Sound District

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!

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

During the 2017 Teacher Appreciation Week nearly every United Methodist Church in Craven County, as well as, many AME Zion Churches, partnered to provide Sweet Tea for all 25 public schools during Teacher Appreciation Week. The Sweet Tea Partnership is designed to begin the conversation between churches and school families during that special week. All great conversations in the south begin over a glass of sweet tea! Most churches went beyond the tea to offer duty free lunch for the staff, baked goods or meals for the staff.

Garber United Methodist Church offers the Kingswood After School Tutoring Program. This program serves at-risk students from Bangert and Brinson Elementary Schools. They provide transportation for students, as well as, college scholarships for participants.  Garber UMC has also adopted JT Barber Elementary School. They offer support in many areas including a food backpack ministry and approximately 30 volunteers who help support teachers and students during the school day.

First UMC in Havelock continues strong partnerships with both WJG Elementary School and RGB Elementary School. They provide nutritional support through the Backpack Blessings Programs, but also offer support for teachers at both schools. They provide a small group of weekly volunteers for WJG Elementary School. First UMC also partners with Cherry Point UMC to support their Summer Café Program.

Members of Centenary UMC have fully engaged with Oaks Road Elementary School offering everything from regular tutors/mentors to books for every child. The Partnership was spotlighted by the Craven County Board of Education and received the Volunteer of the Year Award at their annual Red Carpet Gala. The program was also spotlighted on the “All About Craven” weekly television show supporting Craven County Schools.

Cherry Point UMC continues their support of Havelock Middle School and Craven Early College, by providing weekly nutritional support for students, hygiene support bags, back to school meal for staff, Duty Free Lunch during Teacher Appreciation Week and their Summer Cafe Program. During Bus Driver Appreciation Week, the church family knitted and crocheted prayer scarves for every bus driver in Havelock. The Summer Cafe Program provides meals for families, school supplies for students and offers varied literacy opportunities including book clubs and free books for summer reading for the entire family. They also have begun to partner with one of the local AME Zion churches to host the parent meetings for their after school programs. The location of the church was making parent meetings difficult for the AME Zion after school program. By using the CPUMC facility, the attendance was increased because access was easier. The CPUMC family provided a meal for the parents, students and volunteers. It was a great way to bring the two programs and groups of volunteers together for a common cause. The church also allows several athletic teams to use their facility on a weekly basis for meals before games and other activities.