I was so encouraged 10 days ago when I
attended the Beyers Naude Workshop for the churches in the Eastern
Cape in Willows, Port Elizabeth. The theme of the day was:
Alternative Economic Models. In her talk, Rene August, (an Anglican
Priest that is a staff member of The Warehouse) presented one of the
main solutions that the church so easily can engage with, as opening
their spaces to homework clubs in the afternoons free of charge. She
continued to say that it will have a huge impact on our economy when
the youth are able to finish their education. Of course, I agreed
with her completely.
After this session, I spoke to Hendry
Tromp of the URCSA, Gelvandale. He was happy to know that what he
and I started in 2013 at his church, was now recognized as something
all churches should engage with.
Here in Cradock I know of two churches
that are doing just that. (There might be more, but I have not
discovered them.) One is in Atlanta, Lingelihle. Their building is a
sink structure that leaks when it rains. Yet, when the pastor of
this church was asked if a homework club can be started in his
church, he immediately agreed and encouraged the church's members to
get involved with it. Well done, to him!
My experience has been that:
* kids don't as a rule destroy these
properties
* these spaces are left clean after it
was used
* if congregations get involved the
church and the community benefit from this getting to know each
other.
I would like to encourage those that
see a need for a homework club in their community to approach
churches in their community and ask them if they would be open to
host a homework club. You might be surprised at how eager they are to
help. If they are not eager, at least you held up a mirror in front
of them, so that they could see their hearts. (The time when
churches could be comfortable and excluded from the problems the
community is faced with, is long gone.)
In studying Early Christianity I
discovered that the word synagogue has the meaning of the gathering
of people. In the first century the building where people gathered
for prayer, was the community center. I think it is time to bring
this together again. We have all these buildings. Let it again
become centers of empowering communities to live lives as whole human
beings. Education will be a very strategic area in this vision.
Living in Egypt within the Coptic Community, I saw this lived out
practically with wonderful success.
Come on, try it!
Evelyn
