received the box. We include notes in the box – notes of love, hope, encouragement, and of course, Scripture.

It seems so small – just a shoebox filled with small toys and sent with a prayer - we may not know on this side of eternity whose hands He places them in – but I know He hears prayer and I know He is able to take a toothbrush and transform lives.

Click here to learn more about Operation Christmas Child. MCC will have shoeboxes available the next two Sunday's in-between services! Pick one up, fill it, pray over it and return it to the church by Sunday, November 5th and we will deliver it to a dropoff location!

Three years ago, I met cousins Robert (8)* and Phillip (5)* while participating in the Juntos tutoring program.  Robert and Phillip had a special relationship, relying on each other for support and encouragement.  Over the course of time, I would learn why. 

During the “get-acquainted” portion of the program, Robert told me that he lived with his mom and some men whose names he didn't know.  At this time, Robert was very much on edge and obviously nervous about almost everything.  My heart broke for him.

Over the next several months, during weekly study-halls, I found that simply keeping Robert's focus on anything nondestructive was a success.  He was constantly acting up, misbehaving, and being destructive. Eventually, I learned that both boys were routinely pulled out of their home in the middle of the night by child protective services.  Yet, I would see them the next day and they would act as if nothing had happened.  One foster family told me how the boys would sleep with the lights on, their dog at their sides, their lives filled with fear and uncertainty.

But my time with them was special.  I would play ball with them, read to them, and help out with Phillip’s art interests.  Tutoring of school subjects became secondary to building a trusting, healthy relationship.  In reality, I may have been the only adult male they knew who treated them with respect, love, and encouragement.

Eventually, we began to discuss things of significance: like what they might do with their lives and how to deal with hard times, like when an older school friend was killed on the street.  The weight of the issues these children deal with is staggering!  Robert, though, still had challenges.  He was kicked out of one school for fighting.  Still, I always tried to let them know they were loved. 

It was often with the simplest gestures that real relationship was formed. When I brought his favorite pineapple-and-bacon pizza to our meeting, Phillip was amazed that I had listened to what he told me.

Fast forward three years.  Robert and Phillip are still involved with Juntos.  There have been some improvements in their family life, but times are still tough.  After a recent meeting, though, I reflected on the remarkable transformation in their lives.  Robert is more controlled, shows less anger, and seems like a genuinely happy soul.  Phillip, always a smiler, now has a focus to his activities and is excited to be learning and growing.  I believe the love and care these boys received at Juntos changed the paths of their lives.  They still have hard times ahead (as do we all), but they can take heart in the promise of Jesus: that through Him we can overcome this world.

How can you be part of this miracle-making program?   You can volunteer your time and show a child he or she really is loved.   And, after 12 years of stories like this, Juntos is finally able to work toward purchasing a permanent facility in the target neighborhood!  With suitable buildings becoming available, the funding needs are significant, but certainly achievable.  A new facility negates costly van transportation and increases access.  Click here to donate to the building fund.

(Individual photo taken by Jasmine Mostrom)