Flashlight

Challenged

2011-07-18T14:58:00.000-05:00

I have barely been at Sunshine a month, and yet I feel as if I am taking some of the largest most difficult steps in my Christian walk. Every day I spend here challenges the things that I have taken for granted or neglected completely as a Christian. Daily I ask myself if I have truly placed God first in my life. I see how the staff at Sunshine have exemplified this by making their ministry one that does not end when they leave work. I realize that the Sunshine staff live as the disciples of Jesus did, not by bread alone but by every word of God. It’s the Word of God that drives and sustains their actions, not career goals, desire for wealth, or power. I have begun to examine my own walk and the example that I display to unbelievers. Is my Christianity something that I fold up and store away where no one else can see it when I’m not at church or around believers? Or is it one that encompasses every part of my being, leading every thought and action?

Jason Warren
Youth Outreach Summer Intern
Jason will be a freshman this fall at Lane College.

A Fantastic Experience

2011-07-18T14:21:00.000-05:00

My experience at Summer Blast has been fantastic. Being able to help each child to grow academically and in Christ is a wonderful feeling. Everyday the kids keep me on my feet. They are always energetic and playful so there is rarely a boring time of the day. One of the things I really love about the kids is when they remember verses from the Bible and tell them perfectly. It really warms my heart when I see that, because that lets me know that God is working in their lives.

Even though it is wonderful working with the kids, it is also sometimes stressful. Sometimes the kids can get out of line and make a person want to pull their hair out. However, the stressful things they do still does not outweigh the joy of being there. Everyday I look forward to going to work and being part of the children’s lives.

Justin Ross
Youth Outreach Summer Intern
Justin will be a sophomore at UIC this fall.

Transitions

2011-07-18T13:48:00.001-05:00

Transitions have never been easy. Sometimes they can be inconvenient, painful and disappointing. The sad thing is all of these adjectives I used are often true. Lots of times we look at our lives and how we got where we are today and ask ourselves if it was worth all the drama and trials we’ve had to face. The truth is yes. Not only do transitions cause discomfort, but they create huge amounts of growth in the process. That growth promotes maturity, wisdom, patience, understanding, grace and security in Christ.

I have had the privilege of undergoing major transitions in my life for the past five years. The first one was in the September of 2006. I was 19 years old and needed to get away from the city of Chicago. I was young and afraid of change, but I wanted to grow deeper in my relationship with God. At that time, that meant I needed to get away from what was familiar. I had too many bad influences in my life and I was too weak spiritually to overcome them by myself. Therefore I went away to a discipleship school called Master's Commission USA. Through this process God began to radically transform my life.

During that season of time, several things happened. I lost all my grandparents in one month. I had major cultural encounters that shifted my viewpoint of others. My view of God became larger than I could ever imagine. I also had plenty of opportunities to showcase my talents in front of tens of thousands of people. Most importantly, I realized how privileged I was. God had a plan for my life. I do not deserve anything. I am a “nobody” that Christ died for. My story is not in any way special or self glorifying. The challenges I have faced in the past are not at all horrifying, but simply a testimony to the call that God has on my life.

The biggest transition I am about to undergo is being betrothed to my wife to be. I am so humbled that I get to marry such a strong woman as Sarah. She helps me in my weaknesses, and I help her with hers. She has been so patient with me and extended so much grace that I don’t deserve. It has been a bumpy road at times, but the biggest thing that I have learned from our relationship is AGAPE love - to love selflessly and unconditionally. To show agape love, it also means to not assume things, but rather to ask. It means to not judge prematurely, but rather to extend mercy. Transitions can be painful, but the reward is immense. God’s glory is shown, and men will know it (just like in Romans 8:28 all things work together for the good). In another example, when Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and spent years in prison for a crime he did not commit (Genesis 45:5), he expresses how God had a plan to use him to save millions of lives. He had to go through countless hardships that helped him grow and strengthen his character.

If you find yourself in a difficult situation know this, it will never last.

PSALM 30:4-5
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night,but joy comes with the morning.

Mike Avery
Mike is Sunshine's Club 2-5-2 Director and the founder of the D3 Movement.

Reaching Our Full Potential

2011-07-11T13:51:00.000-05:00

As a ministry team here at Sunshine Gospel Ministries we have been meeting together weekly to discuss Radical Together, by David Platt. Only a few chapters in, yet I have been wrestling with one of his thought provoking questions. He challenged his readers to consider the ministries their involved with, and the money they spend. He didn’t ask whether the ministry is good but if it is the most effective way to share God’s word. Platt says it like this, “We have to put everything, even good things in the church, up for reconsideration before God, releasing them wholly to him and asking him to show us his priorities and purposes for each” (Platt, 9). That simple statement really challenged me, to evaluate how I go about my ministry, am I really doing it the most effective way with the resources I’ve been given?

Some questions I began to comb through as I evaluated my own life were; who does God say is my neighbor? Is my life-style and work, my free time, my spending, my giving used in the best way for the glory of God. So how can I make my resources and time most effective for God? Once I thought through these I began to write down some things I could change. They didn’t have to be big changes. I started off with my money. Not having much money makes it easier to know where I spend it. The biggest money expense after rent is food. Now I love to go out to eat and I tend to go at least 3 times a week, so I decided why not cut back to one meal with others and one by myself. So one less meal a week and I made one meal with the purpose of fellowship. Last year I worked on my tithing realizing that I struggled to give God just 10% I decided to donate to a cause every month in order to make sure I was giving at least 10%, if not more monthly. Since then most months I’ve also found myself more available to give to others and churches with the extras the Lord has provided me with. Finally, I re-evaluated how I spend my free time. When I looked at my journals over the past year I noticed that I wasn’t daily in the Word. Some weeks I was missing four days. Yet most days I was watching a movie. So I decided daily I will spend time in the Word instead of watching movies. I decided to read more books. So this summer I began that challenge and yes I’ve watched some movies but without missing a day I’ve been in the word and I’ve read seven books. Even the little things in our life might need to be re-evaluated to allow ourselves to be more available to God. I hope this may encourage you all to evaluate your own lives to and walk in this journey along side me!

Jonathan "JR" Roberts
Youth Outreach Summer Intern
JR will be a sophomore at Moody Bible Institute this fall.
You can check out JR's personal blog here

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Encouraged

2011-07-08T17:39:00.000-05:00

I am really encouraged by what God has been doing at U-Turn this year! We started out with 3 teens in January, and now we are at a consistent 12 teens! Not only are they consistent, but they also are really growing in their walks with the Lord. They are faithfully showing up, asking challenging questions, and encouraging us (the leaders). One of our guys, Demetrius, will regularly come up to me and quote a song lyric or scripture that he is encouraged by. Another named Damani, will consistently ask me deep theological questions as he prepares to attend Moody in the fall. Just the other day I turned on a popular Christian hip-hop song and all the teens went crazy and started singing the lyrics word-for-word! What a testimony to the Lord that they are singing that instead of the garbage the media is feeding them. Needless to say, I’m more blessed by them then they could ever know.

CW Allen
High School Ministry Coordinator
You can listen to music from CW Allen here.

Coach John's Mid-season Reflection

2011-07-08T16:41:00.001-05:00

I am honored to share what God has done in my life while coaching my first basketball team (with the help of Dave, Demetrius, and CW). I first met my team on May 19th, as I walked into Sunshine for the second time. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I was nervous, scared, and overwhelmed all at once (lol). As soon as I met my team, God truly changed my heart to care and mentor these young men. As the season has progressed, God has matured me and taught me not to be selfish anymore. I knew these young men were hurting and needed some fresh air from the neighborhoods they live in. So I prayed to God and told him I will not give up on these young men and I will try my best to be a positive role model and friend to the team God has put me in charge of.

As the season has gone on, we have grown as a team and I have loved every bit of it! We still need a lot of work and patience, but that will form over time. As for the season record we are not doing so well. We have not won a game yet. However, I'm not frustrated. All I can think of is continuing to pour nothing but positive words into their lives and help them to play hard and never give up. This season so far has taught me to care for my team and make sure they receive God's Word. I also want to teach them how to treat people, work together, and become positive young men.

John Gross
Youth Outreach Summer Intern
John will be a junior this fall at Moody Bible Institute.

*Sunshine has a junior high and senior high team in the Miracle Basketball League.

A Mid Summer Reflection

2011-07-06T12:36:00.005-05:00

A Mid-Summer Reflection

During the past few weeks with the Sunshine staff have been some of the most challenging and yet most wonderful weeks I've had in a long time. The summer staff have grown close and are able to have fun and talk deep with each other – it is truly family. Because of this bond that has formed and has continued to grow, the interactions with the children and teens have been memorable.

During the week of June 20th through the 24th, we took the kids and teens in separate groups up to Union Michigan to Sunshine Cove Camp. The first three days were full of games, wonderful chapel lessons, and developing relationships with the 2nd-5th grade boys and girls. The second half of the week was spent at camp with the Jr. High and Sr. High. I loved this time as well, because the girls in my cabin were very open with situations going on in their lives. We had some really wonderful talks about hardships we go through as teenagers, in their homes, and as Christians. One night the chapel was about Christians across the world that have been tortured and martyred for their faith. This was a hard and thought provoking chapel for the girls in my cabin. We had a very good chat that night about what they go through at home because they seek to follow God and desire to do right. This time blessed me and it was good to learn more about each girl in order to continue relationships with them, and also it helped me know how I can love and pray for them more effectively.

I have had a passion for Sunshine and the inner city for almost ten years, and I am honored and blessed at how God has allowed my relationship with people at SGM to grow and deepen over the years. This summer has confirmed even more what God has called me to do for His kingdom in my short time on His earth. Continue to pray for the children and teens – that God will grip their hearts and invade their lives!

Natalie Webster
Youth Outreach Summer Intern
Natalie will be a sophomore at Moody Bible Institute this fall.

The 61st St A's

2011-06-30T15:51:00.002-05:00

(Deanna, Nikki, Brittney, and Taniya at WMBI!)

(Deanna & Taniya in the booth!)

The "61st Street A’s"

The 61st Street A’s are buckling down and ready to win! Our middle school girls here at Sunshine have been playing their first year of little league softball this summer. Coached by myself and our high school intern,Nikki Blodgett, our season started off about 2 months ago. Most, if not all, of our girls had never played the game before. We even had girls ask if they could wear gloves on both hands so they could be more likely to catch the ball! Yet, after smoothing out the kinks and finding our groove, our team is beginning to truly look like a team.

Every game we’ve played we have grown in our competitiveness. We recently lost only by one run! It is so exciting to see the unity within our team of teen girls. They have truly grown together, become amazing friends, and developed softball skills and even skills for life. We have not only worked with the girls on hitting and fielding the ball, but on representing Christ with their attitudes, and on responsibility, and teamwork.

Some of my favorite times with the girls are the long drives through traffic to the West Side games as sing our favorite songs at the top of our lungs, laugh, and share our hearts with one another. The relationships that this season has facilitated couldn’t be forced in any other way, but have come together by the grace of God.

As the season started, I was able to go on WMBI Moody Radio and talk about our season and the needs that we had as far as equipment. Not only did we receive a plentiful amount of items to be able to be supplied for the season, today we (Nikki and I) were able to go back on the radio show with two of our players- Taniya and Deanna. Though we were all a little nervous, we had an amazing time sharing with listening ears about our team and Sunshine.

Continue to pray for relationships, discipleship, and even a win for the 61st Street A’s!!

Brittney Rost
HS Ministry Coordinator
Brittney also has a personal blog called "A City Light" that you can check out here.

A Week At Camp

2011-06-30T15:40:00.003-05:00

(D'andra, T'anna, and Natalie enjoying a rainy day at camp)

Last week at camp was fantastic! The best part was chapel time. I really enjoyed talking about God and learning more about how He invaded the world (John 1:14). I learned that no one is perfect, and that we all make mistakes and sin (Romans 3:23). It’s up to us to learn from those mistakes, and make choices that would please God.

D'andra Phillips
HS Intern Youth Outreach
D'andra will be a senior at DuSable High School in the fall.

Camp, Day Camp, & A Book Discussion

2011-06-30T15:23:00.004-05:00

(Brittany Fisher is pictured on the left)

Last week (June 20-24) at camp was a decent week! I felt that the kids actually learned about God, and got to express some thoughts that they had. I also believe that they now feel more comfortable to be Christians in every environment they may be placed in.

So far this week has been great! The kids are having a great time at Summer Blast (our summer day camp for 7 through 11 year olds), and I feel like the summer staff has been doing a good job teaching the kids and bonding with them as well.

Finally, we are also discussing the book Radical Together as a youth staff. We discussed the second chapter yesterday. The book discussion went well! I actually learned something, and got a different view on the gospel!!

Brittany Fisher
HS Intern
Brittany will be a freshman at Eastern Illinois University in the fall.

Educating Our Youth

2011-06-27T14:46:00.003-05:00

Educating Our Youth

During our staff training we had the opportunity to watch a film about the education system in America called "Waiting For Superman." The documentary highlighted five families that were currently involved in one of the most surreal aspects of our present public education system, school lotteries. These school lotteries that leave the fulfillment of a child's hopes and dreams to nothing more than a series of random numbers. This was my first time watching this film but as I was watching it I began to become heartbroken because the parents desired a great education for their children but weren’t able to get it because of the low quality of schools in their area. I could empathize with these parents because being a parent myself I want the best for my children, especially with their educational endeavors. I enjoyed this quote by the narrator of the film, “I think that every kid, no matter where they are born or what they have been given in life, deserves a great education." I believe we, as a country, and especially Christians should desire a great education for all kids across America. It shouldn’t matter the status of the child or where they come from to determine the type of education they get. After watching this film I was left with this question: how do I as a Christian respond to the current state of our education system? I believe we have answered this question at Sunshine by volunteering in our local schools and providing afterschool programs for our kids. Although we aren’t in government to change laws that can help better our schools we can do tangible things like this to support our local schools and come alongside our kids to support them.

Nikki Blodgett
Summer Youth Intern
Nikki will be junior this fall at Moody Bible Institute. She is a youth ministry major.

The Main Thing

2011-06-20T10:03:00.005-05:00

During staff training, I had the opportunity to teach a session on discipleship, entitled "A Worthy Investment." This topic of making disciples has been a consistent theme of conversations, meetings, and times of prayer that we have been having as a Youth Outreach staff. Over the last few months, I have read a couple of books that have further fueled my fire to see disciples made in all nations. These two books are: “The Complete Book Of Discipleship” by Bill Hull and “Radical Together” by David Platt. Platt challenges us to think about what we as communities of faith (Churches, ministries, etc.) are devoting our time and resources towards. He exhorts us to ask ourselves, “Are these programs and activities the best way to spend our time, money, and energy for the spread of the Gospel in our neighborhood and in all the nations?”

As we read through “Radical Together” as a staff, we are asking ourselves this question. We recognize that making disciples is not an 8 week assignment, but rather a lifelong commitment to a lifestyle devoted to seeing “Christ formed” in others (Galatians 4:19). It is hard work. It is messy. Yet, it is what God has both commanded and created us to do. Living out the Great Commission, and devoting our lives to it, is in our DNA as Christ-ones! In the same way that Jesus called His disciples to Him that they might be “with Him” (Mark 3:14), we desire to make discipleship time with our youth a priority this summer. I like the way Paul put it in his letter to the Thessalonians - that we share not only the Gospel, but our lives as well (1 Thess. 2:8). Pray with us that as a staff this summer we would “spend ourselves” on behalf of others in life on life discipleship!

Dave Clark
Youth Outreach Director
You can read Dave's personal blog, "Continuing Education," here.

It's Been A Whole Year...

2011-06-15T10:18:00.003-05:00

It’s been a whole year…

Over twelve months ago I arrived in Chicago after spending four years in Phoenix, Arizona. My entire life, mindset and spiritual outlook was completely different. I wanted to do ministry and help people, but I also had my own ambitions I was tending to. I had so many opinions, ideologies, presumptions and perspectives of myself and how God viewed me. Some of them weren’t entirely wrong. For example, I loved to share the gospel and dance for Gods glory. However, the way I exemplified this wasn’t exactly the healthiest.

I thought I was doing someone a favor by telling them about the love of Jesus then politely sending them on their way. I figured they had now received the gift of salvation and if I pray hard enough “someone” will take it upon themselves to disciple them. One thing that I missed and realized is that according to the scriptures, if I proclaim the Gospel and the redeeming power of Jesus Christ AND they decide to Follow Christ, they are now “my” disciples just as Paul exclaims to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:12-14. The funny thing is I graduated and helped start a discipleship program, yet I failed to grasp the blatant concept of Matthew 28:19-20. Over the next twelve months little by little my eyes were opened to the simple truth: Discipleship and Evangelism go hand in hand.

You can’t effectively evangelize without making disciples and you can’t make effective disciples without continued evangelism. I would challenge all Christians who are proclaiming the good news to not just throw an Easter outreach say a prayer then move on to the next lost soul, but MAKE disciples!

Mike Avery
Club 2-5-2 Director
D3 Movement Founder

A Long Journey

2011-06-15T10:02:00.002-05:00

A Long Journey
1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Last night I had the privilege of watching the final game of the 2011 NBA finals with some of my close friends. I love the NBA, and I love sports! I love the idea of a player working as hard as he can to reach a goal, and even if it takes years, finally achieving that goal. As I watched the final moments of the game, I just thought about the players on the winning team, and their dedication to the game. Jason Kidd who is now 38 and has played 17 years and failed twice at winning the NBA title. Dirk Nowitzki who has played for his same team 13 years and reached the finals once but lost. Of course there were more, but these players stand out because they believed in each other and stuck with what everyone said was impossible for them to do. It reminded me, to not grow weary in well doing!

