Churches Working Together
The dictionary defines cooperation as “an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action.” It’s defined as a noun, but really it is an action. If you’ve been watching the Olympics, you’ve seen a great example of cooperation in the swimming relays. Every member of the four man or woman team is working together to accomplish one goal: to win the gold medal. One person may be stronger than another, but everyone contributes his or her own unique talent for the benefit of the team.
There is a real sense of cooperation in the Village these days. Over the last few months, members of two local churches have been working together to ready the Village Church for an after-school tutoring program called The LINC. One church has provided all the money and most of the work for a new kitchen so that kids in the program can have a meal every day. The other church has provided labor, time and money to renovate five classrooms, the fellowship hall and the backyard. Three days a week (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) kids will go from school to the LINC where they will have playtime, dinner and individual tutoring. On Wednesdays they will do supervised field trips around the city. There is a reading room and an art room, computers for kids to help do their lessons and the beginnings of a great playground.
Just like the Olympic relay teams, each of us has a particular skill that can be used for the advantage of all. To help in this joint action, there are several things you can do: tutor one day a week from 5:00-6:30, recruit a couple friends and provide a meal for 30 once a month, be a playtime helper from 2:30-4:30, help supervise a Wednesday field trip, or teach an art, sewing or cooking class. Most importantly, you can pray for Natalie Faught, the director, for the 14 kids attending the LINC, and for the adults already committed to helping out. Working together, we can achieve a common purpose that will benefit many. We can be the living definition of cooperation again showing this community what the body of Christ looks like as we serve their needs.
For more information, or to help with the LINC, contact Natalie Faught (683-7143). Many thanks to First Presbyterian Church and The Light for their tireless efforts in remodeling these spaces.