By KidCare America | May 25, 2010 at 11:14 AM EDT | No Comments
Invasion 3.2.6
• We believe that there are faith-filled people who have a passion to make their life’s work mentoring students after-school.
• Because of vocational demands and few organizations facilitating funding for full-time after-school ministry, many people are not able to give of their time to students during the after-school hours.
• To saturate the after-school hours with godly adults a national organization must be formed whose mission is to recruit, qualify, provide fundraising training, and on-going coaching to those willing to give their life to full-time after-school ministry.
• KidCare America is a missional organization empowering godly men and women to open after-school centers with sustainable funded leaders.
By KidCare America | May 12, 2010 at 05:29 PM EDT | No Comments
Nancy and I have known for some time that in order for the church to have a mentoring after-school program, we, along with the church leadership, have to address the issue of capacity.
Does the church have the capacity to launch and sustain a program such as KidCare America?
Since starting KidCare America in the fall of 2001, we have always done church capacity building as a side to what we do with the after-school ministry. However, in recent days we have come to realize that we need to bring it to the forefront of what we do.
So...in addition to helping churches open their doors to students after-school, we will be focusing specifically on Church Capacity Building. We feel prepared, with nearly 30 years of pastoral ministry, a PhD in Organizational Psychology, and enough experience coming along side churches, to build the capacity of churches to do more in their community.
In fact, some recent changes in the Assemblies of God US Missions department confirmed that we are to church capacity builders. We are now considered Church Development Missionaries.
We are ready for this new adventure in our ministry! Get ready for a great ride!
By KidCare America | May 07, 2010 at 01:17 PM EDT | No Comments
Nancy and I just returned from one of the greatest Centers in the country for KidCare America. It is located in Lincoln, Maine. The Center Director is Michelle Russell and the Pastor is Tim Shaw.
They are doing an awesome job but what has been amazing is the fact that they have funded their program for the past five years from funds that have come from outside the church.
This affirms what Nancy and I already know, you can run your Mentoring After-School Program with very little funds from the Church. You can do KidCare America with outside funding and be very successful. Community Evangel Temple is doing in it in a town of less than 5,000 in Northern Maine.
By KidCare America | February 22, 2010 at 05:34 PM EST | No Comments
At a certain age, every student thinks that their parents are the most "uncool" people on the planet. I really believe, developmentally, this young man or woman are at their vulnerability peak! At that moment the student doesn't need the model of Children's and Youth Ministry that we currently have in place; the mass ministry or the large group.
No, what that student needs is a relationship with a Godly man or woman who will "show" them what it is like to serve Christ in His fullness. As Wanda Parker has called "secondary nurturers." That is what our students need and that is the message of KidCare America for the faith-community and for student ministry!
We are deceived into thinking that the crowd or the masses is where we should be spending our energy, when the entire time we really need to be doing relational ministry with students, especially those on the fringes of society and need a role model.
Our message, the message of KidCare America is a clarion call to adults to walk with students through life. For adults to partner with parents, schools, social service agencies and help that student connect with God through connection with that adult.
By KidCare America | February 17, 2010 at 12:06 PM EST | No Comments
Here is the first in a series of answers to the challenge of a grant request declined:
If you have solicited grants you have received notice that some of your proposals have been declined. It is a part of the grant raising process to be declined, and more than once or twice.
You put all of that work into that grant proposal, and there is the response letter; "declined".
I know how you feel. All of us who write grant proposals do. You are not alone by any means.
May I suggest the following to you, your E.D., and board:
1. Be willing to apply for grants and forge relationships with grant donors imperfectly. In other words, do not try to put out THE perfect proposal only to be CRUSHED by a decline. Agencies that give grants place many factors into whether or not they give a grant donation and they are beyond their deciding whether your grant proposal is "perfect". Perhaps their coffers are low. Maybe they have outstanding pledges to grant before they can accept new proposals. What if their Trustee just passed away and the will is in probate, causing the foundation's endowment to be frozen? You don't know why a grant is declined sometimes, but call the foundation and gently, professionally, and kindly ask why. Yes, it's ok to do that. Lastly, be open to learning what you can do (better, or adjust, or on a different date) on your next proposal to that grant donor's organization and do it next time.
By KidCare America | February 17, 2010 at 11:48 AM EST | No Comments
For everyone that is in the Southwest Missouri area, we are hosting a Regional National Directors After-School Training beginning this Friday and ending in about three weeks.
The sessions will take place on Friday's and a couple of Saturday's, and will equip you to start and manage a KidCare America Model Center.