Then I reflected on my peers and I at Sunshine Gospel Ministries. Some of us have been doing ministry for years, and others are newer to the set, yet we all have one common goal, and that is to see the Great Commission fleshed out in our neighborhood. Sometimes It seems like this work is not paying off, but every so often we get the great reward of a student telling us how they have been touched, changed or encouraged. The prayers sent up, the time spent, and the great sacrifices made, all pay off in those moments. We are "YO"(youth outreach) team missionaries! Please keep us in prayer as we move forward this summer!

CW Allen
High School Ministry Coordinator
Sunshine Gospel Ministries
CW will be a junior this fall at Moody Bible Institute.
He is also a musical artist. You can check out his music here.

Jacqui White Reflects on Staff Training

2011-06-14T14:55:00.004-05:00

I worked with Sunshine last year, and was stretched and challenged in so many ways. It’s just crazy to think of all the stuff that God has taught me and is teaching me through Sunshine. He is so faithful to correct and discipline and then in turn use us for his glory. I just feel so honored. This summer I will be teaching the kids arts and crafts at Summer Blast (Sunshine's Day Camp). I am so excited to teach the kids art and to watch them create things, as I share and incorporate lessons about the greatest artist of all time — our God! I wish the words on this page could somehow express just how much I want and desire these kids to feel close to God! I want them to know that even when their parents may leave them or their friends may come and go into their lives, that God never leaves them as orphans but embraces them as a father and a friend.

So far this week I’ve went through training, gone to the girls softball game, and to U-Turn (Sunshine's HS youth group). There has also been a lot of fellowship with the staff. The training has been so eye opening for me this week. We learned about poverty today which really convicted me because of the prejudices that are in my own heart that need to be done away with in regards to the homeless. One of the staff named Sarah spoke about this and something she said really hit home. She said that we all need stuff from other people but usually we wear masks so that we won't seem too needy. She encouraged us to imagine writing one of our own deepest needs on a piece of cardboard, and how much boldness and humility that must take. Another thing that I learned today was to have hope for our neighborhood — Woodlawn. I was encouraged to not refer it as being "the hood" or "the ghetto," and to not just see this neighborhood as being "a mess." Instead, I was challenged to see it as a beautiful place that God is working in, rather than just being a place where God sends missionaries. I really do love this neighborhood and the people that live in this community and cannot wait to watch God work all summer long!

Jacqueline White
Summer Intern
Sunshine Gospel Ministries
Jacqui will be a junior at Moody Bible Institute this fall.

T'anna Washington Relfects on Staff Training

2011-06-14T14:49:00.005-05:00

Staff training really opened my eyes to a wide range of subjects that I didn’t know a lot about. I obtained a lot of information about youth outreach, history of the neighborhood, poverty, and how not having a father or father figure in the house really effects a child's development. If I had to pick a favorite part of the week, I would have to say Pastor Danny Lopez's presentation on "Ministry To The Fatherless." I really enjoyed his session. The topic of "the fatherless" really hit home for me, due to my past of not really having my father around.

Overall, staff training was amazing! I learned a lot, and I’m happy knowing that I can now take what I learned and apply it throughout the summer with the kids,and through the rest of my life.

T'anna Washington
Summer Intern
Sunshine Gospel Ministries
T'anna will be a sophomore this year at Western Illinois University.

Pete Blodgett Reflects on Staff Training

2011-06-14T14:38:00.005-05:00

This past week was our staff training for our summer interns. During these week long trainings, we cover topics ranging from the history of Chicago’s south side, to the state of education in neighborhoods like ours, to issues of poverty and homelessness. I’ve been a part of these trainings since 2002, my first summer serving as a summer counselor. Although I’ve sat through most of these sessions many times, there is always something new that I learn. We added a new session this year, although I have heard it a few times at other conferences. It was called “Ministry to the Fatherless,” taught by Pastor Danny Lopez. With so many of our kids living in homes without their fathers, it was an extremely relevant topic for us.

Pastor Lopez hit on the importance of a father in the life of a child, and the devastating effect of growing up fatherless. Doing a quick word search for “fatherless” in the Bible shows us that God has a heart for those growing up without fathers. In fact, “religion that is pure and undefiled before God” includes caring for orphans (James 1:27). So many of the issues our kids are dealing with and the negative behaviors that some exhibit are directly related to growing up without a father. Being a father myself has shown me the significance of a father’s relationship with his children, but I’m still learning how strong that connection is. But the little that I do know has changed the way I view the kids in my neighborhood. Although I can’t fully father our kids, I can play a part in filling that void. I can provide a father figure and be the support that they need. I can, in small parts, attempt to be a picture of their Heavenly Father and His love for them.

Pete Blodgett
Youth Pastor
Sunshine Gospel Ministries

Safe Families & Youshare.org

2011-06-04T10:21:00.004-05:00

Safe Families For Children (SFFC) & Youshare.org

SFFC and Youshare.org have become household words within the walls of Sunshine. Through these ministries, Sunshine hopes to become more airtight in fulfilling its goals to reach the community. We have begun integrating these programs into the ministry by working with pastors, community leaders, school counselors, principals, welfare agents, foster care agents and the like.

We believe the evidence that shows over 1000 volunteer families served as many as 1000 children and families last year alone with the same prediction for this year. We also believe the evidence from national and local video clips about SFFC and the testimonies of others who have served as “safe families”, as well as those who have benefited from the programs will be enough to encourage others to become involved.

SFFC and Youshare are two programs that work best when people truly understand what they are about. Youshare was born out of a need to help struggling moms who need help with some basic needs for their children. Safe Families is under the umbrella of Youshare.

A brief definition of these three terms will help...
Safe Families For Children is a faith-based program that intervenes before children are separated from their families and put in state run foster care.
Host Families are volunteers that come alongside moms and dads to help during the crises—helping them to keep their families together, by opening their homes to the children.
Youshare.org was created to help fill the need of caring moms needing items like mattresses for the kids, or clothing, etc. Youshare.org not only meets immediate needs, it helps foster personal relationships that will help families in crisis build a better life. Youshare.org is a national organization based in Chicago, IL.

Youshare.org is the program you need to become involved in if you have a heart to share at any level. You can register by going online to Youshare.org. There are four basic categories of involvement when you go online to register at Youshare.org. You can start by sharing your “Goods,” things that you have and are not using and perhaps are about throw out. Secondly, you can share your “Services” under such categories as medical (dentist, Hygienist, etc.). Thirdly, you can share your home, that is becoming a “Safe Family” (hosting children). Finally, you can share by donating your money. Youshare.org takes donations. You can do this by clicking on donations. When you go to Youshare.org to register you should register as a neighbor. In short you become a neighbor to those with whom you share your goods.

The above post was written by Roosevelt Gibson, “Hub Manager” for Safe Families For Children & Youshare.org. If you would like to speak to Roosevelt more about this you can email him at Roosevelt@sunshinegospel.org.

You Share

2010-10-09T17:08:00.003-05:00

Do you admittedly have too much "stuff"?? Are you looking for a way to give to those who might need it? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you should check out Youshare.org!

What is Youshare.org?
The idea for youshare.org began when a caring mom simply needed two mattresses for her kids. Recently employed after a period of homelessness, she was trying to furnish her new apartment. Local social service agencies knew there must be extra mattresses out there somewhere — but found it difficult to hunt them down with their other responsibilities weighing on them as well. She eventually found the mattresses on her own, but it wasn’t easy.

Youshare.org was created to serve people in this very situation. It goes one step further than simply meeting immediate needs. Youshare.org helps foster personal relationships that will help families in crisis build a better life.

Youshare.org's values include:
• Relationship building — Relationships are key to moving families from vulnerability to self-sufficiency.
• Compassion — Compassion is defined as a “deep awareness someone else’s suffering coupled with the wish to relieve it.” That is the heart of youshare.org!
• Stewardship — All of us can use our time, talent and financial resources to encourage and serve others

We are now Youshare.org "Administrators" at Sunshine. This means that families experiencing a crisis or need can share their need with us, and we can connect them with a "resource match" through Youshare.org. If you are interested in more information about this, contact Erica Avery at eavery@sunshinegospel.org.

Some New Editions To The Team

2010-08-31T19:24:00.009-05:00

Mike Avery

Brittney Rost

CW Allen

This school year the Youth Outreach department at Sunshine will be adding 3 new staff persons to their roster: CW Allen, Brittney Rost, and Michael Avery. CW & Brittney will be pioneering a new high school student ministry, while Mike will be helping coordinate our after school programs for 2nd through 8th graders. We are very excited for all 3 of them to join our team! Each of them have unique gifts, talents, and passions in the area of youth ministry.

CW is a native of Cleveland, OH. He is soon to be a junior at Moody Bible Institute. CW was active in youth ministry at his home church in Cleveland, as well as in the area youth for Christ. He is also a Christian hip hop artist, and continues to write music and minister at various church and community events throughout the midwest. You can read more about CW at his blog, and you can also listen to his music on his Myspace page. Although CW is a Cleveland Browns fan, we will not hold that against him.

Brittney is a native of Elkhart, IN. She graduated this past spring from Moody, earning a degree in Urban Ministry. Brittney has been actively serving at Sunshine throughout her four years at Moody. She has assisted at AWANA, at our after school program, as a mentor to our young girls, and as a camp counselor one summer. She will join our staff with many ministry relationships already established! You can read more about Brittney at her blog entitled "City Light".

CW & Brittney will be part of a unique collaborative effort between Sunshine and Young Life. We are pooling our resources (financially and ministerially) in order to bring on this staff tandem. In addition, CW and Brittney will be raising a 1/3 of their salary as well. They are both currently seeking monthly supporters who will come alongside them in this endeavor. If you have any questions about how you could join their support team, shoot me an email at dave@sunshinegospel.org

Mike grew up in Chicago, approximately 30 blocks southeast of Sunshine. Mike recently completed a multi-year discipleship program in Arizona known as the Master's Commission. He began as a student there, and then transitioned into leadership. During his time there he used his dancing ability as a vehicle to share the gospel with teens at outreach events. He was a great intern with our summer staff this summer, and will now be doing a one year internship with us in partnership with TechMission.

Please continue to keep our Youth Outreach Team lifted up in prayer. We really desire to see the Gospel transform the lives of our kids, their families, and our neighborhood!

2010-07-29T14:59:00.030-05:00

A quick Youth Outreach update...

Safe Families

Erica Avery is still hard at work networking, as she seeks to mobilize churches, Christian families, and social service agencies to take part in the ministry of Safe Families. SGM's network hub is one of the top performing hubs (amongst the new hubs trying to be established). Please continue to lift up Erica Avery and the ministry of Safe Families in prayer.

Summer Blast

Last week was SGM's final week of Summer Blast! The program has averaged between 30 and 40 kids each day, including a good group of returning day campers, and new kids and families with whom we have developed relationships with. The summer staff has done well, and we are thankful for all of them serving with us this summer.

Summer S.W.A.G.G. (Students Worshiping a Great God)

Last week was also the final week of Summer S.W.A.G.G.. We have averaged 20 to 25 6th through 8th graders on Monday and Wednesday nights! We have also made some new relationships, as well as strengthened some existing ones. Brittney Rost and CW Allen have done a great job!

Miracle League

We had a Junior High and High School basketball team this summer! The Jr. High team, coached by Dave Clark, ended the season with a record of 1 and 10. They also bowed out early in the season, ending the tournament. Although their record wasn't ideal, the time spent with the young men was amazing. We look forward to following up with them in the weeks to come. Seeds were definitely planted in each of their lives.

Montana Trip

We will depart on our annual pilgrimage out west on Sunday August 1st (returning on Tuesday August 10th). We will be taking 6 young men and 4 young women. Dave Clark and Mike Avery will be the counselors for the young men, and Sarah Murphy and Erica Avery will be the counselors for the young women. The Blodgetts will also be helping with both the ladies and the guys. Praise God for the church from Montana who is sending us a $2,000.00 check to help with various trip expenses!

Fall Staff Editions

We have revamped the 2-5-2 Director position, and are hoping to fill this vacancy by mid-August.

Brittney Rost is heading back to Elkhart Indiana during the month of August to continue to raise support. Lord willing, she will join our staff in September.

CW Allen may be coming on in the fall to work with Jr. High/High School students.

We continue to work through a potential "youth staffing partnership" with Young Life to help leverage our collective resources in order to bring on a youth staff team. Please pray for all of the above concerning staffing.

Come Run For Sunshine

2010-06-28T00:02:00.003-05:00

Sunshine will once again be participating in the Chicago Half Marathon as a fundraiser event. Last September we had 2 people run for Sunshine: myself and Christi Gilbert. This year, we are expecting a much larger "Team Sunshine" to be running in the event. The date of the race this year is Sunday September 12. Would you consider running on behalf of Sunshine? The time to begin training is now. We will even set you up with a personal training to give you consultation through the training process. This is a great opportunity to get in shape and to help raise money for a Kingdom cause. Contact us at Sunshine if you would like more information.

Safe Families

2010-04-21T11:44:00.006-05:00

Safe Families for Children-Chicago began in 2002 in the wake of a particularly deadly summer for children. Dr. Dave Anderson, Executive Director of the LYDIA Home Association (a Christian social service agency in Chicago) reacted to the crisis by writing to Mayor Richard M. Daley. Dr. Anderson made a radical proposition in his letter: What if compassionate Christians opened up their home to children from families in crisis before the children were taken into state custody? The Mayor and one of his trusted deputies responded enthusiastically and helped find seed money to implement this bold undertaking.

By February 2003, Safe Families for Children-Chicago began with a handful of volunteers. This movement has now grown to close to 400 volunteer families in the Chicago area alone with a placement rate of over 30 a month. Hundreds of people have been helped and changed - not only those served by the ministry, but those serving as volunteers as well.

Our goal here at Sunshine is to build a "Safe Families Hub" (a network of churches and social service agencies) on the greater south side of Chicago. Therefore, we have been meeting with pastors/churches, social service agencies, public schools, etc. The vision is to not only mobilize "host families" but also referring and support agencies who will connect us with families who are going through a crisis. Our prayer is that God will raise up a "village" within our community to come alongside families in need.

How can you be involved?
(1)Do you know of a social service agency (hospitals, clinics, after school programs, etc.) located on the south side that we could contact? We are looking both for referral partners (agencies who will refer us families) and for "family resources." Organizations who serve as family resources would be those who provide their services at a discounted price.

(2)Could you connect us with your pastor/elder board to make a Safe Families presentation?

(3)Within the body of Christ we are looking to recruit and mobilize
Host Families - families who practice biblical hospitality by opening their homes to children in need
Family Friends - Individuals who are able to help out with diapers, clothes, doctors visits and other expenses

We greatly appreciate your prayers and assistance as we begin this journey! We are excited about the potential of what God could do in and through His people in the city! For more information contact Erica Avery at eavery@sunshinegospel.org

A New Team Member...Meet Erica Avery

2010-04-15T20:26:00.006-05:00

During the month of March, we welcomed a new "team member" to Sunshine to serve as our Safe Families Hub Manager (blog entry forthcoming to further explain Safe Families). Erica Avery was born on Chicago’s south side to two loving parents, Carleton and Desney Avery. From an early age she felt God calling her to a life of service. September 2007 to May 2009 Erica responded to that call by leaving all she knew to be a part of Masters Commission USA, a ministry training program where she learned the importance of discipleship, social justice, race relations, and most importantly the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After Erica Graduated from Masters Commission USA she heard Gods call to bring what she learned back to the inner city of Chicago. During the summer of 2009 Erica joined the Chicago Peace Campaign, a pro peace movement started by Chris Butler, Bishop Edward Peecher and several others that has markedly changed the atmosphere where it has been implemented. Erica soon after began working as the Volunteer Coordinator for a democratic candidate who ran for state representative in the 10th district of Chicago’s North and West side. As the campaign came to a close, Erica began to pray to God for her next assignment. A few weeks later the door opened for Erica to work for Sunshine, specifically focusing on the Safe Families program. Safe Families is a ministry that helps parents who are experiencing a temporary crisis arrange for their children to stay with a Christian family while they address the issues that led to their situation. Erica is currently focused on building up the Safe Families Network in the greater south side of Chicago. We are excited to have Erica serving with us! She is a great asset to our team!

Stay tuned for the Safe Families blog update!...

Bridge Builder Impact

2010-03-09T15:09:00.003-06:00

It is college spring break season, therefore at Sunshine it's prime "Bridge Builder season." As many of you know, Bridge Builders is our short term missions trip experience. Last week we hosted 18 students from Eastern Michigan University. This week we have 91 students!!! These students represent the following schools: University of Tennessee, University of North Carolina, Furman College, University of Nebraska, University of Central Florida, Cornerstone University, and Judson College.
We will also host groups over the next 3 weeks from various campuses throughout the country. These groups come ready to learn and ready to serve.

The world's population is becoming increasingly urban. It is estimated that by the year 2030, 60% of the world's population will live in cities! This increasingly urban population will also be increasing poor. Therefore, as followers of Christ, we must be equipped to respond Biblically and missionally to these realities. The Bridge Builders program was designed with these challenges and opportunities in mind. When students spend a week with us they are given chances to learn, serve, and discover within the "classroom" of Chicago.

