Externally Focused at Watermark

Great things are happening at Kids Club!  On Tuesday, August 17^th, a Back-To-School Cookout was held at the Ivanhoe Apartments in Vickery.  This event was to launch the Kids Club and celebrate the new school year through a cookout, handing out school supplies and fellowship. 

There were at least 100 kids and their families that were served.  The night was fast and furious but all it went well.  It was a huge launching point for the ministry and goes a long way in building trust in that community. We handed out 50 backpacks with supplies. Each pack had an encouraging note inside and a flyer telling families about Kids Club. We all walked away believing that it went well and that seeds of trust were built in new lives.

This last Tuesday, we had our first official Kids Club time and had between 30-40 kids. Each week we share the gospel and teach them about what God has to say to us through His Word….so it was fun to see some new ears hearing about their God this week.  Pray the new and old kids continue to come ready to listen and engage with each other and the Lord. Only He knows what’s ahead. We can’t wait to see what God does in their hearts this year.  

-Charla Dixon

Click here for Week 10 video!

Last week, Mercy Street Staff and 120 excited kids from our community, loaded up on three giant buses, and traveled the now familiar route to Pine Cove Outback in Columbus, Texas.  The partnership that was started with the camp executives back in 2008 has naturally trickled down to the counselors and our kids who look forward to this week all summer.  With pillows, sleeping bags and clothes that in a week will all smell like lake water, the kids prepared to be challenged physically, mentally, and spiritually and to see things they simply don’t get to see living day to day in the heart of the inner city.

This year, along with the 4th -8th graders, we took 11 high school kids who we’ve seen the Lord mature over the years as Counselors In Training.  It was a sight to behold.  They quickly rose to the call of leadership as the younger kids looked to them for help on both the zip line and relationships with their cabin-mates.  They were amazing and we loved the privilege of seeing these 11 become what Mercy Street is all about; being used by the Lord to help kids become the agents of change in their own community.

The examples these teens were to the younger kids was astounding and they instilled hope in everyone for the next generation of leaders being raised up in West Dallas.  They became rock-stars in the best sense of the term and were, possibly for the first time, held up among their peers for standing against the voices in our community that scream from all sides to live your life for you and you alone.  We pray they, that all the kids, will take hold of the beautiful lessons from Matthew 5 that encourage us to stand up in our ‘sit down’ world – to be cities on a hill – and that persecution that comes because of Him is indeed a blessing.

Deep in the heart of the property at Pine Cove, when the sun has set, we looked up at the sky with our campers and showed them the stars that literally fill the night.  We pray they will understand that, just because we can’t see all those stars easily in the skies of West Dallas, it doesn’t mean they’re not there .  Much like the Lord, we must see Him with eyes of faith, believing He is an ever present help and hope and his mercies are without end.  Thank you for all your help preparing these kids for camp.  You are pouring your lives into children we pray are becoming a royal priesthood – the light of the world.

from Mercy Street staff

This past weekend, the 2nd Saturday crew rolled out, got out their scrub brushes, and helped get De Zavala Elementary School squeaky clean for kids in West Dallas.  Beyond just making the school nicer for teachers and staff, principals there tell us that just having the kids walk into a clean and organized learning environment raises academic scores substantially.  Way to go!

This coming Saturday, there are even more opportunities to get these schools ready, as we clean our new partner school, CF Carr Elementary, this coming Saturday morning.  For more information on how you can help, please email sschweinfurth@watermark.org.  And, watch the Watermark News this Sunday and/or grab an “Impact…Education” card at the Welcome Center for details on all of the upcoming opportunities!

Birdie Alexander Elementary

A bus full of families from Watermark descended on Birdie Alexander Elementary School in South Dallas to meet some of its needs and share the love of Christ through painting, scrubbing hall bathrooms, and cleaning classrooms. Together, with Windex and ‘Fabuloso!’ in hand, families washed windows and chairs, organized teaching materials, and wrote notes of encouragement to the school’s teachers.

“I think it’s a great experience for us to get outside our bubble and serve others…to see them how God sees them,” said Maisie Chan. She and Mark Wampler helped repaint the faded letters above the school’s entrance.

In order to help the school, Watermark partnered with Services of Hope, a Dallas-based ministry that seeks to transform the lives of at-risk youth. Outreach Coordinator Donna Patterson said that she can’t wait to see the faces of the kids and teachers on Monday.

“For Watermark to be a part of Services of Hope and serve the local schools in this way is a big blessing.”

            And the blessing goes both ways, said Roseana Smith. “It’s fun to see parents serving alongside their kids in this community. You don’t have to go on a mission trip abroad to make a difference.”     – written by Marcus Toussaint

“Eggstravaganza” was last Saturday and it was so fun to see over 1,000 folks from West Dallas playing, bouncing, egg hunting, and not only hearing the gospel proclaimed but also demonstrated by volunteers from Mercy Street, other West Dallas organizations, Watermark, IBC, and PCPC.

Stephanie Schweinfurth coordinated the event for Watermark and said that the event is designed to expose West Dallas residents to Mercy Street and other ministries there.  “It’s also a way to share the gospel with a ton of kids and even the prizes remind them what Easter is about. It’s also a way to build trust between that demographic and our demographic and to expose our people to the poor and oppressed in a non-threatening way.”

