A THRIVEing First Arts Ministry

A THRIVEing First Arts
First Arts is in full swing, and things are going great! We currently have an enrollment of 110 students spread evenly across Tuesday and Thursday. Once again, half of our students are on some sort of scholarship provided largely through donations and savvy stewardship. Every day, we receive emails from parents thanking us for this program and letting us know that their children are having a wonderful time. It’s amazing to think of what First Arts has become in the last three years– not only have we seen more participation from the community, we also have seen an enormous increase in participation in children from First Church.

Every Tuesday & Thursday, students come into our Church after school. They are given a snack and offered homework help. They play games in our gym and watch a movie in our theater. They participate in theater, choir, and art classes taught by qualified professionals. Every Tuesday and Thursday, children come to our church and find a place where they belong and adults who care about them. Every Tuesday and Thursday you can find our volunteer staff and our teachers living out First Church’s THRIVE initiative by making sure our community has a safe place to learn.

So, how can I help? We need your time. If you can spare a few hours on Tuesday or Thursday afternoon, we need you– particularly if you can be here between 2:30 and 4:30 when most of the “action” takes place. You don’t need to be an artist or a musician to participate; if you have time for us, we have a job for you. We’re always looking for people who can substitute as a van driver– being able to bus kids to our program has been a real cornerstone of our growth. You can donate a scholarship for $200; we won’t let finances keep a child from learning, and it’s the church’s generosity that empowers that. Also, you can donate to our snack fund. We feed over 100 children every week from your donations. There are so many ways to assist in this important ministry! If you feel led to help, please contact James, Kyle, or Tammy; we’d love to have you.
James Stanley, Associate Director of Music Ministries