Learn
Learn Biblical lessons focused on the important topics of God's heart for the city, the poor, racial reconciliation, and justice!

Serve
Serve alongside urban ministries in Chicago through hands-on service projects and ministry visits that will engage your heart and mind, and open your hands!

Discover
Discover the realities of the urban context!

Pray with us that God would use these weeks in a powerful way in the lives of the college students who spend time with us! Pray that they would take the things that they have learned back to their campuses and communities where they can "flesh them out!" Also, please pray for our Bridge Builder's staff: Sarah Murphy, Brian Wongkamalasai, and Joel Hamernick.

Understanding The Urgency

2010-03-03T17:25:00.002-06:00

One of our partnering ministries, Africa Revolution, highlighted the efforts of our young people in raising money for ministry efforts in South Africa. Specifically, we raised money to support the Life House - a local church ministry in Mamelodi, South Africa to care for abandoned babies. You can read the update here.

Still Sore From Camp

2010-02-11T15:53:00.007-06:00

This past weekend we had our annual winter camp retreat. We headed to Sunshine Cove Christian camp in Union MI with 31 campers, 9 counselors, and a dining hall/kitchen crew composed of 3 high school students. The weather in southwest Michigan was perfect for the weekend! We had roughly 6 inches of snow on the ground and sunshine.

Our theme for the weekend was "Real Love" taken from 1 John 3:16-18. We talked about the amazing, sacrificial, selfless love of Jesus, and how we can demonstrate and display this same type of love to others. The kids really grasped the chapel lessons, and we had great discussions during our break-out times. Even this week during programs they have made statements connecting what we have read for tutoring back to the topic of the weekend.

The schedule was so full of activities that one of our students stayed home from school on Monday due to "soreness." Her first day back at our after school program she requested that we pray that her "soreness from camp would go away." We played indoor games, snow football, broomball on the ice, and went ski-tubing on two different slopes with varying degrees of steepness. We consumed large amounts of Ms. Rhonda's famous cooking and many cups of hot chocolate.

We concluded the weekend with a Sunday worship service at First Baptist Church of Elkhart IN. Pete's dad is the pastor there. They were very generous to us all weekend! They provided us with bus transportation to and from camp, and also had a "pizza buffet" lunch for us after the Sunday service. We are very grateful for all of their assistance over the course of the weekend!

Our kids are already looking forward to summer camp, and they are our best recruiters!

Kingdom Lenses

2010-02-03T21:33:00.003-06:00

In our work with young people, one thing that by God's grace we want them to develop is Kingdom lenses. In other words, we want them to view the neighborhood and the nations with the love, compassion, and justice of God. One way that we have done this recently is by having our kids bring in their spare change for the benefit of others.

During the month of December, our youth programs raised money for the Life House in Mamelodi, South Africa. The Life House is a ministry of the Powerhouse Church in the township of Mamelodi to care for abandoned babies. In the midst of extreme poverty, and a growing HIV infection rate many women feel hopeless when faced with the prospect of caring for another life. This local church, in collaboration with the U.S. based ministry Africa Revolution, seeks to come alongside these mothers and help them care for these precious babies. When we described what the Life House was doing to impact the lives of babies in South Africa, our young people immediately "got it." They routinely brought in their spare change and bills each week. One of our 3rd graders even told her mom she was going to give her $5 allowance to the "babies in Africa!" At the end of the month, our kids had raised $75 towards this worthy cause.

This month we have decided to raise money to Haiti. We have spoken to our kids about the effects of the earthquake, specifically what it has done to families in Haiti. We have watched "Youtube" videos that portray the devastation. Shortly after we decided to raise money for Haiti, we received an email from AWANA Clubs International describing the work of AWANA in Haiti through local churches there. It seemed like a natural fit for our AWANA club at Sunshine (and our other youth programs) to raise money for the AWANA clubs in Haiti! The following video was produced by AWANA, and was viewed by our club this past Monday night.

We will do a follow-up post to keep you updated on how much money our kids have raised for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Christmas Store 2009

2010-01-26T16:11:00.006-06:00

2010 Preface: The New Year has begun with a flurry of activity for us here at Sunshine. We have already hosted a Bridge Builder group, begun teaching classes at a second Community Technology Center (@ Christ Bible Church), and re-launched all of our after school programs after the holiday break! Therefore, this update was slightly delayed but definitely not forgotten.

Our Christmas Store this past year was on Saturday December 19. It was a great day! The day before the store we had a FULL day of sorting, pricing, and setting up the store. When Saturday morning arrived, we were ready! We had a great store staff comprised of Sunshine staff, volunteers, and friends. One of my favorite parts of the store was serving together all day. We invited approximately 60 families to come and shop at the store. I was outside during the store hours, greeting people as they came in and helping them load their cars if needed. That gave me the opportunity to ask people "how it went." Everyone seemed to have had a great time at the store, and for that we praise the Lord. We really wanted the love of Christ to be displayed and felt by all who came through our doors, and by God's grace I think this happened! Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions concerning the store...

What did you do with the proceeds from the store?
We "gifted" the proceeds to five families who were in need of a little financial assistance as the holidays approached. Pete, our youth pastor, and his wife Nikki delivered the cash gifts to the families the week after the store. These deliveries were a pleasant surprise to the families involved. They were received with smiling faces and great appreciation! One of the mothers stopped by our office just this week to once again thank us in person, and to drop off a thank-you card and letter to our staff.

Did you have leftover gifts, and what do you do with them?
We will be using the surplus gifts three different ways:
(1) We will use leftover toys in our "Sunshine Stores" for the children in our after-school programs. In all of our youth programs: AWANA, Club 2-5-2, Horizons, and ASM - we have a mini-economy set up. Our students earn Sunshine bucks through attendance, good behavior, saying memory verses, academic progress, etc. Then every couple of months we set up a store where they have an opportunity to spend their Sunshine Bucks. This not only serves as a great incentive for the kids, it also allows us to teach financial literacy in an experiential way!

(2)We are donating clothing items to a partner ministry of ours here in the neighborhood called "2nd CHANCE." 2nd CHANCE works towards transitioning women from homelessness to self-sufficiency by providing them shelter and guidance on every day living. The transitional home is located on the second floor of the building. The first floor houses 2nd CHANCE Resale Boutique. It is an upscale thrift store, which helps to support the transitional home.

(3)We are donating any surplus baby/toddler items to another of our partnering ministries, Africa Revolution (AR). AR is committed to church-based orphan care in impoverished areas of South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique. We will be sending a package to South Africa to be used at the newly launched "Life House" for abandoned babies.

We want to thank everyone who donated to our store this year! We are continuously overwhelmed by the generosity of our supporters - both churches and individuals. The economic downturn only seemed to inspire greater generosity from God's people! We also want to thank everyone who served with us on the day of the store. We look forward to continue to partner with all of you in ongoing Kingdom work in the new year!

An Interview with Trevell: A Miracle League Basketball Player

2009-08-31T15:54:00.002-05:00

Originally uploaded by Sunshine Gospel Ministries

Senior high student, Trevell, who is a junior at Team Englewood High School once again played on our Miracle League basketball team this year. He stopped by the office for a little interview about his experience. In fact, he was part of the original team and claims to have never missed a practice or a game. We can't deny this! :-)

What have you learned from such devotion? What has kept you playing on the Miracle League team year after year? I guess a drive to win. Dave is good coach, too. I’m dedicated to the team. This particular team. Even if that means we haven’t won a game, like last year when the only game that we won was the last game of the season.

What position to do play? Small forward.

What strengths do you think you bring to the team? Shooting ability. And my ability to motivate my teammates to play, even when it gets hard.

Have you experienced Dave outside of the basketball team? Yeah, I’ve attended some of the hip-hop Fridays at Sunshine. I’ve gone to church with Dave and gone camping in Michigan for a week when they took a bunch of guys. He’s a caring, nice man. Funny, too.

How would you describe his coaching style? Laid-back, relaxed.

I know that devotions are a part of the time you and team spend together. Is there any part of the devotion time that particularly stands out to you? The Proverbs. And, I know that they spent time in John. I think John 3:26. What impressed me is that I need to learn to trust – trust anybody, but most especially God. He’s the main person to trust in. And, that I need to examine who I love, who I put my trust in. You know, who my role model is. We shouldn’t have two masters.

What has been your experience of the greater Miracle League? It’s been a good league and we spend time getting to know our other teammates. Nice people. Good competition. Like I said before, Dave is a good coach.

Are there others that have been on team as long as you? Yeah, Baby T, Pierre, Terrell have been on the team for 4 years like me. And, Eric has been on the team for 3 years. We’re all friends off the court as well.

What else do you have going on this summer? I do odd jobs for the Black United Fund, painting, construction work, and things. We go to different sites across Chicagoland all summer doing these odd jobs.

Do you have any long term goals for your life? Like college? Yeah. I’d like to play basketball. I’d like to go to college. A four year college at either Iowa, Wisconsin, or Indiana. Why those schools? Well, they are Big 10 schools. What would you like to study? History. Forensic science. Sports management. I haven’t decided yet.

Do you play basketball during the school year at your high school? Yeah. Do you see a difference between the two teams? Yeah. During the school year, it’s about me and the coach. I listen to him and I worry about my game. But, during the summer, in Miracle League, it’s about Dave and it’s our team. I listen to Dave and I worry about what’s good for the whole team.

Does being on the basketball team affect your academics? Positively? Depends on the time of the year. Sometimes it’s a distraction, but mostly basketball helps is a positive thing and helps to keep me focused. In fact, I’ve raised my GPA since I’ve been on the team. And now I just have to worry about a good ACT score.

2009-07-20T13:01:00.003-05:00

One of Bridge Builders' interns, Sarah Murphy, sent this email out to our staff this morning. I thought I'd share it with you...

"This weeks' group is actually two different groups that we've merged into one. We have 13 student participants and four leaders from St Paul, Minnesota and then 13 student participants and two leaders from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Please keep us lifted in prayer, specifically that we can properly exemplify God's heart for all people and that we, as Christians, would please God by following his example in Ps. 113; that is, to look at the poor, and to love the poor, and to lift them up until we meet Him in the kingdom of heaven. Pray for open hearts turned towards God's will and open minds to take on new knowledge.

Sarah Murphy"

Also, our City Team Leader, Dave Clark, has recently written some posts on his own blog that I encourage you to read. In "The Warrior 7" he speaks about Team Sunshine's involvement in the Miracle Basketball League with a personal touch as coach. "Divine Appointments" is a response to God's answer to prayer in one of our partnership with the Chicago Peace Campaign and their Friday Night Lights outreach.

A Summer Blast Update

2009-07-07T14:07:00.004-05:00

We’ve finished up our first week of Summer Blast. We we’re averaging right around 30 kids last week, but some have started this week, so our numbers were up a little today. If everybody shows up, we should have our 50. Overall, the program has been running very well. All of our summer staff have stepped up and taken ownership of their stations and responsibilities, and have done a great job with that.

Our theme for the summer is “One Way,” taken from John 14:6. We’ve covered that Jesus is the only way to salvation, and that we need to be bringing others to Christ by telling them about Jesus’ love for them. Over the next few weeks, we’ll cover the one way to live, one way to love, one way to serve, etc. The kids are really enjoying each station, and are excited about Bible time as well.

Please pray that they will continue to grow in their knowledge of the Gospel, especially those who are new to Sunshine. About half of the kids are new to Sunshine, so praise God for that! Pray that we will be able to build relationships with them and their families and be able to plug them in to other programs in the fall.

A Warrior Team Update

2009-07-06T12:22:00.002-05:00

We have recruited a group of young men from the greater Woodlawn area to be a part of the Miracle League basketball league. The League is an intense, competitive six-week summer program, promoting teamwork and healthy competition among it's teens.

Dave Clark, our City Team leader, is one of the team's coaches and below he gives us an update on the season so far....

We are just over the mid-season mark for the Miracle League Season. At this point the Sunshine Warriors are 3 and 4. Other than one lop-sided victory that we had, every game this season has been close. We once again started the season with a full roster of 13 players. However, various circumstances have once again trimmed our roster to the “Faithful 8.” This has posed challenges, losing a 6’5” shot blocker and low-post threat, a 5’9” 3 point “gun-slinger”, and some additional bench support. However, our remaining 8 leave us with a scrappy and determined 6-foot and under bunch. For 5 of the guys this is their 4th summer playing with us in the League.

We have 4 regular season games remaining, followed by a post-season tournament on Friday July 17th and Saturday July 18th. I am confident that if we are playing together and playing hard, we can make a run at the championship.

It has been great to have Pastor Brad helping as an assistant coach and driving an additional van to our games. Pastor Brown has also been gracious to us in allowing us to use First Baptist’s vintage gymnasium for all of our practices.

We have had some really good devotional talks with our guys. They are asking really good questions, wrestling with the gospel, thinking on who Christ is. I am encouraged especially by 2-3 of the guys who show evidence of growth and spiritual maturity developing. Please continue to pray with me for the team – that eyes would be opened to the gospel and that fruit would continue to grow.

Dumas Mural Installation

2009-06-16T14:48:00.002-05:00

From Brian Wongkamalasai, Bridge Builder coordinator...I am excited to announce that one of the three major mural projects that Bridge Builders' groups will be working this year is 100% complete and in its permanent location. This installation is in partnership with a local elementary school, Dumas Tech. They are located here in the Woodlawn neighborhood on 67th Street. The mural is our first step towards a productive future. Bridge Builder teams painted and then hung the mural with direction from our local muralist Dammon Reed. It depicts African Americans using advanced forms of technology. A cameo appearance of President Obama and his Blackberry is something to look for… The mural is our first step with the school is a productive, mutually-beneficial community engagement. Bridge Builder teams painted and then, hung the mural in the school with direction from our local muralist Dammon Reed.

The mural is a great fit for the recently re-opened, re-organized technology-centric school. This particular mural depicts African-Americans employing various forms of advanced technology, placed in the school to motivate and inspire students. A cameo appearance of President Obama and his Blackberry is something to look for…

WBEZ Special Report: 50/50

2009-04-30T13:25:00.006-05:00

WBEZ - Chicago Public Radio recently put forth a special report entitled "Fifty-Fifty: the Odds of Graduating", shining a spotlight on the fact that only half of those who enroll freshman year at Chicago public high school will end up graduating. For the special report, WBEZ reporters took to the halls of Chicago's south side Robeson High, following a handful of students to get an inside glimpse at what causes students to stay the course and what obstacles challenge their completion.

Click Here to go directly to the special report.

While Robeson lies in the Englewood neighbor just south and west of Sunshine, there are astounding statistical parallels between that school and the high schools in too many Chicago neighborhoods, Woodlawn included. You can visit Interactive Illinois Report Card to view the numbers yourself. Robeson currently enrolls 1,270 students and of those 6.9% meet or exceed PSAE standards in reading, 2.8% in math, and 2.4% in science. This is compared to the approximately 50% of students statewide that respectively meet these standards in all three categories. By comparison, at Dyett High School, which many of the students a part of Sunshine's programs attend, 5.7% meet PSAE reading requirements, 2.3% meet math requirements, and finally, 1.1% meet these same science requirements.

There is MUCH that can be said about the current achievement gap and the underlying challenges for teachers, administrators, parents and students. Nonetheless, current state and performance of far too many of our Chicago high schools is alarming and sad. We encourage you to check out WBEZ's special report to learn more about the challenges that are before our schools and those who are working to augment student's schoolwork.

Bridge Builders in High Gear

2009-03-17T15:53:00.003-05:00

With Spring Break upon us and summer quickly rounding the corner, our Bridge Builders program is in high gear. Last week alone we had 80 college students join us from 5 different universities. Executive Director, Joel Hamernick, blogged about this week. Click HERE to view his blog. (P.S. The link to his blog can be always be found on the right column of this blog linked as "Executive Note")

Some excellent pictures came out of the week as well. Check them out through the Flickr slideshow below!!!

Top Urban Ministry Speakers, Websites, and Blogs

2009-03-12T15:15:00.003-05:00

Last week UrbanMinistry.org presented its list of the most popular Urban Ministry and Social Justice speakers, websites, and blogs of 2008. View the list HERE. Each of the organizations and websites featured were national in scope. The statistics cover UrbanMinistry.org downloads, podcast downloads, and YouTube views for speakers as well as content provided by CCDA, AGRM, Kingdomworks, and Compassionworks. Christian website rankings are based on Alexa ranking, which is the most popular public website ranking tool. Blog statistics were compiled using Technorati authority. Many of the people and organizations featured are ones we at Sunshine follow closest and at times engage with in active dialogue.

Public Murals Speak to God's Grace in Woodlawn

2009-02-27T15:55:00.005-06:00

March is Spring Break month! And, the start of a heightened Bridge Builders season at Sunshine. As you may well know, Bridge Builders is our short-term missions program designed to immerse college and adult participants from around the country in the urban context. The program engages participants in a multi-faceted agenda that address matters which affect the urban poor, examining the many passages in Scripture which speak to these matters. While the program emphasizes listening and learning about cross-cultural engagement in our country, participants also engage in service.

