We're Starting A Church!

My sister has challenged to me write on my blog daily. We'll see how long this lasts. 


The biggest thing going on at the Akins' is a new outreach project we are launching. We are starting a church in the inner city projects!


Now that is an extreme statement. Starting a church. You have to realize that my husband has never been a deacon or any type of church leader. He hasn't even taught a children's Sunday school class. I have taught children's church but my area of expertise comprises of little else.


So why?


Well, because there is a huge need. We were apart of doing a VBS in the projects this summer and right at a 100 children came each and every night. They walked because the building is in their midst. 


My family has been picking up children from this very neighborhood each Sunday to take to church. Even with two 15 passenger vans we had to turn kids away because there wasn't room/time. Seeing these children walking to VBS got me thinking how easy it would be to just have church in their neighborhood. That way we wouldn't be limited to how many kids we could pick up for church. Also, I couldn't bare the thought of these children having to wait til next summer to be ministered to. These kids face such opposition. I knew their chances of victory greatly diminish without a constant source of encouragement in their lives. They needed a light in their midst, not once a year.


So we are getting a couple building to use for FREE!


One building is a big gym with a stage and a kitchen. The other building has a library with several empty rooms and two other kitchens. Only God.


The plan is to offer snacks and tutoring/mentoring four days a week (M-Thur) and church on Sunday.


When my oldest daughter interned in their inner-city school the gaps in their education were surmountable. There is a huge need. The plan right now is to begin tutoring days with a rotation similar to Curves, the workout place. Children will be at each station for about 60 or so seconds and then move to the next. Each station will have something for them to do such as going over phonics sounds with an instructor to filling out a multiplication chart (answers provided), etc. (We'll have some stations mixed in that are more like jumping rope, hula hooping). The point of the rotation is to get them familiar and comfortable with things that are foundational to education. Things that so many of these children simply do not know (even in middle school). If they do it everyday they'll begin to learn and then we can easily continue to build upon that knowledge.


After rotations we are going to break up into teams for a competition. Each team will be given so much time to memorize something that we have been teaching them. They may get five spelling words or the "2" times tables or a Bible verse. After a few minutes of memorizing the teams will compete to win.


This exercise is to help the children develop memorization skills and build confidence. Once they are convinced they are capable of learning then they'll begin to understand their true potential.


We will then help the children with their homework and end our time together with sports or crafts.


An exciting part is they can earn fake money for the thrift store we will be opening in one of the rooms they are allowing us to use. This is an exciting way for us to meet some of their tangible needs while rewarding progress and good behavior.


The church service on Sunday's will be catered mostly to children because a lack parental involvement is a persistent problem. We will have all the children meet together for worship.We are planning on starting an inner city choir but that may take a little time. After worship we will play some sort of game to hint what the lesson is about and then we'll have the children break out into classes catered to their own age. Then we will meet back together again before we are dismissed. Then we will end with a community lunch. These projects house 1,600 people. We will be plunged into the harvest to say the least.


Our goal is to get parents involved and as they begin to come we will offer them classes and get them plugged in. 


At our house most conversation revolve around this topic. Ministry in the projects.


That's what's going down at the Akins'.