500 HOURS OF SUMMER MINISTRIES

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise… from another place… And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, ESV) As we prepare for our transition into summer we are increasingly aware of how strategic God is in planting us in the heart of North Philadelphia. We are called to a city such as this, at a time such as this.
A time when the city’s failing education system yields high school graduates that lack basic literacy skills, which significantly contributes to the city’s high [1] illiteracy rate of 22%. A time where upward mobility is threatened by a [2]16% (three times the national average) unemployment rate for youth aged 16-19; and neighborhood schools’ inability to get more than [3] 1 in 4 of their high school graduates in college. And a time where the safety and well-being of our children are compromised by a declining crime rate that’s still roughly[4] 179% higher than the national average. The city is failing our children and youth in many ways; however, our God—who is mighty to save—cannot fail.

The enemy is clearly waging war against our city by coming after our children and youth; he seeks to undermine their future hopes by demoralizing their expectations. However, no matter how fierce the enemy’s attacks are, God faithfully  provides a route of escape for his people and the glory of His name. God has given us the vision to transform our city one child, one family at a time.

This is a crucial season for ministry as we increase the number of children and youth we reach in our community through our summer camps, Youth Leadership Center, and Family Night Ministries.

Each summer we minister to children and youth over 500 hours (11 hours a day, 55+ hours a week over the course of 9 weeks). That’s 500 hours of community-building, 500 hours of exposure to God’s love, 500 hours to nurture our children’s potential, and 500 hours to reverse cycles of destruction and defy statistics. Let’s continue to partner to minister to our youth.