Acts 29 Fellowship of the Christian and Missionary Alliance

“Back to school” for Acts 29 means back to Mrs. Housey’s 6th grade class to help her students with social studies through academic quizzing. The year starts out with the class dividing into groups in which the students meet their coaches and come up with a team name and flag design. Then once a week, the team of coaches visits Mrs. Housey’s class to teach the Social Studies material to their group. At the end of the class period, the students compete in a quiz competition based on their study material. The students also learn a new character principle each week, usually from Proverbs. The Lord has blessed us with this opportunity to share Christ’s love with the city in helping Holbrook Elementary School. Because the Lord has provided hands to help, resources, an open door, and prayer support, Mrs. Housey has seen her students’ grades improve.
This year, we have been blessed with help from a Pastor from Ward Presbyterian, a Wayne State Student Intern and women who attend Acts 29 Fellowship. These coaches are investing in their students weekly and loving them. One of the teams has won three times and has celebrated their accomplishment at a ‘Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Party’ held at Acts 29. Please pray that this ministry would bring glory to God. Pray also that the students, being mostly Yemeni, would hear the Gospel through history, social studies and fellowship time with their coaches.

Holbrook Elementary School opened in 1896 and is one of the oldest schools in continuous use in Michigan.   Acts 29 Fellowship has the wonderful privilege of walking in the doors of Holbrook School every Thursday to take on Ms. Housey’s sixth grade social studies class.  Thirty-two students and five coaches enter the imaginary State of Punxatawney  (the school cafeteria space)  and Governor John (our own Pastor John) delivers the laws and directions for the Mayors of five cities.   The laws come from Scripture such as, “A gentle answer turns away wrath” and “Flee evil, cling to good!”   Each ‘city’ is responsible for good citizenship and to study hard for the quiz competition  using jump seats and interrogative questions, (similar to Bible quizzing format) at the end of the day.

When a city team wins three times, they earn a celebration party at the Acts 29 facility.  Our prayer is that we can build relationships with these students and their families, to transform the school culture in academics and character building.   Three of Ms. Housey’s students are part of our Bible quizzing teams and have been actively sharing the good news of Christ with fellow students.   The class represents the south side of Hamtramck:  Yemeni, Bengali, African American, and Polish.

We know that Christ is able to redeem dismal circumstances. Tutoring testifies to the success of Biblical principles and builds relationships with the community’s students and faculty. Many of whom, may have, otherwise never known a Christian model of integrity and concern.

This past school year Acts 29 had the opportunity to work in the High School to help kids get ready for the MME (a standardized Michigan skills test). Acts 29 staff worked with approximately 20 High School students tutoring them in Algebra and English. Good relationships were built between the students and their tutors and with the principal of the High School. Our hope is that these relationships will continue outside of the classroom.

Acts 29 hopes that this ministry opened a door to continue doing more with High School students and for the community by helping educate its youth. Many young people in Hamtramck do not graduate and many do not go on to college after High School, this continues the cycle of poverty and all things that go with it in this city.

Will you pray for our ministry to the High School to continue in the upcoming 2010-2011 school year?

How you can pray for Hamtramck High School:

• Pray for the Principal
• Pray for teachers
• Pray for incoming freshman
• Pray for Acts 29 FYRE students to be imitators of Christ while they are in school
• Pray for Acts 29 to have further opportunity for ministry inside the school

Seeking to improve academic achievement, develop social responsibility,

and instill moral character in children

Mission of (H.A.P.)

As part of Acts 29 Fellowship, H.A.P. seeks to address the critical needs of the families and schools in the community.  This program is designed to improve academic achievement of underachievers, develop social responsibility, and instill moral character in children.

