Homework clubs in Churches

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