Quite a few mentors would tell you their first exposure to West Dallas was through Eggstravaganza and it was so encouraging to see so many mentors bringing their kids to the event as well.  Following the event, there is great follow-up through mentoring, after-school care, or sports programs offered by Voice of Hope r Mercy Street. Stephanie said “I like to think it’s a burst of light in an otherwise dark situation and all in the name of Jesus.  I hope adults and kids walk away feeling more hope, feeling more loved and knowing that we’re there because of our love for Jesus.”

One of the most exciting things going on these days is the Tuesday night kids’ club that is run by a collaboration of churches here in Dallas and is put on at an apartment complex in the Vickery Meadow area.

Here’s more details from Charla Dixon, who leads the effort from Watermark (cdixon@watermark.org):

Vickery Kids Club essentially meets Tuesday nights at 6:15-7:30ish in the school year at Ivanhoe apartments (though there are other occasional events that we offer too). There are several churches involved in the leadership team of Kids Club each bringing different strengths. It’s awesome to see the Body of Christ working together to be a part of what God’s heart is in Vickery.

The mission of Kids Club is “to share the Love of God by equipping children to passionately pursue Jesus Christ.”  We do that through teaching biblical principles, instilling life skills, and providing a constant, safe environment to love one another regardless of race, creed or life circumstances. Our hope is that the kids develop into men and women who passionately pursue Jesus Christ and help reach the lost by using their God given talents. Plus, we just have fun! Some kids are refugees but many are just inner-city American or kids from Mexico. It’s fun to watch God work each week bit by bit and kids starting to grow in knowledge of Christ.

Right now, we’re creating a list of all the volunteer opportunities for Kids Club. Some opportunities would require more consistency. Some would be one time spots to help (like painting or cookouts).  Right now, our greatest need is for small group leaders at Kids Club on Tuesday nights who can be consistent. The main requirement for leaders is to have a flexible, patient, teachable hearts who love Jesus and desire to impact these cute but crazy kiddos:) If that’s something you’re interested in, we can talk further and have you come out on a couple of Tuesdays to Kids Club to gain a better perspective of what’s going on at Ivanhoe. I’ve been helping at Kids Club for a year now and honestly it’s one of the best things I’ve been a part of because I know God’s working in these kids lives and shaping my own heart at the same time.

In short, there are opportunities to help lead a small group of kids on an ongoing basis as well as opportunities to help in more occasional ways. At any rate, we’d love the help if it’s a great fit! Thanks for being willing to serve. Those kids are amazing and no doubt we need more folks investing.  Appreciate your heart!

WCC member Kristi Lichtenberg is the principal at Cornerstone Crossroads Academy in South Dallas.  CCA exists to expose at risk high school students to the hope and abundant life found in Christ, equipping them to know God and serve Him forever, while at the same time advancing academically. While other schools may have rejected students, we take them on and engage with them in an effort to address their physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual needs. 

Interested in getting involved?  CCA is looking for mentors who want to invest in the lives of these students, ages 16 – 19. CCA students have a variety of interests, including basketball, fishing, music, and art. They are also looking for people to use their talents and skills to improve the educational programming at CCA. Some areas of need are: technology trouble-shooting, teaching students simple repairs for lawn equipment, providing transportation to school basketball games, and helping with grant writing, among others.  If you have a skill, CCA will put it to work!

 CCA is located on the campus of Cornerstone Baptist Church, in South Dallas, at 2815 S. Ervay. For more information, contact Kristi Lichtenberg at 214-426-5468 or kristilichtenberg@yahoo.com.

Hey Watermark Mentors – just wanted to say thanks to those of you who were able to make it out to the Mentoring Event on October 22.  It was a great time to be equipped on the reasons why we mentor, why we work through Mercy Street, to celebrate and be encouraged what has already been going on in the lives of Watermark mentors/mentees and have our questions answered by folks who have been mentoring for some time.  Thanks to the panelists, Jordan, Liesl, and Tony) who participated, Ted who moderated, and the Mercy Street staff who were present, Brett, Sam, Elizabeth, and Jacque. 

If you missed the night, here’s a link to the page on Watermark Radio where you can stream the audio or download: http://www.watermarkradio.com/index.php?id=153&channel=371&series=166&message=0

We also provided some resources including: 1) West Dallas restaurant guide, 2) a copy of the mentor survey, which you will be receiving twice a year, 3) summary/notes of the Mentor Event discussion, and 4) a list of the Watermark mentors, and 5) copies of the book “When Helping Hurts.” If you need any of these resources, please e-mail us at externalfocus@watermark.org.

Thanks again for your willingness to invest in the lives of kids in West Dallas.  As always let us know how we can assist you.  Be sure to check out the www.watermarkblogs.org/impacteducation blog for more information, resources, stories, and upcoming opportunities to serve with your mentees (a great way to teach service back to the community).

Our prayer is that the hope of the gospel would be proclaimed in word and deed, that we would be rich in good deeds, generous, and willing to share our time, talents, and treasures for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom. 1 Timothy 6:17-19