Christmas Store 2009

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.