End of Week 1

This has been a really neat, but busy week. We kicked off PDAS, with an average of 25 kids each day stopping in for most of each afternoon. It looks like the kids are having fun and getting homework done, but it's clear that we will need more qualified staff. On a typical day, a small handful of kids arrive at 3:00 and play video games. Then, the Quincy Upper School contingent arrives at 3:35. Not long after, bigger waves of kids arrive; but by that time, I'm out of the Family Room and in the Studio doing some tutoring or homework supervising. By 4:30, when we have our Meeting TIme, we're usually up to near-capacity, which is great because they'll get to be there for announcements and the devotions. After Meeting time and snack, the rest of the afternoon is taken up by more homework, card games, and maybe basketball if the parking lot is free.

I'm getting to know some of the newer kids, particularly 6th graders who are full of energy-- in the best and worst ways. It's hard for me to remember when I was that age, and it's sometimes hard to keep up with their hyperactive pace and attention span, but I hope we get to keep them and watch them grow for a few years. Lord willing, we'll still have a program when they are high-schoolers. On Sunday, I'll be taking a group to the New England Aquarium-- if anybody shows up with a permission slip. You just don't know; and that's one of the realities of a "drop-in/ stop-in" model.

Other than ministry, classes have started. It's tough to find time to do homework with all the administrative work related to running these programs. Still, I'm glad to be back in Boston again for the whole year and hopefully I'll get better at managing this schedule.

Day 1

Today was the first day of a totally new routine! After spending some time listening to Andy Stanley's podcast, I spent the morning in Gordon Conwell's Roxbury office, trying to fix an administrative issue so that I could register for the class I'd take later that night. Then I went to church for the final prep and setup before PDAS's start.

At around 3PM, the doorbells started ringing. Kids arrived 2-3 at a time at a steady rate until both the family room and studio were packed! We had more than 30 teenagers and middle-schoolers staying most of the afternoon. Most kids started with their homework without anybody to prompt them. Some of them joined video games or card games. It was awesome-- at least 1/3 of the kids were not from our regular church ministries and most of them looked like they were getting comfortable after a little while.

In some ways, the afternoon was a blur. So much happening, so little time to sit! A few highlights:

•  One boy asked, "if we're not paying for this, is this school broke?" I answered by citing support from the church family. "If you run into an older person if you come to our church on a Sunday, say to them, 'hello, great benefactor.'"
• I played a pickup game with 3 of the "older" kids at the end of the day.
• 3 counselors and 1 guest counselor came today and made things fun and smooth.
• When I went upstairs to the Studio, it was filled and quiet!

After the program closed at 6PM, we had a quick debrief session and then Emily drove me to my class, which met from 6:45 to 9:30PM. My night was just beginning as my Inner City Ministry class met for the first night. It looks like it will be a lot of work, but I'm excited. 

Tomorrow, we'll repeat the routine, only the class will be Exegesis of Judges at Park St. Church. Praise God for a great first day!

Planning for PDAS

PDAS-- Project Destiny After School.

We've had an after-school program at our church for a few years now. The idea was that we could provide a few resources, program a few activities, and share the gospel with the kids who came. Over the past few months, while directing Project Destiny Summer Camp, I've been thinking a lot about the year-round After-School component. There's no official title yet, especially since the former paid-staff position was eliminated from the church budget this year, but I'm planning on coordinating and directing PDAS this school year on a part-time basis while attending seminary part-time.

There are several changes I'm excited about implementing:
1. We've reduced the cost by 100%. This seems more radical than it should-- churches have giving free services to their neighbors for millennia; but economic times are tough. I'm excited for a chance for our church to be generous with its time and finances.

2. We've moved to a drop-in model. There are a lot of negative associations with the term "drop-in" in after-school care; but drop-in is a great way to meet the individual needs of families and students. They can come when they have nothing else to do or when they need help with a particular assignment. This just means we're going to have to really amp up quality of care to keep kids coming.

3. We're open to high-schoolers. We used to only take middle-school to correspond to our summer camp, but older teenagers are more likely to come to a drop-in program and invite their friends to come hang out. More than that, being open to high-schoolers means having a chance for our church to build a longer-term relationship with teenagers.

We're starting next Monday. There are about 30 students registered. It's all so new and I'm not sure what to expect. I'm sure there will be challenges and mistakes along the way. We'll have less control and so many more variables to anticipate. Please join me in praying for God to provide the right staff and wisdom for the planning team. Pray also for me as I take on this new ministry role in Chinatown while continuing my studies.