Here is how you can be a part of the program:

TEACHERS

1. Call or send an email to refer students to the program:

(313) 365-2287 or acts29@acts-29.org

2 Communicate weekly to keep students and H.A.P. accountable

PARENTS

1. Register your child and support your child’s attendance 4 days a week for one grading period

2. Provide transportation to and from sessions

3. Meet with staff in your home to establish successful  homework and study habits

STUDENTS

1. Bring homework to H.A.P. everyday (including work completed in class)

2. Attend .H.A.P four  days a week for an entire grading period

Students in 4th or 5th grade can earn prizes… school supplies, books, gift certificates, camping trip scholarships and more!

DAILY

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Monday-Thursday

3:30  to  4:30 PM

What to expect:

• Help with homework
• Healthy snack
• Fifteen minute character building activity
• Parents welcome!

Homework Assistance Program Objectives:

1. Establish patterns of completing homework on a regular basis

2. Give students the tools they need to study on their own

3. Reinforce moral character qualities via Character Counts curriculum

4. Establish positive relationships between students, mentors, teachers and parents

Holbrook Elementary

Upcoming Follow Up Ministry to 2009-2010 Social Studies Quizzing Outreach: Day Camp to be held July @ Veteran’s Park in Hamtramck

This year Acts 29 had the great opportunity to teach social studies at Holbrook Elementary school in a 6th grade classroom. Once a week six Acts 29 members carried heavy quiz benches, social studies curriculum and prizes to Holbrook Elementary’s tiny gymnasium where we met our class of 30 some 6th graders.

The majority of these students came from the country of Yemen and a small handful of them were ELL (English Language Learners). Each week our coaches would teach the required material from the current 6th grade Social Studies curriculum. Meanwhile our Quiz Master and host of the class (another Acts 29 staff member), taught character lessons from Proverbs, did magic tricks and kept everything moving forward.

Teams that won several times earned ice cream parties at our building and enjoyed getting to know their coaches more on a personal level. We are looking forward to building good relationships with Holbrook Elementary staff and students.

Please pray for this ministry to be a service to the school, students and their families.

How can you help?

• Pray weekly for this ministry
• Give to financially support this ministry (this pays for prizes, ice cream party supplies and paper and printing costs for our weekly lessons) Write your check to Acts 29, write school quizzing on the memo line
• Volunteer: Are you in the area? Would you like to be a coach? Would you like to be a curriculum writer? (volunteers have to be committed for the entire school year)

Bible Quizzing

2010-2011 Season Begins in August

Study Material: The gospel of John (NIV)

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” -Hebrews 4:12

Acts 29 started its Bible Quizzing program in 2007 as an outreach to unsaved students ages 11-18. Many of our first quizzers have since then received Christ, but each year we look to add new unsaved youth to our teams. Our goal is to continue to use Bible Quizzing as a means to reached unsaved youth as we genuinely believe the words of Hebrews 4:12.

Acts 29 believes that Bible Quizzing has value to the whole individual. It teaches spiritual values through study and memorization of the word of God. It teaches study skills by its nature as a study program (It has been proven to increase students’ reading ability and ability to study successfully for tests and quizzes, an average quizzer will see improvements in his/her GPA if they apply what they have learned in quizzing to their school work). It teaches teamwork and discipline as it is a team sport. It teaches a healthy competitiveness and a Christian fellowship with people outside of one’s own church.

Acts 29′s Bible Quizzing program has seen great success, with teams continually taking home championships and two of our quizzers making the International (All-Star) Team which travels and competes in the summer time (the off-season).

Bible Quizzing is one of Acts 29′s most valuable ministries to youth in the city. It gives youth a chance to set goals and have the support necessary to be successful. It gives students the chance to learn the value of being a community focused on Christ. Most importantly, it hides the word of God in students’ hearts.

How can you help?

• Sponsor a Bible Quizzer (one sponsorship is $75.00 per year, this includes a student’s registration fee, Book, T-Shirt, Travel Costs and lunch at quiz meets). Write checks to Acts 29, write Bible Quizzing in the Memo line.
• Pray for a Bible Quizzer, contact Liza for more information
• Come volunteer, learn to be a coach, or just help students practice from time to time, contact Liza for more information.