Guiding Hand Ministry
Contact: Dave Welty
This ministry is an out-reach to inner-city children, offering a helping hand to pre-teens, introducing them to Christianity and assisting them to develop the skills necessary to break out of the poverty cycle. It encourages Christian adults to develop a one-on-one relationship with pre-teen children who live in the Wilsom Middle School district.
We have connected with InterAct Cleveland and Epworth/Euclid United Methodist Church.
Specific goals of the program include:
- Regular church attendance, and church related activities such as summer camp, Youth Annual Conference, teen activities, etc.
- Mentoring: We provide a one-on-one mentoring relationship between the child and an adult Christian, based on Christian values to encourage the child with Christian development and success in school activities.
Typically, we meet with the children on the first Saturday and the third Saturday or Sunday each month. The first Saturday two-hour meeting includes discussion to help them understand problems including substance abuse, premarital sex, gang relationships, and to help them get involved in some hobby or extra-curricular activity and develop a love for reading and learning.
We also strive to help them develop a love for God, their parents, family, friends, and understand the Golden Rule, and let them know that someone cares that they excel and succeed, and takes a personal interest in them.
The third week of the month the group alternates between a special group activity such as a trip to the Art Museum, a sports event, visit to the Natural History Museum, and attending church services with the child and taking them out to lunch after the service.
There are three levels of Adult participation in "Guiding Hand".
- Mentor: The Mentor must commit to a one-year commitment. He must commit to two sessions per month - one on a Saturday afternoon (either at Clark Insulation Service or the Epworth/Euclid Church), and the other on a Saturday or Sunday (either at a church service or with the child or the group "fun function".)
- Helper: The Helper need not make a regular commitment, but could attend any group session on a Saturday or Sunday to help out in any manner, particularly if a Mentor is unavailable on a given day for some reason.
- Patron: the Patron can provide financial assistance. The "fun outings" cost money. In addition, for most activities we provide food and drink for the group. Finally, it would be ideal to start a scholarship fund for the children.
Please call the church office if you are interested in finding out more about this community out-reach.