Each year we work hard to engage our Bridge Builders partners in effective community ministry. This can be challenging as effective work is genuinely beneficial to both the community as well as team members. This year our teams are working on an inspiring and extremely creative project: public murals!!! These murals are being designed by a local artist and will be actually painted and installed by our Bridge Builders participants. The installations will occur on our building, in a public location outside in our community, and in one of our partnering elementary schools.

Murals in the community can be a powerful way to reflect the image of God in contextualized manner. We expect the murals will be well received in the community, extending the long-term relationships between Sunshine and community residents while also portraying with clarity God’s grace and love. Stay tuned to see what transpires from these beautiful projects.

Young Entrepreneur Earns Competitive Program Placement

2009-02-27T10:54:00.002-06:00

Ever since Teandra Armstrong volunteered her Saturdays washing and braiding hair at her cousin’s beauty salon she has dreamed of opening up her own shop. She says, “There’s a vibe. I don’t know. I can’t quite explain it. It’s just fun. Secrets are opened up [at the shop]. People can’t keep the stories to themselves anymore.” You get the sense in talking with Teandra that the beauty shop is her element and, as long as the neighborhood ladies keep coming and telling their stories, it will forever be her element.

Teandra is a part of our technology apprenticeship program for high school students, which meets three days a week after school through our partnerships with After School Matters and the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). Teandra is one of approximately 22 students who participate in the apprenticeship program each semester, including summers. The program is a place where she can be encouraged in her dream of opening her own beauty shop and receive the mentoring and skill training she needs to set her on a course to accomplish the dream.

Teandra is a sophomore at Bronzeville Scholastic Institute, located about a mile from our Center. This spring is her third semester in our apprenticeship program, where this past semester she crafted a business plan for her own beauty shop. Throughout the program and into the young entrepreneur’s small business competition, Teandra showed great promise. In looking forward to this summer she was recommended to the Rotary Job1 program by NFTE staff who watched her compete this beauty shop business plan. Job1 provides high school students, like Teandra, with substantive summer internships with local businesses, where students, like Teandra, will receive continued mentoring and advice from a professional business advisory team. She recently learned of her acceptance into the program, already spending one Saturday a month until the summer, in job readiness training. (She tells, with humble satisfaction, of this past Saturday’s group project to redesign the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate candy bar, providing a new slogan, logo and commercial for the company. Her teammates picked her design to expand upon – a design which ended up winning the day’s competition.)

We are proud of and excited for Teandra! “We will miss her [this summer],” says Vincent McCaskill, our technology center director, “but she is an example of what we hope the students will achieve.”

Willow Creek: Thousand Questions Video

2009-02-13T10:04:00.003-06:00

For the last several years the Willow Creek Association (spawned through Willow Creek Community Church) has hosted the Leadership Summit. The annual conference has grown each year and is now hosted in 80+ satellite locations and attracting people for around the globe. The premise of the conference is that whether at church, school, business or home, so many of us are leading everyday. Leadership takes perseverance, dedication and a commitment to stretch your mind, expand your heart and use your God-given gifts to impact your world in real and powerful ways. And, it's important for diverse leadership to come together to be encouraged, to share best practices, and to be sharpened. The resources that come out of the Association have been beneficial to thousands of people, their teams, theirs congregations. Sunshine is no exception to that; we have benefited from the print, media, and conference resources.

The artistic genius that has flowed out of the Willow team and been expressed at these conferences has so often impressive and inspiring. One particular video came out of last year's Leadership Summit that particularly caught our attention and it's safe to say, the attention of many others.

You can see for yourself here on YouTube.

The questions that are asked in this video are honest, transparent ones that pull from the gut. They are humble us. We show this video to our Bridge Builders teams. The video is a important place to start for to dismiss the fatigue, the doubt, even the cynicism in our hearts when it comes to our individual role in missions is shortsighted and, in end, unproductive.

What are your thoughts after watching the video? Did it resonate with you?

The next Leadership Summit is scheduled for August6-7, 2009. You can register here.

Instilling Compassion While Shooting Baskets

2009-02-12T18:14:00.003-06:00

During the months of November and December we placed special emphasis on character development with our Horizons after-school youth program, for students in grades 6-8, in a series entitled, “Living A Life That Matters.” We looked at Biblical examples of men and women who lived their lives with intentionality toward glorifying glorify God and, in turn, impacting others with their witness. We also looked at present day examples of ordinary people who in big and in small ways had a positive impact on the lives of others.

One of the examples we studied was Austin Gutwein, a 14-year old who founded the organization Hoops of Hope. He became burdened to help AIDS orphans in the African country of Zambia after watching a World Vision video. He then came up with the idea to do a shoot-a-thon. From that event, Hoops for Hope was born. It is the biggest basketball shoot-a-thon in the world, much like a walk-a-thon, but way more fun! Each year thousands of participants from around the world shoot free throws for children in need. This year, every shot taken will help to build a medical facility in Zambia. Every free throw will literally help keep children from becoming orphans.

Our students, and staff alike, felt compelled to get involved! So, we are hosting our very own shoot-a-thon on Saturday, February 28th at the Agape Center (342 W. 111th St). Each student will raise pledges per free throw they shoot on that day. The enthusiasm of of the kids for helping others through the event has been heartening. We look forward to sharing anecdotes and picture with you. And, hey, come join us!

Black Family Technology Awareness Week

2009-02-10T15:35:00.003-06:00

Next week Sunshine is collaborating with other community organizations in Black Family Technology Awareness Week (Feb. 15-20). The week is designed to assist African-American communities in obtaining access to and training in web technologies, enabling these communities to leverage key information from virtually anywhere. Since it's inception nine years ago in New York City, collaborative efforts between a large variety of professional and community organizations have sprung up in 200 cities, supporting increased technology awareness. You can read more about the awareness week on this blog. As part of the festivities, Sunshine will be hosting a workshop on Friday, February 20th from noon - 2 p.m. in Social Networking and Community Development. Interested? Feel free to contact our main office for more information.

Register TODAY for the Legacy Conference!

2009-02-03T15:19:00.002-06:00

Registration has begun for this year's Legacy Conference! Here at Sunshine we are big fans of this conference (a few of us just might be involved in its planning :wink: ) The 2009 Legacy Disciple Making Conference will be Thurs, July 30 - Sat, August 31st. This year's conference will take place on the campus of Chicago's Moody Bible Institute. Register today at: www.legacy-conference.org !

Young Entrepreneurs Make A Splash

2009-01-13T13:11:00.003-06:00

Just before the Christmas holiday break, our high school technology apprentices presented and contested the hard work they have put into creating business plans for impact in our neighborhood. The training they received in how to create small businesses was also coupled with training in web design and PowerPoint presenting. We are very proud of each of them! First, second, and third place cash prizes were awarded. Brittany Fisher was rewarded with a first place prize for her development of a resume training and consulting business. This program was made possible by our partnership with After School Matters and the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship.

Sunshine is grateful to Brian Wongkamalasai for his photography work on this event. Click Here to visit Brian's blog >>>

Youth March to "Stop the Violence"

2008-12-15T16:02:00.005-06:00

Wow! Has it been a month since we last posted?! That's not because there hasn't been any excitement around Sunshine. We'll have to catch you up to speed.

We've mentioned the uptick in violence this past end-of-summer/beginning-of-fall as local gangs renewed their fight over turf. Extra, and unanticipated, measures were taken to ensure the safety of those who consider our center a second home and of our staff members and building. The violence, however, afforded us interactions with the community that have only strengthened our relationships. Long-term community residents, which include block club leaders, police, agents at local social service agencies, along with Sunshine, have mobilized. Our joint efforts have included youth, in particular those who are being tutored and mentored to grow in their character and academic achievements. Back in November, at the tail-end of the violent spree, a march of youth, who refuse to stand for this violence, was organized and Sunshine endorsed the march, acting home base for the event.

The newspaper, The Chicago Defender, covered the story. Click Here.

Dave Clark, our City Team Leader, is pictured along with a number of youth who are involved in our programs.

Note from the Director's Chair: Psalm 34 in a season of uncertainty

2008-11-12T14:31:00.003-06:00

Dear Friends,

I have been thinking these past few weeks about what happens when the circumstances of life threaten to undo us. Perhaps you have too.

On any given day, I have friends and neighbors who, through actions of the tumultuous environment in which they live, can loose everything. I dare say for many, present conditions have us acutely aware that we live completely beyond our own control, even beyond our comprehension.

For those in poverty this is often a daily struggle. It seems that just when they are about to get up something hooks them by the waist and "kicks you back to the curb". When this happens, how is it that one can resist the temptation to give up? To be without hope?

Hear the Word of the Lord:

This poor man cried and the Lord heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
And delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man (or woman) who takes refuge in him.

I, personally, along with my family and many of my neighbors, have had many despairing days this past year. We've had many days when we have needed these words of grace.

I suspect that you may be experiencing this sense of despair during this day, week, month or year of economic crumbling in our country. Many of you may have lost jobs, businesses, personal wealth, meaningful business relationships or other things. Please know that as you have encouraged us and empowered us to count on the grace of God throughout great troubles, we are praying for you.

If there are specific things that our staff and community can remember in prayer on your behalf, please let us know.

When the righteous cry for help,
the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their trouble.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

The grace of God is vast. The promises of God are sure. In the urban environment we often have to be reminded of this and He always proves sure. So, let me try in my feeble ways to send you a message from the 'hood. Be confident of God's grace and love for you.

Among the most important spiritual lessons to be learned from the perseverance of the saints in our community is this very thing - to continue to walk in faith in uncertain days. As one old negro spiritual encourages us, keep your eyes looking ahead in faith to what Christ has for you:

"Hold your life, Brudder Robert, Hold your light. Hold your light on Canaan's shore.
What make ole Satan for follow me so? Satan ain't got notin' for do wid me. Hold your light, hold your light, hold your light on Canaan's shore."

Counting the grace of Christ with you.

Joel.

Sunshine Benefit

2008-10-22T16:09:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

This past weekend we hosted one of the most delightful events I've been privileged to be a part of during my nearly 10 years at Sunshine. Our benefit dinner. I know that sounds a bit odd, but I mean it seriously.

Inspite of the things that get more press, including recent shootings and what not, there are many delightful things that come from our community; things that reflect the Imago Dei. This year we created an evening designed to reflect this and called it "A Soulful of Dreams." We even hosted it at one of Chicago's wonderful theaters - the ParkWest.

Howard Sandifer and Friends provided a wonderful 5-piece jazz ensemble, playing a series of 1940's era tunes and our friend, Nadine Smith, blew the house away with her cool vocals. Youth and adults brought testimony about our programs in the community. I think everyone saw and enjoyed God's work on the south side of Chicago.

We also put together a terrific book written by our youth to share their dreams with you. I know you will find this book incredibly powerful. If you would consider either joining us as a monthly sponsor at $50 or more or, if you would consider a one-time gift of $500 or more, we would love to send you this book, as a token of our gratitude. (A preview of our book can be seen by clicking the icon on the top right-hand side of our screen.)

Thank you for walking this road with us!

Joel.

A slideshow of pictures from the event can now be seen via Flickr.

Prayer Request Follow-Up: Letter from Joel

2008-09-29T15:05:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone ~

First off, before I give you a quick follow-up regard our latest prayer request, I want to thank you for the outpouring of support and prayers we've received through our Inboxes and phone. You are an immense encouragement to us!

As a bit of follow-up...Right away Monday night we hosted a meeting of local block club leaders. It was about 15 folks strong and I really believe we crossed a new threshold that night. For about 5 years now, we have attended meetings, even hosted them in the community. But, this was the first time we spearheaded this type of community action. I was really humbled by the showing and the response.

We came up with an overall strategy to respond to what is happening in our neighborhood and I learn a lot, like the importance of getting people to leave their front porch lights on, making sure garages have house numbers on them, and making lots of phone calls for every incident to the police. As an example, when someone was shot and killed two nights before the meeting, only 2 phone calls were made to 911. Imagine that! Someone is gunned down with multiple gun shots and there are probably 200-300 people (or more) within a 1-block radius who hear it and only 2 people call!

When the city orders its resources to react, they don't just look at actual incidents, they also look at phone calls. Drug deals get no phone calls in our neighborhood. Buildings broken into get no phone calls. Often, domestic violence gets no response. So, part of our overall process, centers around creating an atmosphere in which a lot of people make phone calls (think prayer chain on the phone to 911!) and (b) they make calls about EVERYTHING and (c) they know what to report when they call.

We also ended up talking about all the vacant buildings (like 10 on just one block!) that have been foreclosed. They are routinely broken into and vandalized and used for garbage (attracting rats) and drug dealers and users. One elderly neighbor described waking up multiple times every time in fear that the drug users in the abandoned building physically attached to her building might burn down the entire block while doing drugs. Another spoke about having at least 3 kids shot and killed right in front of her house over the years. Yet, you couldn't miss the resolve, the strength, the faith in the room. After dealing with this sort of thing for 20 years or more, they were willing to believe again and try again! Wow!

I was also encouraged by the presence of several young professionals - one of whom described hitting the dirt in front of his condo when bullets fly....but, undeterred to invest in the community!

There was a very real spiritual openness, if not outright presence. I suggested we open in prayer, to which everyone immediately responded, "YES!" and proceeded to hold hands in a circle. We also closed in prayer....They were sure to ask that we do!

Perhaps the sadest thing about the evening was the obvious lack of any mention of the role of the Church. Almost everyone mentioned the struggle in their dealings with youth and their sadness about a lack of parental presence - a sore point to be sure. But, there was no explicit mention of the Church. I am praying, as are the Sunshine staff, for a way to address this. I'll admit to being a bit afraid of what incredulity might arise in me bringing it up. Too many churches are absent. We will, however, be the Church, call the Church (through local pastors), and pray for the Church's much-need role in addressing what is, in a way, the next chapter in the life of our ministry here.

Since last Monday, we've worked with one of the block club leaders to hold a prayer vigil. The vigil was held last Wednesday night, at which there was both a police and community presence. We are hosting another strategic meeting on Friday as follow-up to Monday's meeting.

Blessings to you all and again, thank you for our prayers! We'll periodically update you on how things are going on this account.

Joel Hamernick,
Executive Director

A Prayer Request

2008-09-22T23:39:00.004-05:00

As some of you know...

We are asking for prayer today for our ministry. Over the past week we've had an inordinate amount of gunfire in our community. After literally dozens of close calls, including a couple of our windows being shot out, yesterday evening a young man was shot and killed a block from our building.

It appears the shooting and subsequent homicide are part of a large war going on between local gang factions, fighting over turf around our building. Our Center is literally in the middle of all the activity. The uptick in violence could last for quite some time.

This morning we met together and prayed as a staff. We also spoke about what we might do to intervene. We corporately agreed upon several things, including holding community meetings, beefing up our physical presence in the neighborhood, taking measures to protect our program participants, asking folks like you for prayer, etc.

Please do pray. Your work in prayer and generosity have us here, right where God wants us. We do know that we serve a powerful God who listens to the voices of His people. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers! We'll keep you posted.

Tech Center Continues to Celebrate High-School Graduates

2008-09-16T09:55:00.005-05:00

August 20th marked the end of six weeks with 20 uniquely talented teens. Lue and I (Vince) were given the opportunity to pour some of our life skills and experience into them daily from 9am to 2pm. Our apprentices will walk away with a good foundation in:

• Technology literacy
• Document creation
• Computer networking
• Teamwork
• Soft skills

They worked very hard over the summer and they are well deserving of our praise.

Meanwhile, we have begun to enroll our fall apprentices. Classes begin in October. Registration instructions can be found on our website. CLICK HERE

Faithful Yesterday, Today, and Forever

2008-09-08T13:14:00.003-05:00

It's crucial in each of our lives and ministries to spend time each year remembering and reflecting on God's faithful provision. Matthew 7:11 comes to mind, "If you then, who are evil (sinful), know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" Periodically, our program staff write out their reflections or anecdotes about their work. Inevitably, one can see God's Spirit moving and His faithfulness of His people revealed.

At the beginning of August, Pete Blodgett, our youth pastor, wrote a few words of reflection of our summer youth programming.

(Flashback)It is 8:55 a.m. on a Monday in June. In a couple of minutes, the doors will open and our Summer Blast day camp will begin. The time for planning is over and there is some nervousness in the air. The summer staff and I have spent weeks in training and preparation for this day, but it's hard to know what to expect. We've registered quite a few kids and passed out hundreds of flyers. But no one really knows how many kids will show ip. We've planned all the events of the day, but no one really knows how they will do.

Fortunately, we know that God was in control and had already planned out our summer for us. We had over 30 kids on the first day and eventually grew to meet our capacity of 50 during our five weeks. Our planning paid off as our stations of games, academic tutoring, drama, and crafts flowed real well. The kids always looked forward to our weekly field trips, despite a few transportation struggles. Our Bible times were effective; over half the kids were new to Sunshine and most were unchurched. As strong foundation of the Gospel was clearly given and built on throughout the summer. In fact, during the week-long residential camp, eleven of our kids accepted Christ as their Savior!

Many of these kids will be involved in our tutoring program this fall, and we hope to involved them all in our discipleship activities.

Please pray that we will be able to follow up with all these kids throughout the year.

Let Justice Roll - Park Community Church Conference

2008-09-03T16:40:00.002-05:00

Park Community Church is hosting a conference September 20 that, for those who are interested in further exploring God's heart for justice and what this practically looks like in the city, will undoubtedly be exciting and challenging. Check out the details at the Park Community Church website. Click Here.

