Coronavirus Response

Cross & Flame Logo

Congregations for Children (C4C)

Stories

Food Truck in Alamance County Feeds Students

“When you talk about children who are hungry … that’s a sore spot for everybody. I think it worked because we had this partnership with everybody.”

Margaret Skulnik

The Congregations for Children (C4C) committee at First UMC in Graham worked with the nutritionists at Alamance County Schools to procure and set up a food truck. First UMC partnered with other faith communities in the area to raise the funds, purchase the truck, and get it set up and ready to serve.

The original idea was to feed children in the summer months when access to free and reduced lunch was not available. The truck is now being used to feed students who are learning virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Margaret Skulnik, who chairs the C4C committee, and Rev. Claire Clyburn, the pastor of First UMC, share how the partnership with Alamance County Schools came about and how this ministry has impacted both the community and the church.

For more information on Congregations for Children, visit the C4C website.

C4C Partnerships

Typically, when a church family commits to becoming a Congregations for Children (C4C) Partner with a local public school, a list of service possibilities follows. How can our church help these children and teachers? How can we show them the God we love?

We often miss what these relationships can do for our churches and volunteers! We miss the opportunities for us to see God in them.

When Gayle Midyette, one of the Sound District C4C Coordinators showed up at the local hospital for surgery, her partner school family showed up for her!

Photo taken by Gayle Midyette.

Staff and parents from Oaks Road Elementary School in Craven County, met their coordinator from Garber UMC before sunrise in the parking lot to pray and wish her well. Relationships developed through our C4C partnerships, change lives…theirs and ours.

Find out how you can partner with a local public school by contacting NCCUMC Director of Congregations for Children, David Rockefeller, at drockefeller@nccumc.org.

Article written by Kim Rice Smith

C4C Success Story: Sharon UMC

Sharon UMC is partnered with Griggs Elementary School in Poplar Branch and Jarvisburg Elementary in Jarvisburg. Sharon has truly been engaged in the lives of children by providing books for the “Give Five – Read Five” summer reading program, as well as funding Each One Read One Reading programs during the school year. They have provided school supplies as well as basic needs items for children throughout the school year. Many of the good folks at Sharon volunteer as proctors for end of grade testing, volunteers as readers and mentors and, during a time when we see more teacher assistant positions being defunded, they act as volunteer teacher aids. They are a visible presence in the school, eating with children and assisting the children and staff in creative relationships, and through pragmatic daily support. Sharon is transforming the world around them!

C4C Success Story: Westview UMC

In the spring of 2013, Westview UMC reached out to Malpass Corner Elementary, located four miles from the church, asking what the church could do to help them. This led to the development of a partnership which provides weekend food backpacks for 67 students each week as well as family food boxes for these students during each vacation from school such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and spring breaks. The congregation has also furnished both schools with hats, coats and gloves during the winter months and 744 summer reading books! All this is accomplished by a congregation with an average weekly worship attendance of around 40. Through these missions Westview UMC has allowed God to show them what he can do with a “few” willing hearts and willing hands. Westview UMC’s is also providing some support to West Pender Middle school. They are truly a “little, big church!”

C4C Success Story: Tabernacle UMC

Tabernacle UMC is another small congregation with a big heart. They partner with Robbins Elementary and connect in relationship with both faculty and students. On opening school day, members of the congregation provided a big surprise “Welcome Back!” for staff on the first teacher work day. Many teachers were actually moved to tears in gratitude. The congregation has also provided students with clothing, snacks, supplies, and other basic needs. Tabernacle has also provided classroom volunteers and actively connected with students and parents. At the end of the school year, as on the first day, they were present, providing snow cones for participants of field day activities. Beginning to end, this is Tabernacle.

C4C Success Story: Fifth Avenue UMC

Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church is a small church with a big heart for children. This congregation with about 30-40 in worship on Sundays partnered with Douglass Academy – a school located in an impoverished neighborhood of Wilmington with students facing significant poverty and food insecurity issues. The church supplied weekend food packs for 20 students and over 100 books for students to call their own. Members sponsored and facilitated a science lab, provided students with weekly enrichment classes, taught a weekly recorder class, and offered classroom support to teachers.  Fifth Avenue is making a difference in their community!