STAR Club December Update

Dec 23, 2019

December has been an exciting month for STAR Club. For those who may not know, each Saturday after our academic, reading, and group game sections, we teach on new Bible memory verses and crafts that are centered on the holiday and or season of that month. For this month, we specifically focused on the birth of Jesus instead of Santa Claus, simply because Jesus is the Reason for the Season. On December 7th, after our academic portion, we kicked off this Christmas season with a short 5-minute age-appropriate video about the birth of Jesus. Our Bible verse of the week was Matthew 1:21: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” We ended the day with our craft, which was a Christmas snow-themed coloring sheet.

On Saturday, December 14th, we continued our tradition and learned 2 Corinthians 9:15: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” for our Bible memory verse. For the craft, the children, with the help of their volunteers, created pine cone Christmas ornaments (see picture!). Each child were able to chose a pine cone, painted it, and put different decorations on it, which made each one very unique.

On Saturday, December 21st, we hosted our quarterly “Shooting STARs” reward event at the Cincinnati Play Library, where we gave Jesus an early birthday party! STAR Club’s “Shooting STARs” reward event is a newly instituted event that allows me to recognize and thank the students who dedicate every Saturday morning to advancing themselves academically and spiritually by attending STAR Club. Additionally, this provides more opportunity for volunteers and staff to continue building connections with students in a fun way. Keeping with the flow of things before we went on break to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, we had one last memory verse, which was Psalms 72:11: “Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.”

We want to thank all those who have given their time and money, or volunteered with us this year. Myself and Mrs. Janine, and the kids at STAR Club are genuinely thankful for your dedication and time. We also want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

~Reggie Willis, STAR Club Coordinator

High School Open House

Nov 12, 2019

On Tuesday, November 12th our high school students hosted an open house for their families and friends. When the idea was presented, there was much anticipation for the night - many of the students were very enthusiastic about getting involved. Each student chose to be a part of a specific committee: Food, Welcome or Decorations. The students committed to planning and volunteering in their areas on the night of the open house.

The Food committee prepared barbecued hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and salad. During the dinner portion, the Food committee joyfully served plates to each table. The Welcome committee was also very cheerful as they greeted family and friends. They were assigned to make sure guests felt welcome as soon as they entered the space. The Decorations committee did a great job with tidying up the space and placing festive decorations on the dinner tables. One of the students even went above and beyond by helping staff members create an ice breaker question. This helped the group begin talking and warming up to each other. Students showed initiative and took ownership of their responsibilities and did a fantastic job serving their friends and families.

During the open house program, three high school seniors were presented with memory boxes. The boxes were hand crafted by Tom Lammert, a friend of Wesley Chapel Mission Center. The boxes are presented in the fall so that the students can collect memories throughout senior year.

At the end of the evening, students spent time bonding by playing games with one another. Staff members were also able to personally introduce themselves to family members and discuss the progress of the students.

Overall, it was a great night and a true display of team work, fun and family. We look forward to continuing the school year with the students while getting to know families even more!

~Brittany Rogers, High School Program Coordinator