LISC/New Communities Meets at Sunshine

2008-09-03T12:11:00.004-05:00

Back in mid-July, Joel and other community leaders met together with local leaders to discuss the long-term development of the community addressing topics of affordable housing, crime, cultivation of the arts and youth programming. These conversations also included dialogue about how to encourage and support commercial development, specifically bringing new businesses into the Woodlawn and Washington Park neighborhoods.

The meetings participants are each apart of the New Communities Program, which is a long-term initiative of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation/Chicago to support comprehensive community development in 16 Chicago neighborhoods. The efforts seeks to rejuvenate challenged communities, bolster those in danger of losing ground and preserve diversity of areas in the path of gentrification.

To check out more pictures, CLICK HERE.

First Day of School: Moody Radio Chicago Reaches Out to Local Ministries

2008-09-02T14:56:00.005-05:00

Earlier in the summer, Moody Radio Chicago approached us about an idea they had to connect their listening base with local organization working with urban families. This is what emerged out of a few weeks of brainstorming about a campaign that would truly to beneficial.
The goal of the Mission Backpack campaign was to connect inner city children with participating ministries. The backpack a child receive will be a sort of introduction and invitation for the child to become involved with the local ministries. The connection to the local ministry was "the main thing". It was their - Moody Radio Chicago's - prayer that involvement in the ministry's programs will help the children mature, feel safer in their neighborhoods, and ultimately accept Christ as their personal Savior.

For three weeks Moody Radio plugged this effort on their shows. Several businesses and churches around the Chicagoland area offered to be drop-off centers for the backpacks. The goal...6,500 backpacks!!!! to be distributed amongst six partnering organizations.

Joel did several lives interviews at the station (did you hear him?!) and a station associate came to Sunshine to do a candid interview with a couple moms, who could speak to how the back-to-school season affects their lives and homes.

By August 23rd the campaign was complete, both the backpacks gathered from the various locations and the online sales that were made. It was time to sort all of the backpacks and supplies.

Volunteers from each of the partnering organizations gathered in the Inner City Impact gym to take on this large endeavor. Here is a slideshow of the morning (and what I look like when woken at 6:30 on Saturday morning for work).

Seek Peace in the City - 2009 Urban Missions

2008-09-02T13:27:00.002-05:00

2009 Already? Yessss!!!

We just finished an exciting season of summer missions here in Chicago. I am already getting real pumped for next year. We just book our sixth college group for Spring Break and even, summer registrations are beginning.

All of this leave me energized about diving into next sections of Scripture to better what it means to Seek Peace in the City.

"But seek the welfare (shalom) of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare (shalom) you will find your welfare (shalom)."
Jeremiah 29:7

What does it look like to enter some of the most marginalized places in our country and find not only a place God is at work in, but a place in which God work on us? What does God have to teach us, not only about our capacity to give but our need to receive, in the city? How in the world can we find peace in the city?

These are all things that I believe God is answering in the city. I see it expressly through Bridge Builders, as college, high-schoolers, and even adults find Him waiting to work in their lives!

If you know of a college ministry (spring break) or high school group (summer) that would benefit from this ministry, by all means hook us up! (check out the Bridge Builders link at www.sunshinegospel.org)

Peace,
Joel.

Taken from Joel's blog at http://joelhamernick.blogspot.com/

Guess Who Is Back...Back Again...

2008-08-06T16:30:00.007-05:00

This e-mail just came in today from our youth outreach, city team leader, Dave Clark. We thought we'd share it with you....

Guys,

Yesterday was a VERY long day behind the wheel, but I made it home late evening last night. It was a great trip. The guys did extremely. We had some very interactive devotional times together and focused on the concept of faith - Hebrews 11. All the guys made it to the top of Mount Sacajawea, overcoming fears and thoughts of "this is crazy!" They had a great attitude about coming in Yellowstone and even better attitudes about doing a 6-mile hike to Fairy Falls and Victory Geyser - both very beautiful sights. One of the most stretching aspects, for some of the guys was the relational one, meeting so many new people. Justin and Jason both testified to how stretching this was, but how they really enjoyed it. All of our guys loved our host (Scot Smith - of Bridge Builders' fame), and were all sure to get his phone number and address. He was very moved by the week as well; he shared with tears in his eyes and a limp in his throat on Sunday morning. I will blog more about this trip later on and its impact on me as well.

Quick Warrior update....After we "shocked the world" with our first victory (37-35) on Tuesday, July 22nd, we entered the tournament on Saturday (July 26th) as a "dark horse favorite". In other words, nobody wanted to play the "buzzsaw", also known as the Sunshine Warriors. :-) Due to some family travel and other circumstance, we entered Saturday morning's tournament with only 6 players - 5 sophomores and 1 senior - all under 5'11". However, we overcame out limited numbers and limited size with tenacious, ball-swarming defense (oh, Dave!!!) and fast-paced, "basket-attacking" offense. We outplayed Judson Baptist the entire game. Unfortunately, though, we ended up tied at the end of regulation. In overtime, we seemed to run out of steam and Judson pulled away.

Next up...Uptown Baptist, a team we should have defeated during the regular season. I wanted this one badly, and so did the guys. We again outplayed them and outhustled them the entire games, pulling away with the 6-point victory!

Next up... South Shore United Methodist. After playing two Baptist teams earlier in the day, it was nice to go head to head with "the Methodists from South Shore". It was evident in the early minutes (this being our third game of the day) that the Warriors were running out of fumes. We admit, we played sloppily and just couldn't seem to get anything going right. We kept the game close, but they pulled away in the closing minutes. The guys felt good about their effort in the tournament...and so did their coach.

After the game we took our annual trip to Bacci's Pizza for Chicago's biggest pizza slice. We talked about competing in Breakthrough's Spring league. The Warriors will be back!

Please keep praying with me that the guys on the team, who don't know Christ, would come to know Him.

I look forward to catching up with everybody tomorrow. Right now, I'm getting caught up on some laundry, some reading, and just enjoying not being in a van.

D.C.

What Creates "Radicals"? : A Reflection Prompted by Our Break-in

2008-07-21T17:20:00.006-05:00

We had another break on Thursday morning about 5:30 a.m.

As the governor noted publicly yesterday, over the past 2 weeks we’ve had almost 1 child per day killed in the city. On Tuesday our BB team was on a public bus and someone screamed “get out, he has a knife” and half the bus emptied. . . . Then this morning our building was burglarized again — for about the 6th or 7th time this year.

While there has been a lot of violence city wide, we are fortunate to have experienced relatively minor damage (a few broken windows, some missing TV’s and a computer, a few somewhat alarmed teens). Each week when we have missions teams teams here we wrestle with what Luke 6:30 really means.

“give to whomever begs from you, and for the one who takes away your goods, do not demand
them back. . . . .love your enemy”.

Over the past several months I have been wondering about how Christians that work in distressed urban contexts become “radicals”. When the names and words of people like Rev. Wright and Father Pfleger break out into the open they appear to be nuts to the “average” American. Crazy. Radicals. Now I am not trying to equate what we do with them but just want to make these three observations:

1. The people in their communities love them.
2. These radicals are seriously moved by the word of God.
3. They don’t look that crazy from here.

Further, I think that if the “average” American Christian heard the conversations that go on at Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) conference and other gatherings of Christians who work in urban contexts they would be perceived as “radical”. My own pastor, who is regularly heard on mainstream Christian radio, uses different terminology and descriptions when preaching in our church than when he is invited to preach at places like Bible colleges. Christians in the developing world are also notoriously perceived as radical in their faith by US evangelicals.

So what is it that creates these radicals? Is it the context of injustice, violence and marginalization? Perhaps. But more than that I think it is the word of God. If you give the words of Christ to people in desperate settings. . . The word radicalizes. Common sense would never suggest always giving to beggars, letting the thief get away, or staying even temporarily in harms way — let alone loving those who hate you.

These are challenging lessons requiring patient reflection, prayer, faith in God, and even a sense of humor. Please pray that we’d have all of these. Thanks for standing with me as we seek the renewal of the city through the power of the gospel preached and lived out.

Joel.

This post is also on the Executive Note.

Summer Blast Proves To Be ... A Blast!!!

2008-07-18T14:51:00.003-05:00

Today is the last day of our Summer Blast day camp. (Next week - Sunday through Friday - the 52 Summer Blast kids will be going to Sunshine Cove in Michigan for a week of residential camp.) It has been so fun to get to these kids and their little (okay, sometimes their big) personalities. They never cease to make us smile and laugh.

Each Friday we've taken them on a field trip. A few weeks ago the trip was to the Lincoln Park Zoo...

Then, last week they took at trip to the 63rd Street Beach (one the Chicago's hidden gems)...

As I write, the kids are at the water park.

- Lauren Dillon, Communications Coordinator

The Pictures Are In!

2008-06-19T14:01:00.005-05:00

Despite the torrential downpour, our Summer Open House moved forward. As it is with any of our events, our prayer in that those who attend will walk away inspired and feel like they have a better grasp on the ministry work of Sunshine.

Pictures of the event have been posted!Check them out at Flickr. Click Here. Who knows? There may be a picture of you!

The Wounds of a Witness

2008-06-09T16:10:00.002-05:00

As winter frosts subsided and the sun began making a greater appearance causing folks to come out of doors, Chicago experienced a spree of violence that left nearly 35 people injured or killed by violence. There is one group of people, however, that don't receive much media attention when these violent incidents are broadcast. These people are the witnesses. Estimates state that 25% of students witness a shooting and 30% a stabbing!

The latest edition of Streetlight - our snail mail newsletter - featured an article by Deborah Shelton at the Chicago Tribune. In her article, Shelton chose to highlight these witnesses who suffer "invisible wounds" because of the violence they've seen.

Click Here to read her article.

Invisible wounds are a significant reality of our work. As we grow in our awareness of its significance, we are also increasingly aware that we are living witnesses of a God powerful and eager to comfort and heal deep, unspoken grief.

Making Right Choices - Nikki's Reflection on the UYWI Conference

2008-06-09T16:09:00.009-05:00

This was my first year at the UYWI conference (the promo video is posted below) and I have to admit I went into it with my “bucket” empty, but ready and prepared for it to be filled with the tools that would challenge me in my walk and the ministry I know God has called me to.

The workshop that most challenged was called “When Consequences Are Not Enough: Helping Kids Make Right Choices”. In this workshop the speaker, Jeffrey DeLeon, discussed the issue of how kids (both urban and suburban) don’t think about the consequences or care about the consequences of the choices they make. DeLeon suggested that this issue, which is prevalent among too many American youth, comes from four things: 1) They live in an anti-consequences culture. In society today few people allow youth to experience consequences. 2) Short term vs. long-term effect. Kids too often focus only on the immediate consequences. They aren’t thinking of how the choice they make today can affect them for the rest of their lives. 3) Lack of experience. Kids tend to trust their limited experience more than facts. They aren’t aware, intentionally or unintentionally, of what happens when a bad choice is made. 4) Overprotective parents. I know it can be easy to blame parents for a lot of things that are really are to be blamed on the kids themselves; nevertheless, instead of allowing their kids to face consequences parents too often defend their kids for the actions they have made.

How do we get kids who don’t care about consequences to become bold in Christ as opposed to being bold in sin? One way we do this at Sunshine is through small group discipleship. One group that I’m excited about is a group of 11-12 year old girls. With the help of two other women, I will be leading a Bible study this summer, focused on helping them develop a vision for the future and make right decisions based on that vision. Through teaching the Word and living out the Word's precepts alongside our youth, we hope to help them see the world as Christ sees it, and to see themselves as He sees them. Instead of worrying about what other people think of them we want them to be focused on their identity in Christ. Hopefully, through this Bible study, the girls will continue forward making wise choices, stemming from their Christian convictions.

Thinking about Legacy: City Team Leader, Dave Clark, Reflects on UYWI Conference

2008-06-09T16:09:00.008-05:00

The theme for this year's Urban Youth Workers Institute (UYWI) conference was "Living The Legacy." Each general session focused on a different element of legacy: legacy of faith, legacy people, legacy at-risk, legacy of love, and legacy unwritten. All of the messages were incredibly inspiring! The first two general messages reminded us of the hall of faith found in Hebrews Chapter 11 and which is described in the following chapter (Heb. 12:1) as the "great cloud of witnesses." We were exhorted to grab the baton passed to us from saints who have "run the race" before us - both the saints of the Old Testament (mentioned in Heb.11) as well as modern figures like Billy Graham, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa. The emphasis of both sessions was on us - Christian urban youth workers - to be the next generation of leaders running with endurance. At the same time, we were also challenged to think about who we are passing the baton on to. The sessions left me intentionally thinking about the questions, "What legacy am I writing?" and "What legacy am I passing on?"

Needless to say, I've been thinking a lot about who I am passing the baton to. Lord willing, one day it is my desire to pass the baton of faith onto my biological sons. But, in addition to any of my biological children, it is also my desire and I believe, a huge part of my calling, to pass the baton of faith onto spiritual sons.

In 2 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul writes,

"You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

Within the larger context Paul refers to a legacy of faith that passes through four generations: Paul >Timothy > faithful men > others.

I have been challenged that, as a follower of Christ, it's imperative that I take on a "legacy mindset." It is not optional; it is a mandate. Remember the words of Jesus, "Go and make disciples of all nations..." I flew back from the conference recharged with energy to continue the "race" and God has continued to powerfully speak to me through Hebrews 12:2.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Hebrews 12:2

UYWI08

2008-05-16T14:07:00.004-05:00

This week our youth outreach staff are at the Urban Youth Workers Institute conference in southern California. We know they are excited and, those of us remaining at the office, are also excited for them as they are renewed your ministry and encouraged by others in ministry.

This well-made video gives you a better idea of the Institute's mission and the intention of this week's conference.

Voice of Hope from UYWI on Vimeo.

You can visit the Urban Youth Worker's Institute here.

A Peak Into Club 2-5-2

2008-05-07T16:17:00.007-05:00

As the school year winds down, it goes almost without saying that our after school programs are beginning to wind down as well. (We have quite the line-up of summer programming, but that's for another entry.) Peering into the multipurpose room yesterday during Club 2-5-2 - our tutoring program - you'd see no sign, though, of any type of wind down. Rather, things were seemingly winding up as Dave Clark, Pete Blodgett, and their fine team of high school and college volunteer reached back into their past and pulled from a stash of Awana games. I can't say there was any great Biblical meaning or academic tie-in, just an opportunity to stretch those legs and see who could run fast. I couldn't help but grab a few snapshots of all the excitement.

Pete, Dave, and Aron (front to back) show the kids how the relay is played.

"Come on, faster!"

Team picture.

Looks like they've got a system down.

Prayer to close out the night.

A Process Report on Sunshine Cove

2008-04-28T09:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends,

I am excited to be able to give you an update about what is happening with our summer ministry.

As you know, we have been blessed to own and operate Sunshine Cove Christian Camp for many years and this has been our focus for ministry during summer. Over the past year, however, we have decided to no longer operate our own facility and have wrestled with how to go about transitioning the facility to new ownership.

I am grateful to be able to tell you that Sunshine Gospel Ministries will remain in partnership with Sunshine Cove and will be sending campers to the Cove again this summer. During the past few months we have been negotiating a process that we expect to result in Sunshine Cove Christian Camp becoming a separate entity, operating as a new independent ministry.

This new partnership arrangement will allow Sunshine to expand what we are doing this summer here in the city. Each year the youth in our community face struggles of the urban context scarcely imaginable to most. In just this past week Chicago’s urban communities have dealt with more than 35 shootings – about half have been in our community and those that immediately surround us.

As we wrestle with what effective urban youth ministry means this summer, we realize that God is calling us to have a more profound neighborhood presence. With this in mind we will be providing 8 weeks of youth technology programming (TECHcamp and After School Matters programming) as well as 6 weeks of Summer Blast (this in addition to our overnight, residential camping at Sunshine Cove). We will also continue our Bible studies and youth outreach events, reaching hundreds of kids here in our community.

We depend on your partnership and are grateful for your role in bringing the hope of the gospel and the hands of Christ to our community. Please partner with us generously this summer in both financial support and in prayer. Your financial support will allow us to increase the number of youth that are able to attend camp – Summer blast, TECH camp, and Sunshine Cove. Standing with us in prayer will enable you to surround us with spiritual protection extending to the physical well-being of our youth, their families and our staff.

Thank you for your prayer and financial support!

Joel on behalf of the Sunshine family.

P.S. If you would like to learn more about about ministry or, would like to give to our summer camp outreach, visit our new website at www.sunshinegospel.org

A New Look

2008-03-28T09:41:00.004-05:00

Your eyes are not deceiving you; Sunshine, in fact, has adopted a new brand identity! Sunshine has worked closely with designers at Headstand Media to use color, line, and shape to better communicate with you.

While our outreach efforts are concentrated in Chicago’s Woodlawn, Washington Park, and Bronzeville neighborhoods, our relationships and partnerships reveal our desire to see the city broadly impacted and renewed through ministries of discipleship, mercy, and justice. We do this through building relationships, teaching and mentoring, developing life skills, care and advocacy in our community.

Ministry mission and vision statements tend to evolve over a long period of time, and Sunshine is no exception. Regardless of our programs specifics, however, our lengthy ministerial experience has only reinforced what we know is Jesus Christ’s commitment to shalom, translated peace, between people groups, in homes, in churches, and in neighborhoods.

