St. John's Summer School - A.C.E. (Advancing Children's Education)
Our congregation has received funds to conduct a program at our facility. The intention of this program is to help children advance their education in reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Area teachers from our Lutheran Elementary Schools (LES) will be doing the teaching. Three Martin Luther College (MLC) students also will serve as their student teachers.
The purpose of this program is to help children in our neighborhood along with providing an experience for MLC students to work in an urban setting. On top of this, our congregation is the site of this program so we as members of St. John's will have the opportunity to get to know those families that come to our building.
Certain positions with this program are paid positions because of the grant we have received through WELS Kingdom Workers (WKW) and the Board of Home Missions (BHM). However, we still need volunteer help. These are unpaid positions.
The A.C.E. program focuses on the education of children and is like a mini school (something St. John's has had to say good-bye to twice in recent years). We as a congregation have the privilege and responsibility of using this connection to our community to share the message of our Savior.
When A.C.E. is over, the teaching staff and school activities will leave. They will be done. Our concern for souls won't be.
Through this program we hope to make a connection to those individuals who come through our doors and to follow up with them. This is where all of us can be a part, through the use of our time. Right now the only connection that we offer directly connected to A.C.E. is Summer Time with Jesus.
We have done this in summers past. If our people want to do something more, we welcome that, too. An example would be an evening cook-out or a gathering at a park where we invite the families of A.C.E. to be our guests. This is just one idea. You may have more.
If you have some and are willing to help do them, please speak with Mike Mulinix (the chair for our Board of Growth and Outreach) or with Pastor Lindner.
Specifically speaking, we need volunteers to help advertise this program. Part of that advertisement is canvassing – going door to door to leave flyers. The other part is following up with the families that attend A.C.E.
A great benefit to our congregation would be something called a "Follow-up Team." We don't have this right now. If this is something you are nervous about, Pastor Lindner is more than happy to help train and build confidence in this area.
It's no secret that we have an older congregation. Members often say, "We need more families" or something similar. While this happens on our Lord's timetable, he's also entrusted us with reaching out to our neighbors with the gospel.
One of the big obstacles to overcome is making initial contact. St. John's has done that through various activities (Senior Luncheons, Christmas on Broadway, Vacation Bible Schools, worship services, Bake and Craft sales, and now A.C.E.).
The next step is to see where these contacts are at spiritually. That involves seeing them again, spending time with them, and sharing our Savior with them.
In order to see them, we have to go to them. Think of Christ's Great Commission. It starts with the word "Go," not "Wait." While spending time with them and sharing our Savior with them present their own obstacles, we won't be able to address those obstacles until we make it our practice to "go" to them.
If everyone here at St. John's does this, think of the blessings the Lord will pour out on his people. More will know about their Savior. Our faith will be strengthened as we do it.
As the Holy Spirit produces fruit from this labor the joy in our hearts will increase and we'll become zealous for doing more work like this. This is work that our Savior has entrusted to all of us.
If you are interested and want to take the initiative of working with Pastor Lindner in follow up, please speak with him. We need volunteers for going out and advertising A.C.E. and we need them when A.C.E. is done to follow up with the families that come.
