Ministries Making a Difference

Skills-based summer workshops for teens, Helene recovery, and Easter community outreaches

Photo via AG News

Vacation Bible School is generally a popular church outreach to minister to elementary-age children, but Bridge Community Church in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, is focused on kids a little older—in grades 7-12—by hosting its annual summer LEAP program. LEAP is a week-long set of skills-based workshops that equip students in areas like auto mechanics, computer science, cooking, music, sewing, and improv. The program was created in partnership with the local Boys & Girls Club, provides breakfast and lunch, and sets time aside in the afternoon for relational skills workshops. Since it was launched in 2021, volunteers have worked with over 400 students.

RNS photo / Yonat Shimron

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein awarded $3 million each to NC Baptists on Mission and Habitat for Humanity of North Carolina for their assistance in ongoing rebuild efforts after Hurricane Helene ripped through the mountains in Western North Carolina last fall. NC Baptists on Mission is using the money to purchase building materials as they undergo home construction projects over the next four to six years. Habitat for Humanity International has 1 star and a “C” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 44.

Photo from Advent Christian Village newsletter

Advent Christian Village invited a swarm of children into its senior living center for a fun-filled Easter egg hunt earlier this month. The on-site Village Church also hosted a series of Holy Week-themed events aimed at helping congregants—who include residents but also many of various ages from the surrounding community—meditate on Christ’s death and resurrection. Events included an Easter cantata, Maundy Thursday service, Good Friday meditation, Easter sunrise service, and the gathering of about 300 people for an Easter feast. Advent Christian Village has 2 stars and an “A” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 72.

Photo via Church of the Nazarene

Grace Point Church in Croatia serves in a Ukrainian refugee camp nearby, and earlier this month hosted an Easter celebration for families that included crafts, games, Bible lessons, and an egg hunt. Thanks to partnerships between Ukrainian and Croatian pastors, the event was hosted in Ukrainian, Croatian, and English. Grace Point is also supporting its Ukrainian neighbors through language classes, field trips, and children’s programs.

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