We believe our new brand best communicates our desire have a reciprocal relationship and influence with our greater community, with parents and children involved with our programs; and with local churches, college students, volunteers, and contributors…this includes you! Our logo, our website, our blog, and our newest literature were designed with you in mind. Our website and our blog, in particular, were created to be informative, interactive, and easy to navigate.

We hope you will spend a few moments browsing our new website and will check back periodically for new stories, event and program listings!

Program Update

2008-03-25T13:09:00.007-05:00

Technology Center

Our technology center continues to be one of the greatest means for us to meet our neighbors and provide the service of free access to computers and Internet as well as basic and intermediate classes in Microsoft Office applications and Internet living.

Since we first moved in to our 500 E. 61st Street building in January 2007, we have seen nearly 500 people taken advantage of our Internet Cafe. Of this number, nearly 150 of those have been from the start of this year. These numbers include those individuals who have stopped by only once as well as those individuals who stopped by several times each week. Also, an increasing number are utilizing our paid services of printing, copyin and faxing. It seems our friends are spreading the word around the block and to their friends.

Classes for adults continue to be warmly received and well-attended. Morning sessions are being held in basic computer literacy and Microsoft applications. Students are currently making their way through the functions of Microsoft PowerPoint. Thursday evenings the Center offers class on Online Living. A weekend training in job readiness, which includes teaching in resume building, will be offered to area residents.

Our high-school apprenticeship program in Home and Small Office Computer Networking, in partnership with the city's After School Matters initiative, has also continued to be a success. We have offered this particular semester-long apprenticeship a several times, and each time, the student's personalities make teaching the class a unique, dynamic experience.

Youth Outreach

Our tutoring program - Club 2-5-2 - used the Chicago Public School's Spring Break last week to go on field trips to the DuSable Museum and Chinatown. The Club 2-5-2 store was also opened. The students enthusiastically spent their Sunshine Bucks, which they'd earned through hard work which resulted in improved academic achievement, as rewards for their hard work. In the process of earning Sunshine Bucks and establishing the Store students have an incentive to learn and improve upon the basics of banking.

Teens who have been apart of our Friday afternoon discipleship studies took time over Spring Break to visit colleges. They took tours of Wheaton and the University of Illinois in Chicago where they learned more about the programs, courses, and extracurriculars of the universities. In weeks past, the students also toured Moody Bible Institute and were able to sit in on a classes, attended chapel and stayed in the dorms.

Bridge Builders

We are entering our third week of Bridge Builders urban immersion trainig during college's spring break weeks.

We have hosted groups of 46 and 43 the past two weeks from several universities. This week we had an additional 10 participants join us for a total of about 35 students. It's a lifechanging experience for the student participants.

One student wrote:

"The sessions were eye-opening and very informative. The information was presented in an effective and organized way that had a huge impact on me. [Bridge Builders] completely changed my heart for the poor, the homeless, and other cultures. My idea of ministry has been altered by these sessions and my heart is burdened deeply by the issues we have discussed."

Comments such as this one encourage us and we hope they'll encourage you too.

So we have another busy week of ministry, work projects, and Bible study coming up. Please pray that God would really be at work in the heart and minds of all involved and that our time spent would be of real benefit to those we serve both from the community and from outside.

A Marked Difference

2008-03-25T12:16:00.006-05:00

Written by Pete Blodgett, Sunshine's Youth Pastor

Late one Thursday afternoon I was at the height of frustration. See, Club 2-5-2 (our tutoring program) is structured with "stations" - stations in reading, math, writing, technology, etc. At that moment my frustration was mounting, I was overseeing the tutoring station where students were working hard on improving their typing. Well, all except one. For some reason, one student, who I'll call "D.L.", insisted on typing "his way".

His way meant using two fingers to punch the keys - a way he was quite comfortable with. He was equally as comfortable with the slow pace of his way. (Perhaps some of you have similar stories with teaching your children.) I had tried everything to get him to do it "right": incentives, pleading, even punishment. Nonetheless, each week his stubbornness persisted, he continued to ignore me, and he typed his own way.

I soon found that if I pushed him too hard, he would shut down completely, making the matter even worse. He would hang his head and refuse to respond to anyone. He started using this shut down technique at any station that seemed too hard. The situation, clearly, wasn't getting any better and in time, I wasn't the only tutor who was frustrated by D.L.'s behavior.

Fast-forward a couple months and you'll find a new D.L. He enjoys every part of Club 2-5-2, even the technology station. He is more willing to work at stations that may seem hard at first, and his behavior has seemingly turned around completely. He has even started encouraging other students when they want to give up. As you can imagine, this is the change that we hope to see in every student.

None of us know exactly what brought about the sudden change. We do know that the D.L. who signed up for tutoring in September is not the same D. L. that returned from Spring Break. Perhaps he's simply grown in confidence. Perhaps it's an answer to prayer. Or, the likely scenario that it's a combination of both.

Not only is D.L. improving academically, but his character is being strengthened by the godly influence of our college tutors. He is starting to grow into the man that God wants him to be!

2008 Legacy Conference

2008-02-11T21:09:00.001-06:00

We serve a God - Jesus Christ - who is about the redemption of ALL things. Hip-hop is NOT excluded. Because of this, folks at Sunshine are apart of a team which will host the next Legacy Conference here in Chicago in August. It will once again be a three-day conference this time from August 14-16. We are still trying to lock down the location, however many of the same speakers/teachers have already committed for this year: Paul Washer, Shai Linne, Lecrae, Flame, Tedashi, Trip Lee, Azriel, and more.

You can also check out the web site at www.legacy-conference.org

From the Desk of Joel Hamernick: The Process with Sunshine Cove

2008-02-05T16:03:00.000-06:00

In the latest edition of the Streetlight and Flashlight (Sunshine’s newsletter and e-mail newsletters) I shared with many of you that our board of directors has made a decision to pursue a change of ownership with our camp facility in Michigan, Sunshine Cove. I think it may be helpful to share more specifically what has been decided and why along with a little more background than we have room for in the normal newsletter.

History.

In 1997-98 Sunshine’s board was at a key decision point at which they needed to decide whether to seek large investment into the facility at camp or sell the camp. Ultimately the decision was made to bring in new staff, invest in the property and develop new programs. My family along with Daryl and Laura Woods and soon after John and Pam Rees were the initial team that followed the board’s direction and God’s calling to develop camp.

During the following decade we immensely enjoyed seeing God at work through hundreds of camp experiences. As a ministry we have invested heartily in the facility and the operation of camp – always with a long term vision that the income from camp would one day balance its own expenses through a combination of localized fundraising specific to camp, Sunshine camper sponsorships, missionary support and guest group fees.

While this vision for balancing the budget at camp was important to the overall plan it was something that God gave us time to work on. Over the years God has blessed us with an ability to “carry” an imbalance in the operational expenses. The ministry that continued has been transformational in the lives of our staff and campers and thus while there has always been financial pressures and considerations about camp’s overall costs, the board and staff worked for nearly 10 years toward the goals of increasing camp’s spiritual fruit and at the same time the goal of balancing income and expenditures related to camp.

Mission.

This past year our board and staff spent time together working carefully on re-wording our mission statement to reflect those aspects of our ministry that continue from the past (specifically a focus on the gospel, the city, and the poor) with those that are new:

1. a new community (Woodlawn and Bronzeville)
2. a commitment to incarnational ministry (living in and being a part of our neighborhood)
3. a new emphasis on teaching the church about God’s heart for the city (through our missions program: Bridge Builders)
4. a broadened notion of serving our community (e.g. We now reach more than 400 people of all ages through our community technology center).

The new mission statement has been adopted as: Sunshine Gospel Ministries exists to seek the renewal of the city through ministries of discipleship, mercy and justice.

This mission focus increases our focus on the center of what God has called Sunshine to do for over 100 years: minister to the city for His namesake. It doesn’t change our desire to take kids to camp but does lessen the focus on that activity in terms of year round focus and how much of our overall resources should be directed there.

Finances.

The net expense over income for camp has now exceeded $100,000 annually for 3 years. The board has looked carefully at our finances and has come to the conclusion that Sunshine cannot sustain this deficit for another year.

Furthermore, when you consider our core campers – those coming from direct connection with Sunshine’s neighborhood ministries and not as rental groups, partnering ministries, etc… the cost per camper when averaged over the annual budget exceeds $1000 per camper. Our camper sponsorships are set at $300. This simply can’t come close to covering this actual cost. Alternatively, the cost of working with other quality Christian camp ministries would allow us to send our children to camp for anywhere from $200 to $300 including all actual costs.

Decisions.

With the previous process and considerations in mind, the board made the decision to cease operations of camp and pursue a change of ownership. The specific reasons highlighted for the decision are (a) mission and (b) finances. The Mission of Sunshine is focused primarily on the city and the overall demands of owning and operating our camp are diverting the ministry from focusing on our core calling. The financial costs of camp simply can’t justify continuing operations.

Decisions yet to be made.

Our board has expressed a clear desire to see the facility at Sunshine Cove remain a Christian camp that serves youth from the city. To this end the board has established as it highest preference to work with an organization that would purchase the facility for this purpose. As of this stage we do not know to whom the facility will be sold, nor when exactly this process will happen. Please be in prayer for the board, staff, campers and supporters of the ministry as we pursue God’s will for the ministry.

It is important for me to stress that Sunshine remains passionate that our youth need Christian camp experiences and that this will remain a key part of what Sunshine does. Yet we want to steward the resources given and focus on the core elements of our calling in a way that are a true expression of wisdom.

I will be adding another article on my own blog that touches on this process from a more personal perspective for those who would like to read further. http://www.joelhamernick.blogspot.com/

Yours in Christ,
Joel Hamernick, Executive Director

Seeking the Renewal of the City Through Camping Ministry

2008-02-05T15:58:00.000-06:00

As published in our latest Streetlight newsletter...

Over the recent months our board has revisited the specific wording and focus of our ministry. For over 100 years we have been a ministry in the city, working primarily among the poor, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that include practical mercy, evangelism and discipleship.

One of the most influential and most welcomed manners in which we have carried out this ministry is to take kids to camp. Long ago the kids from the city, along with a few staff, packed into train cars and rode the long track north to Pembine, Wisconsin. There they came to love attending Lake Lundgren Bible Camp. When the train stopped going that far north, in the late 1950’s, Sunshine pursued and ultimately was blessed to receive a camp of their own: Camp Sun-Chi-Win (later renamed Sunshine Cove Christian Camp).

Though there have been lean years and years of blessing at our camp, the property has been used by God through hundreds of staff and volunteers to change the lives of thousands of youth and families from the inner-city. There is no doubt that camping is an incredible ministry because of the ability it affords one to get away from the city, to see God in His Creation, to have fun in a safe and invigorating setting, and to spend quality time with counselors, peers and leaders who demonstrate and teach the love of God. Camping is clearly an enormously important aspect of our past and future ministry in the city.

Yet over the past few decades camping has become very expensive for those ministries that own and operate their own camps, including Sunshine. Many people that sponsor children have noticed that our camper sponsorships have increased over the past 5 years by more than double. The truth is that the annual costs of the facility have actually quadrupled the cost of sending our youth to our own camp. The camper sponsorships simply don’t come close to covering all of the expenses related to operating our own facility. Yet if we were to send our youth to other high quality Christian camps, run by other Christian Ministries, we could reduce the cost of camper sponsorships to the rate we were at years ago (about $200).

As those entrusted with leading the way, Sunshine’s board of directors is now prayerfully and carefully seeking God’s will for the future of both our camp facility and our approach to camping ministry. Given the focus of Sunshine’s work in city ministry, and the costs involved (actual costs are 3 times as high per child to operate our camp vs. taking kids to camp at other facilities) the board has concluded that we should pursue a transition of ownership.

As a ministry we want to thank all of you who have been intimately involved as staff, volunteers, board members,
supporters, campers and counselors over the years. While we anticipate a change in the way Sunshine continues to be involved in camp, there is no doubt that camp will remain a core part of what we do and we want to ask you to remain in partnership with us. The needs are still great, camping is still key, and our overall effectiveness in the city and through camp – we believe – will increase substantially through this transition.

Please pray with us about the way God would have us seek renewal in the city, steward our resources, and continue to use camping in transformational ways.

God's Transforming Work: A Reflection from Dave Clark, After-School Program Director

2008-02-05T15:48:00.000-06:00

Over the course of the past fall semester I have had the privilege of observing God’s transforming work in the lives of our young people. It has been especially exciting to see God move in the life of one of our 4th grade students, a young man who participates in our tutoring program, which we’ll call “D.”. D. began coming around the Sunshine building last spring. Initially, it was to stop in and see Ms. Christensen (one of our former staff members, who volunteered in his classroom). In time D. occasionally would stop in to see me and ask me if there was anything he could help with. I didn’t know his name at the time, but I’d noticed his persistence and I recognized his face.

When our summer Vacation Bible School (VBS) began, I started to see D. more frequently, eagerly waiting outside for activities to begin and enthusiastically asking about the day’s snack.

One evening during the VBS program, D. got sent home for fighting. He never returned to our VBS, but continued to frequently visit our office and to stand on the sidewalk outside our building, peering in through the shades to get a glimpse of our evening’s activities. During the warm summer months, when idles hours increase, I would often see D. walking around with his group of friends (10, 11, and 12 year olds) bored and looking for something to do.

Our tutoring program began at the end of September and D. stopped in to inquire about how he could get into the program. I delivered the unfortunate news that our program was full, but assured him that I would put him on our waiting list. Again, with great persistence, D. stopped by our office virtually everyday after that to see if anyone had dropped out, thus opening a spot for him in the program. A couple of weeks into our tutoring program, a spot became available and, as you can imagine, he was more than ready to take up its place.
D.’s enthusiasm to attend our programs remains undiminished. In fact, often times he comes early to work on homework, to help set up, and to pray with me and the other staff members over the night’s activities. He always prays for two things: 1) that the tutors would arrive safely and 2) that everyone would get “PBs” (that’s personal bests) at their tutoring stations.

Perhaps most exciting of all was the opportunity I had at the end of this past fall semester to share the gospel with him using the Evangicube – a small picture cube that walks the basics of the Gospel message. D. was fascinated by the Evangicube, and equally as fascinated with the story of Jesus Christ. In follow-up to D.’s interest in the Gospel, I asked him if he would like to come to church with me. He told me that he would like to attend and that he and his friends would meet me at the office that Sunday morning at 10 a.m. sharp! When Sunday rolled around, I made it to the office in a rush, and was disappointed to find D. wasn’t there and neither were his friends. I called both numbers I had for him. I reached him. His groggy voice on the end of the line confirmed I’d woken him up. D. reassured me that he still wanted to go to church and that “he would be down in a few minutes, after he had ironed his clothes”.

He sat next to me throughout the service and seemed to be engaged, taking it all in. During the ride home he didn’t say much (I’m sure this is partly due to the three teenage boys, also in the van, dominating the conversation). D. was my second to last drop off, and during a brief lull he spoke up.

“Dave,” he said, “I need a Bible.”

His request caught me off guard! I wasn’t surprised at what he wanted, but rather I was by the unexpected timing of his request. I told him I had an extra Bible I would gladly give him if he came by after school on Monday. With the earnestness so characteristic of him, D. came by right after the school day had ended.

Just as D. was about to walk out our doors with his new Bible, he turned to Pete, our youth pastor, and with a look in his eyes of great attention to detail, he told Pete he would be at Bible study that week. He then turned to me, and he said he would be coming back to church next Sunday.

In the life of an organization with staff who has conversations with many neighbors in one day, events like these can seem small and get pushed aside, grouped with the mundane. But, I am confident in my reflection that the Holy Spirit brings about big things through small steps. Honestly, I believe God began to work in this young man’s life way before Sunshine occupied 500 E. 61st St. I also believe that in the months and years ahead, the Word of God will continue to be sown in this D.’s life and will bear fruit – fruit capable of enduring even the ups and downs of his coming adolescence.

I’m reminded of Paul’s words in Philippians 1:6. Paul states, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God has begun a transformational work in D.’s life as well as others in our community, and surely He will continue to be made manifest. I simply look forward to watching it come about!

Save the Date - SGM Winter Open House

2007-12-20T18:58:00.000-06:00

Save the Date!

We invite you to our next

Winter Open House

We would love for you to attend either:
Sunday afternoon, Feb. 24, 2008 or
Monday lunchtime, Feb. 25, 2008

Come to learn more about our program offerings and
the Woodlawn neighborhood we call home.

A light, catered lunch will be served.
A historic bus tour of Woodlawn will also be offered.

Questions or comments? Contact:
Lauren Dillon
773.493.0656 ext. 1003
Look for more details to follow in the New Year!

Semester Wrap-Up

2007-12-20T18:47:00.000-06:00

Today was the last day Chicago Public School ran until the New Year. Just as the schools are wrapping up for the Christmas holiday so, also, are our youth programs.

Last week, our technology program for high school students in small computer networking ended. This apprenticeship program is sponsored by After School Matters. Over 20 students graduated from this semester's apprenticeship. They finished up strong, celebrating their efforts with a final party and small award ceremony! Even as I write, students are knocking on our door, eager to pick-up their payment checks.

Staff and tutors of our Club 2-5-2 after-school tutoring program created an incentive system at the beginning of the year. The incentive program rewarded student's good behavior and improved academic performance while also teaching them the basics of money management. The Sunshine Community Bank was established :smile: to hold the student's Sunshine Bucks. Each child had to read the Bank's service brochure to learn about the bank's provisions. (Fake) checks were issued for students to use in their depositing and withdrawal of monies.

Toys and clothes that remained from our community-wide Christmas Store were used to establish Club 2-5-2's Store where students could spend their Sunshine Bucks to "purchase" Christmas gifts for themselves and for their family. The Store was used to teach students about money saving and spending. We trust from the smiles on their faces that they also had fun.

Lastly, as in past years, Sunshine youth were treated to the excitements of Chicago's Navy Pier Winter Wonderfest. This was another reward for faithful attendance and for commitment to learning.

Chicagoland Churches and Woodlawn Families Participate in annual Christmas Store

2007-12-20T13:25:00.000-06:00

This Saturday Sunshine held its 4th Annual Christmas Store in the multi-purpose room of our 61st Street office. It's become a holiday tradition for Sunshine to hold a Christmas Store whereby, brand-new gifts donated by friends at partnering churches are sold to parents in the community at a discounted price. This year we specifically priced items at 25 cents to the retail dollar. The money raised in contribution dollars and sales from the Store are used to support the needs of community members with particularly acute financial needs this Christmas. Churches contribute gifts, neighbors shop, and fellow neighbors benefit.

The Store marked a milestone for us. Last year's Store was held in our office building but, we weren't formally moved into the facility, none of our furniture was in the space and the Store, then, was held in the smaller office-specific space. Our basement office on 62nd Street didn't allow us the same kind of presence that we have today with floor-ceiling windows fronting the building.

Our windows are only an aesthetic marking of a much greater reality - the reality that our new facility has given us a space to build more as well as deepen relationships with Woodlawn community members. Last year, 35 families were invited to our Store. This year we were able to host (and therefore invite) 80 families. The Store was open for a duration of five hours (the later hour and a half the Store was opened to the general public.)

What has come out of the Store is only a great testament to the Lord's faithful working through Sunshine, through community members, and through members of contributing churches (perhaps yourself).

Ten churches gave gifts to make this Store possible.
435 toys were given. (A number which doesn't include the number of clothes contributed.)
Nearly $3,000 is cash contributions were given towards buying additional gifts, wrapping paper and tape, as well as gift cards to local grocery store given free to shoppers to use toward their holiday meal expenses.
Nearly $1,400 was raised through the sale of goods. This amount, combined with remaining contribution money, will be given back to community families this New Year.
The day of, over 50 families shopped our Store.

On behalf of Sunshine and families in Woodlawn blessed by the Store, thank you

to all of those within our neighborhood and our church friends who once again made

the Christmas Store possible!

"In My World"

2007-12-20T12:28:00.000-06:00

As I believe I mentioned before, part of our after school program - called Club 2-5-2 - is dedicated to teaching students about world changers and scholars throughout time. Figures like Moses, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. Intregal to this teaching is talking about and pointing out how our young people (ages 2nd through 5th grade) can be world changers.

Last week one of our 5th grade students brought us a poem he'd written in school. This is the evidence of a young world changer.

“In My World”

In my world, you got to stay strong

In my world, a lot of things are going on

Killing, murdering, I hear it all the time.

People who do it, they get away by lying

Drinking and smoking, some people think its cool.

That stuff is not really good for you.

Don’t take drugs, that will mess up your life.

Being on the streets, you might lose your life.

This is all I’m sayin…Get an education or you’ll be on your knees prayin’.

"Nothing Happens Without Reverberation"

2007-12-04T15:18:00.000-06:00

Dawn Trice, Chicago Tribune reporter, has well-stated a truth Woodlawn residents have known for awhile and wish others understood too - "Nothing happens without reverberation". Murder is no exception. I am apt to say the attention Woodlawn has received around the shooting of University of Chicago student, Amadou Cisse, has enlivened the conversation about urban violence on the South Side of the city. But, the truth is, the conversation has been a lively in our community for some time now. But for certain reasons, better-expressed in Trice's piece, there still exists a grave discrepancy - an injustice in most classic of terms - in how and when the news media points its spotlight. Wails of grief cut equally as deep, are equally as tragic, and are equally as loud when one of our resident youth is killed. Even more, for area residents each new wave of grief is coupled with not-too-distant memories of a thriving Woodlawn...

Trice met with long-time, local area residents at the Sunshine office. This is the Tribune report:

Killings Shed Light on Rift

(Unfortunately, Dawn Trice got the name of our organization wrong. "Sunrise" Ministries is, indeed, us.)

A Reminder to Pray

2007-11-28T10:49:00.000-06:00

Killing of University Student Unsettles Campus

Sharing God's Faithfulness With You This Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T12:55:00.000-06:00

An update e-mail to staff members earlier this week from David Clark, head of our youth outreach ministries.

Guys,

I just wanted to highlight a few things that happened over the weekend that I am excited about. God is moving in the lives of our young people!

To start things off, Friday night at foCus our high school-age youth leaders played a major role in every aspect of the service – from choosing the theme for the night: “Why Worship?,” to putting together a drama/skit, facilitating a time of prayer in small groups, and sharing short testimonies on what they learned at the Save Your Sex Summit. One of the teens gave his debut break dancing performance. The skit/drama that they performed (they found on youtube.com) portrayed the various temptations that can come at a believer and effect our relationship with Christ, but how Christ can give us the power to endure and overcome. It didn’t have any words, but the message was clear and they did really well. We once again had youth from the neighborhood come out – many of whom came last month as well. On Sunday, another one of the teen leaders asked if we could have a foCus step team. It is encouraging and exciting to see the core teens of our youth outreach maturing in their faith and looking for opportunities to use their gifts and talents!

On Saturday night we had a game night here at the building. It was supposed to be a FAM collaborative event. And although, no young people from Christ Bible or Canaan ended up coming, we had a good turnout of just over 20 young people. We had a Nintendo WII station, a Taboo table, a Spades table, and a Monopoly table. Everyone brought $5 to put in on pizza from the one and only B&B Pizza King. We concluded the night by watching the documentary “Invisible Children.” It highlights the child soldier crisis in northern Uganda where young kids are being kidnapped from their village homes and being forced to become rebel soldiers at a young age. Thousands of kids walk miles each night to sleep in hospitals and bus stations together in order to avoid being kidnapped. After the movie, we broke up into groups to talk about what we had just seen, to pray about it, and to talk about how we might be able to be involved. As you know, this is a part of our larger, more concerted effort to bring other nations, other people groups to the attention of our youth. Each of the youth were “moved” by the movie, were eager to pray for the kids of Uganda, and had BIG ideas of ways in which we could get involved. These kids with the big dreams...they're some of the young guys you and I often see talking around Woodlawn late at night, sometimes getting into trouble. Continue to pray for these guys. Four of them are now apart of Club 2-5-2 and are loving it!

To end the weekend, Sunday night we had a volunteer appreciation party here at the building. Although not everyone was able to come, we had a good mix of young leaders, Moody students, and two of our moms from the community. We had one of the longest and most competitive games of Apples to Apples ever!! We have been blessed this fall with some really solid volunteers for Club 2-5-2! It is a beautiful thing to see local jr. high and high school students, Moody students, and parents from the community working together and building relationships.

Going into Thanksgiving, I am thankful for our young people and for our volunteers and for what God is doing in all of our lives.

In His Service,

D.C.

"Yes, We Look Forward to Participating in Bridge Builders"

2007-11-13T10:51:00.000-06:00

As of yet, we have received confirmations from six groups who will be participating in Bridge Builders in the coming year!

Proud Moments

2007-10-30T14:13:00.000-05:00

I know you've had them...those moments when you've worked hard at something and hoped all the moving pieces will come together even better than you anticipated. Or, those moments when you've felt a need, had a vision to meet the need, poured sweat and tears into making the vision come to fruition, spent endless hours talking to God about the project; from every detail to every struggle and every personal triumph along the way; and then, stood back to watch God bring all the parts together. If you're like us, it's in those moments that you feel God smile, that you wish you had hired a bunch of cheerleaders to commemorate the moment, and that you wish your friends and family had a better idea of all the time you spent on the project.

It's safe to say moments like these have been apart of the building of our technology center. One of those stand-back, wish-the-cheerleaders-were present-moments was with the inauguration of our latest computer course for high school students. For these particular courses, Sunshine has teamed up with Chicago's After School Matters (ASM) invitative - an intitiative founded by Maggie Daley. This is the fourth session our Center's Director, Vince McCaskill, has taught in our new facility. Previously this year, Vince taught a a couple courses entitled, "The Business of Web Design". He recently switched things up, starting a new course for high schoolers in small home networking.

ASM courses are conducted with a good amount of seriousness; after signing up online, students must interview for a spot in the course and, based upon the interview, Vince decides if they will be able to enroll. ASM awards students stipends provided they remain engaged in the material and and continue to (punctually) attend. These technology courses have a capacity of 22 students. This semester more than 22 students interviewed for the course, 22 were chosen, and we are now at maxed capacity; Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. every one of our technology center's computers are in use!!!

Yesterday when I visited the class students were using Microsoft Office to develop proposals for a hypothethical client for a network design and installation package. This proposal included the scope, price, equipment, and labor for the project. These pictures were taken during that particular class session.

Vince has given of his extenstive technology skills in develop these courses and it's been an immense encouragement to see high school students seize the experience.

We welcome all cheerleaders who wish to share share with us in the success of the class. :-)

Luke in Action

2007-10-24T20:32:00.002-05:00

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all people.

Luke 2:52

It's from this Luke passage that our after-school program (as debuted in our now home community of Woodlawn) has taken its name and, more importantly, its vision. Our goal is to equip and to empower a group of 25 second through fifth grade students with the necessary tools to thrive spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically within their various home and school environments. Our vision, subsequently, is to grow a Christ-centered, holistic after-school program which truly serves its urban youth in multiple ways. We see strength in pouring time and energy into a few; frankly put, to us it's about the depth and quality of our after-hours teaching is of more importance than the number of students. Right now, all 25 spots are filled and we have a growing waiting list!

Club 2-5-2 follows the public school calendar and runs Tuesday through Thursday. College students (most of which come to us from Moody Bible Institute), local high school students, and neighborhood moms teach, interact, and converse with our students together, helping to advance students' reading, writing, math, and computer learning skills. Witnessing the ease with which these three group of volunteers work alongside one another is a real joy for us to see young and old, black and white, working alongside each other, serving the young people.

Furthermore, there are moments like these...

* Sunshine officially opens its doors for tutoring at 3:30 p.m., but students have been showing up 15 to 20 minutes early eager and ready to learn! We appreciate their eagerness and as the minute our volunteers arrive the work begins.

* Two of our students - Mariah Harper (third grade) and Terrance Mills (fifth grade) - received their school's Student of the Week award based upon their excellent academic performance and citizenship.

* When you ask these grammar school students to describe their tutoring program, they they will reply with, "it's a college preparation program!" Praise God.

* One segment of our teaching is dedicated to teaching about the lives of "world changers" throughout time. We (the leadership) tell the students that they, too, are scholars and world changers. One day we had a discussion about what a world changer is, and about who some world changers have been. Students named people like Martin Luther King Jr., Moses, and Rosa Parks. A few days later, as Dave Clark was reviewing with them the explanation of a world changer, one of our students named Alexis responded with, "I am." That's exactly right! Best answer we've received so far.

It's moments like these, when we know the students are engaging with and enjoying their learning experience, that make tutoring an enjoyment for us as well.

ReCharge Update

2007-10-24T20:32:00.001-05:00

ReCharge is our weekly discipleship program; this year the group meets on Thursday nights. We have approximately twenty faithful attenders (we have had up to thirty!). Attenders are generally students we have retained from our Summer Blast and Club 2-5-2 programs. Our Blodgett duo - Pete and Nikki Blodgett - are currently co-teaching a study on studying (a few) attributes of God. For example, last week's focus was on God's grace and goodness. In past weeks we have highlighted God's holiness, His justice, His love and mercy, His eternality, and the list goes on.

We began a new segment within our discipleship study which highlights global missions. We have been pleasantly surprised by the popularity of this time. Students are bringing in their loose change and dollars to support other ministries meeting people's needs in other countries. Staff member, Dave Clark, begins each month with a description of the country of note, leading into a discussion of the country's spiritual needs and highlighting a ministry within the country seeking to present the message of Jesus Christ as the solution to one's spiritual needs. This month's country of focus is China. Dave has been exploring the growing underground church movement in China. The inherent danger of the movement has captured our youth's attention and each week we are awed by the profound, heart-felt, and tender prayers of our students for Christians in China.

Furthermore, foCus, which is our monthly hip-hop worship service, is steadily becoming a greater avenue for discipleship as we meet local community members who may be interested in greater relationship with us. Our service, which targets those thirteen and older, brings in local and national rappers who present and live out a holiness within the hip-hop culture and are committed to the genre's return to the historic roots of celebration and social consciousness.

This month the group Anti-World joined us. The group is made up of two friends, Ron and Eric, who are empassioned to proclaim Romans 12:2 which says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." The very fact Anti-World is a hip-hop performance group attests to their (as well as our) belief that non-conformity does not mean divorcing from modern culture but rather about living a Christ-honoring life within our present culture.

If you are interested in hearing some of their music, check them out on mySpace.

Needless to say, there is a lot happening within our building. We truly look forward to continuing to update you on our discipleship studies, especially as our current relationships with Woodlawn grows and new ones are formed.

Allow Us Introduce To You...

2007-10-24T20:30:00.001-05:00

We are delighted to have added Lue Williams and James Powell as staff members with our Technology Center!

Lue Williams is a native of St. Louis, who relocated to Chicagoland about five years ago after "the most beautiful women he had ever seen walked into his life". He has previously work experience in teaching computer courses and servicing computers. He increasingly sensed his gifts and abilities would be best utilized if they were paired with community service. Lue's personal mission and vision aligns with our mission and vision.

Also, with our Community Technology Center becoming busier by the day, Lue's computer background is a valuable asset to the community of which we're apart. Lue now oversees the Open Access service portion of our Tech Center and is developing a resume-building curriculum which will soon be offered on Saturday mornings. Resume construction and fine-tuning has been a need the community daily tells us about. We are grateful, therefore, for Lue's enthusiasm and ability to meet this need.

Lue has been married for a year now. He and his wife are expecting their first child in December!

James Powell was born in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago (just South of Woodlawn) and still considers this city home sweet home. Powell was first introduced to Sunshine when he "wanted to sign up for Internet use at the local library but, the next available reservation was the following day at 6 p.m.! The clerk gave me a flyer for Sunshine Gospel Ministries' Open Access program." Shortly after, Powell learned about the scope of programs Sunshine provides and inquired about staff opportunities. He continued to stop by for Open Access where in time he began to be introduced to various staff members.

At the time when Powell first entered Sunshine's doors he admits to "lacking drive and purpose" and experiencing some of the greatest challenges of his life. His new, part-time involvement with Sunshine as our technology center's adult class instructor is a service he described to me as, "Life changing for the students and I, both being dramatically impacted." Between the opportunities at Sunshine and his home church, he is invigorated with new avenues by which he can "share the good news of Christ and the salvation that his sacrifice has brought and will provide for those that will receive such a wonderful free gift!" Amen.

The energy the Lord has instilled in these two men is equally as exciting to Sunshine!

Join in the Fun!!!

2007-10-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

We are hosting another volunteer training session on Saturday, November 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you know of a college student or young adult who might be interested, please spread the word to them. Listed below are the programs in need of volunteer and the time of their operation:

Club 2-5-2 Tutoring Program (2nd – 5th graders)

Tues,Wed, Thurs afternoons from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

ReCharge Youth Bible Study (age 7 thru high school)

Thursday evenings at 7 p.m.

foCus (hip-hop outreach service for 13+)

Every 3rd Friday at 7 p.m.

Adult Technology Classes

Monday - Thursday mornings from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Interested students or young adults?

E-mail Dave Clark by Thursday, November 1

dave@sunshinegospel.org

Operation Jumbo Candy Drop

2007-09-27T10:27:00.000-05:00

Apologetically, this story should have been told earlier. However, those who receive our print newsletter did read it (this is a plug to give us your mailing address so we can keep you updated). So, please allow me to tell this story retroactively...

...Earlier in the summer, a local repair man came to fix our broken, walk-in refrigerator. And as conversations often do, a conversation about the refrigerator’s repairs led to a conversation about the man’s other job – a mechanical job fixing private airplanes. As the workman expanded on his responsibilities with planes and his ability to fly them in order to detect problems, Charlie Reid, the Cove's Director, concocted the idea of a massive candy drop from the air to the kids down on the ground at camp.

It was a secret and…a hit!
Nevermind, a great story to bring home.

Operation Candy Drop was only one festivity our campers enjoyed this summer. There is also archery, boating, lyric dance classes, basic photography, swimming, and crafts. Plenty to stay entertained. I wish this page offered more room for all the Kodak moments this summer supplied.

As thrilling as Operation Candy Drop was, there was an even grander story that began to play out in the lives of our campers.

“Who’s Tha King?” was the theme of this summer’s residential camp. Each chapel session the campers listened to a story of a leader in Scripture who had to choose which masters he/she would take direction from – an earthly, temporal god or the Eternal God. Examples of both choices were given and at the end, the campers were challenged to ask and answer this question for themselves. The lessons on kingship directly corresponded with the salvation message. Over 40 campers accepted Christ as their personal Savior throughout the summer!
Without taking away from the momentary thrill of Operation Jumbo Candy Drop, the immensely awesome story is Jesus’ sacrifice for us and what that daily means for us. We rejoice in power of the Gospel to make us see clearly who is truly worth serving.

Close Call

2007-09-24T14:11:00.000-05:00

As sent by Charlie Reid, Sunshine Cove Camp Director, late last week...

Folks,

Just a quick update from Sunshive Cove to let you see a bit of what has been taking place at camp. August was very rainy! You can check out the pictures to see how high the lake got.

Also, check out the tree that fell during a storm a couple of weeks ago. it was giant one, but just missed Spruce lodge! Thankfully, the Lord kept it standing past our summer season, and let it fall when we (almost) have time to clean it up. Dave Phillips did most of the cutting, and a work crew from Bethel College came to split and stack the enormous amount of wood…

Sunshine Packs Its Bookbag

2007-09-07T13:56:00.000-05:00

Summer wouldn't be complete if it did not include a block party. Hot dogs...candy...games... prizes... music ... and Mayor Daley Jumping Jack Inflatable House. (Before it was even blown up, the kids had formed a line in expectation.)And...backpacks? Yep, Sunshine coupled the local block party with our back-to-school backpack drive. A variety of brand-new backpacks filled with school supplies were graciously given to us by Willow Creek Commmunity Church in Barrington. Over 100 backpacks were given to area youth, many of them attenders of our Summer Blast Vacation Bible School. So now, I suppose, the summer is complete.

Summer W-rap Up

2007-09-05T14:36:00.000-05:00

It's been too long since we've updated this blog! We know! But, I'm guessing your house looks a little like our "house" these days. Sunburns are fading, backpacks have been bought, school supply lists are a thing of the past, and each member of your family is trying to make a new schedule of games, clubs, appointments, and meetings a routine. But, since I am one who cannot get enough summer sun or the leisure summer so well imposes, I'm going to take you down memory lane, recounting our staff's activities as a way to give you a picture of our summer days. Join me?

Dave Clark finished his season coaching the Warriors, our high school basketball team. They ended the season with a 5-4 record, but that stat hardly reflects the improvements in perseverance and discipline they made. We are quite proud of our team and of Dave, who I can tell you from personal experience, was the most animated coach in the league, giving his full attention to the team.

Dave also spearheaded the annual trip to Bozeman, Montana at the end of July, with some of the young men from our community (in fact, some of the same guys who were on our basketball team). Six youth and two staff families (the Roys and the Blodgetts) made a 2-van, 22-hour caravan out West! Word back here in the city is that they are not coming back to Chicago. No, really, just like years past, they greatly enjoyed their time in the Word together, devotioning together alongside rivers and overlooking Canyons. Their hosts from Springhill Presbyterian warmly opened their doors & showed the guys the ropes to outdoor, mountain fun.

Ann, as she always does, sufficiently held down our fort. (My, we are going to miss her when she relocates to L.A. this fall!) She brought Woodlawn moms of Wednesdays to our Sunshine Cove Camp in Michigan, where the parents had an inside look at the kids' days at camp. The other days of the week, Ann teamed up with our other staff members, bringing Bridge Builder teams to their various site visits across Chicago, making corresponding phone calls and flyers, and taking a field trip to the water park and to the Clark homestead in Michigan (pictured below). She took upon herself for us, the anxieties associated with group dinners, birthdays, and the vast amount communication it takes to keep our staff on the same page we travel to and from camp all summer.

Vince taught another semester of After School Matters classes in business and web design to local high school students, all while continuing the major communications and messaging upgrade, which includes hosting our own e-mail and website. He also made sure our evening classes in computer literacy and Microsoft Office applications continued to be held for area adults. Our summer intern, Dave Perkins, and a part-time instructor, Jonathan, offered some relief along the way.

Pete and Nikki Blodgett (our newlyweds) came back from their honeymoon only to dive immediately into youth activities, like the Summer Blast program we'd wrote to you about in our last update. And, alongside that summer outreach endeavor, is our weekly ReCharge discipleship group, which we continue to hold and which we have plugged in approximately 30 more youth. Pete held another hip-hop Friday - an event we call foCus. This outreach will regain its consistency throughout this school year.

Aaron, besides celebrating the arrival of a baby girl into the Roy family, also led our Bridge Builder program. This week-long urban ministry school, as I would describe it, reached roughly 200 participants from churches and college campuses around the country.

And the rest of us of here in the city...we keep the family checkbook in order, plan the parties, go to meetings, write the family Christmas newsletter, greet our guests as they spontaneous arrive at our door, and make sure to periodically call "Aunt Brenda" in Washington with an update on the family. In actuality, my guess is that our duties would be a bit uninteresting if we outlined them. I think you can read between the lines though. :wink:

As you can see, our life on a large scale mirrors your life. Just as you are preparing for a new routine of activities, so are we.

Leaving a Legacy

2007-08-31T14:04:00.000-05:00

We recently co-sponsored a discipleship conference called the Legacy Discipleship Conference. The focus of all of the workshops and general sessions was to grow as and to make disciples of Jesus Christ. More specifically, conference attendees were able to choose from four different workshop tracts: Basic Doctrines, Hermeneutics, Evangelism, and Community Impact. All of the general session speakers focused on what it means to “make disciples.”

We were reminded that the command within the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is to “make disciples.” We are instructed to “go,” but this is not a command. As Herb Hodges puts it in his book entitled “Tally Ho The Fox,” “The verb means ‘as you are going’ or even ‘since you are going (pg. 39).’” What that means is that we don’t have to “go on a trip” in order to fulfill the Great Commission. We should be fulfilling the Great Commission “as we go” to work, to school, to the store, etc. “As we go,” we are commanded to make disciples.

The question then becomes, “what is a disciple?” A disciple is a student, a pupil, a learner, a follower. In other words, our command is to make fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ with a vision for impacting the world. The Great Commission reminds us that God has “the nations” on his heart. It is truly an amazing mission and vision. Hodges later asks:

"Christian, is your vision God-big for his glory? Where are the plans, the dreams, the visions, the strategies for total world impact that truly tax the miracle resources of God? Where is the strategy that requires ongoing miracles for its sustenance? Where is the vision that is so big that human resources (whatever the kind or amount) cannot possibly sponsor it? The only eternity-sized vision any of us will ever need is in the Great Commission given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ (17).”

At the Legacy Conference it was evident that God is doing a work within the urban centers of our nation, raising up world changers for his Name’s sake, who are committed to the Great Commission and who have the neighborhood and the nations on their hearts. I was humbled and challenged over the course of the 3 days there. There were approximately 350 youth and young adults in attendance at this multi-site Chicago based conference. Please pray for all that were in attendance as we continue to build on the momentum that the work of the conference created.

For more information you can check out the Legacy Conference website. This year's conference was from August 14-16.

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”

Written by Dave Clark, City Team Leader for Sunshine. Dave is celebrating his 30th birthday today! And, he has been spending his last few days preparing for and training others for the our after-school tutoring programs.

It's Raining Kids!

2007-07-06T11:19:00.000-05:00

Throughout the month of July on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm Sunshine opens its doors for Summer Blast! During Summer Blast kids from the blocks the Sunshine building come in to do crafts, play games, perform skits, and also hear about the great heroes in the Bible. There have been over a hundred kids come out for Summer Blast! It is always exciting to see new faces join us as well as see who returns. So far we have had six kids accept Christ!

We had hoped Summer Blast would attract kids from our neighborhood who would take interest in our youth programs and help us to become familiar with them. In fact, some kids have already plugged into our Wednesday night Bible study called ReCharge, so they can grow further in their walk with Christ. God supplied our hope for kids with whom we can intentionally build relationships and given parents in the community an opportunity to become familiar with us. We are eager to see what God is going to do the rest of the summer!

[Contributed by Nikki Blodgett, who is interning at Sunshine this summer. She and Pete, our youth pastor, recently got married in June. Nikki is studying youth ministry at North Park University.]

Two Weeks Behind Us & 40 New Believers

2007-07-06T11:08:00.000-05:00

Over the first two weeks of camp, we have been blessed to serve 95 campers here at The Cove. With a current capacity of only 50 per week, we praise God for challenging us with near capacity crowds. More importantly, there have been 40 first time commitments to Jesus Christ! Praise God for the opportunity to share the gospel with young people that we will be trusting our future to.

As we are in the midst of the holiday week, we are happy to be serving families from Community Church of West Bend, Wisconsin. Pray that staff will use the time wisely by ministering to these families, as well as taking some extra “down time” in the middle of our youth camp ministries. In speaking with many of them, they appreciate the slower pace of this week, but are greatly anticipating the return of the children.

Next week begins the “middle of the summer run.” Three weeks full of opportunities to share the love of Jesus Christ with children ages 7 – 12. We know your prayers are with us, as they carry us through long days. Please continue to pray for the staff and campers, so that we all may be ready for the spiritual moments that God gives us each day.

[Contributed by Charlie Reid, Cove Camp Director. Charlie and his wife, Anita, moved from New Hampshire earlier this year to take on this new role. Charlie has over 25 years in Christian camp work. He and his wife have 3 children.]

Putting it Together: Hip-Hop in the Woods

2007-07-06T10:52:00.001-05:00

Christian hip-hop artist, CZ (Curtis Zachery), generously accepted our offer to come to Teen Week to sing and to teach. CZ lives, worships, and makes music in Nashville, TN. His ministerial work singing for and speaking to urban youth is backed by Strong Tower Bible Church in Franklin, where CZ attends when he is home. Sunshine and CZ have been in friendship for four years (and counting).

This summer's camp theme is "Who's The King?" pulls from I Timothy 1:17, which reads:

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God,

be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

CZ stopped in to our city office before leaving town and I was able to grab a few moments of his time for reflection. In a different way each day, he answered this question in a way that would carry meaning and relevance for this 13-18-year old crowd. I, for one, was interested to hear how he'd broken it down.

CZ began his week's teaching with a look at King Saul, a notably "bad" king, who lost the Lord's favor by being self-centered, self-willed, and falsely believing in his own autonomy. In a similar way, CZ related how many of the qualities of this ancient king compare to today's self-described "kings" in the American hip-hop culture, who have taken the genre away from its socially conscious roots as they have proclaimed kingship in their own eyes. To contrast, CZ later taught on the life of a "good" king - David - who, though he was a humble shepherd, ascended to kingship because the Lord saw his inward motives were pure and anointed him to reign over Israel - God's people.

CZ left our teens with a message on the traits of a godly king, imparting the ways in which the Lord bestows honor, authority, and responsibility to his children as explained in Scripture. He noted that godly authority figures are led by the Lord because they know the sound of their Father's voice and can not help be drawn to it. Godly "kings" are then (immediately) obedient to the words and direction of their heavenly master and see themselves, not in a position to be served, but to be of service to others. Finally, god-honoring leaders seek their authority and identity from the Lord, who through his life and words, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" clarified that Christ Jesus is the only one who can validate a person's life and worth.

When I asked CZ what this week of teaching meant for him, he answered that "overall, it was a good opportunity to examine this own life." He acknowledges that his teaching retains its integrity only if his own life exemplifies a non-guilt driven search for the things of the Lord. CZ relates that each challenge or charge to urban teens is also, in fact, a charge and challenge to himself to live a life "worthy of the calling", as Scripture states, marked by confession, faith, and a continual resting in the goodness of the Lord.

I encourage you to check out CZ's website.

[written by Lauren Dillon, Sunshine's Communications and Development Coordinator. Lauren came on staff in October of last year. Beside posting updates on this blog and other such communication work, she enjoys reading and exploring Chicago's underground art & music culture.]

Chicago Arrives at The Cove

2007-06-25T14:37:00.000-05:00

as of June 25, 2:30 p.m.

[written by Charlie Reid, Cove Camp Director]

Our first group of "Sunshine Kids" from Chicago arrived safely here in Union, Michigan a little after noon today [last weeks youth came from the Washington Gardens neighborhood of Elkhart, IN]. Teen Camp is now underway!

The staff greeted 43 teens, and their wide ranging personalities. Right off the bus, you could sense the many "attitudes" of todays teens. They run the gamete, from jumping with excitement that they are "back in the cove" to "where are we… and I'm stuck here for a whole week?" Many challenges await our counselors, and we are expecting God to work miracles in the lives of these valuable youth.

Pray with us for opportunities whereby the Lord uses us to soften the hearts of these youth, and show them the kind of love that lasts a lifetime.

Counselors look on in anticipation...

Off to a good start!

LISC Shines Spotlight on Sunshine

2007-06-25T14:29:00.000-05:00

The Local Intiative Support Corporation (LISC) began a long-term initiative to support comprehensive community development in 16 Chicago neighborhoods, of which Woodlawn is one. As LISC explains the initiative as a "five-year effort seeks to rejuvenate challenged communities, bolster those in danger of losing ground and preserve the diversity of areas in the path of gentrification."

LISC recently wrote an article featuring Sunshine and its programs. We hope you'll check it out!

[Click Here]

The 1st Day of Summer Camp Has Arrived!

2007-06-19T10:46:00.000-05:00

(an e-mail note from Charlie Reid, Sunshine Cove Director)

Monday, June 18th, 12 noon

The bus has arrived, and we are at full capacity with 52 campers from Elkhart!

God has selected each one of these young people to be here this week for a very special encounter with Him. Please pray with us for not only the campers, but for each of our staff. After two weeks of sometimes tedious training, the reality of summer is upon us. Pray that the counselors will use and remember the skills they have learned and put them to use. Pray for the campers' hearts to be opened up and receptive to God's Word.

We are thankful for what God is doing, and we are looking forward to a great week!

The staff of Sunshine Cove

Many Signed Up For Camp at Our Community Open House

2007-06-19T09:38:00.000-05:00

While the doors of our new facility have now been open to the public for a few months, we had yet to celebrate with our friends and neighbors all the work that has and will be accomplished. An unveiling or, if you will, the "cutting of the ribbon" ceremony, had yet to occur.

Since the zip of the saw and bang of the hammer is becoming less of a familiar sound in our city office as our building project is progressing and because the warm weather has brought with it one our favorite organizational seasons - summer camp! - we figured it is about time to cut that ribbon with a Community Open House.

Sunshine staff, camp counselors, and neighborhood leaders took ownership of various aspects of the event. Our staff guided community members through our renovated facility and explained, along the way, our programs. Camp counselors hit the streets with reminders to parents to sign-up their children (or grandchildren) for the camp as well as had their first conversations with the kids that will soon take up house in their cabins. Neighborhood leaders helped us immensely by volunteering their time and food for the event.

Summer Camp 2007 promises to be a fun, rewarding, Spirit-filled season!

We look forward to continuing to update you periodically.

More Than We Could Ask

2007-06-04T15:08:00.001-05:00

Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever! Amen!”
-Galatians. 3:20

It’s a great benediction, particularly after that convicting sermon, which leaves one spurred on to right living. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we are left unenthused about the work it takes to get there. I don’t know about you, but at the end of those services not only do I feel humbled, but know for certain that righteousness is never something that is of my own good doing.

But then, just minutes later, in the post-service fellowship time, the grand words of the preacher slide down the mental drain into oblivion until next Sunday when that same good man/woman concludes once again with these same words. (Thank the Lord, for He knows how we need to hear truths over and over again in order for them to take root.)

Just because we are in ministry does not make us immune to the shortcomings of the faithful. We, too, so often slide out of our seats after this Galatian benediction and forget to ask for or fail to remember the power of God that is capable of meeting the very desire we spend the remainder of the griping about its incompletion.

Such was the case with our aging, sorry-looking fence at our camp – Sunshine Cove. Our budget could purchase 100 feet of fence to meet our immediate summer fencing needs. Discouragingly, a trip to the local Menards proved disappointing. The fence on sale in our price range wouldn’t hold up for long and furthermore, installing such would be a sure disappointment.

Ah yes, Galatians 3! A few weeks ago, a group of young (if even in spirit) men from Lawton Evangelical Mennonite Church of Lawton, Michigan were the grace (of which, by definition, we are always unworthy) we had failed to think or ask for. Not only did this team dedicate their time, their energy, and their skill, but they also donated and installed 500 feet of high quality fencing material! We are humbled by the Lord’s willingness to answer a prayer we were afraid to pray, and grateful to Him for supplying exceedingly more than the minimum need.

Adult Tech Students Celebrate Another Well-Done Job

2007-06-04T14:42:00.000-05:00

Recently, adults from Woodlawn celebrated their hard work in and completion of our Technology Literacy Course and our Microsoft Word Course. Students received a 1 gb flash drive for storing files. (These ladies learned the technology world has come a long way since floppy discs.)

Several more adult courses will continue to be offered throughout the summer. This week begins another round of classes, starting with a technology literacy course and a Microsoft PowerPoint class. Our technology literacy course is a constant (and a prerequisite for our other courses), while our Technology Center rotates its teaching of the various Microsoft Office applications each month.

Our Technology Center is also apart of Chicago's After School Matters initiative. Through the city's funding, we offer high-school aged students a course in "The Business of Web Design". The class teaches students about business and information systems through hands-on training and site visits within Chicago's Financial District - the "Loop". The students final project is to make a website for a local business or community organization. The class takes place throughout the school year as well as the summer semester. The next After School Matters class begins in July.

Save The Date - 2007 Benefit Dinner

2007-06-04T14:28:00.001-05:00

[click image to enlarge]