Threads Church

WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT?

• What? Our mission is to give hope and opportunity through empowerment to at-risk children and families by volunteering, educating, encouraging, and sharing the arts.
• Where? The Milwood area is basically the area east of Burdick, west of Sprinkle, north of Kilgore, and south of Alcott.
• When? Now. We are continually listening to residents and community leaders as well as organizing and participating in community events and activities.
• Why? Milwood is a steadily eroding neighborhood that is surprisingly under-resourced. The number of those living in poverty is rising quickly, businesses are vacating the neighborhood and homelessness is increasing. Currently, over 130 children in the Milwood Elementary and Middle schools are homeless.

FUTURECAST

Click here to listen to the Milwood Futurecast meeting that took place on January 24, 2010.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED IN MILWOOD?

Pray:
Pray for volunteers and families participating in Milwood events and listen for God's direction for future initiatives in Milwood.

Block Parties:
A fun way to mingle with familes while enjoying food, music and more!  Contact the to get involved.

Mentoring:
Do you have a passion for making a difference in the lives of kids? If so, we will be working with the schools in Milwood and the Kids Hope Network to start a mentoring program. We need committed people to serve as mentors.

Visit the Milwood neighborhood:
Do something you'd normally do...just do it in Milwood! Here are just a few ideas:

• Grocery Shop at the Hardings on Cork Street...
• Take your kids to a park in Milwood. Better yet, take some friends with you, too...
• Rent a video at the Hollywood Video...

You get the picture! And while you're there, pray for God to open your eyes to what He wants to do in the Milwood community. If you have a chance to talk with others (customers, employees, residents) ask them what are some of the needs and strengths of the Milwood neighborhood.

Milwood Map - 20 opportunities to get to know Milwood.

STORIES:

"If you had asked me a year ago how I felt about kids, I would have told you that they scare me. I am the youngest in a very small family, so I have had very little experience with children and was often nervous around little people that I could so easily step on and break. But I have a very, VERY strong immature and playful side to me, so I decided to step way out of my comfort zone and check out Art and Games on the Green. I am glad that I did!

For the course of this summer I was one of the leaders for the orange team. We were also sometimes known as the Ligers, and one girl, Shanta, was adamant that our team should be called “The Tajjes.” It felt simultaneously strange and great to know that I had a four foot tall fan running around who wanted to name our team after me! I connected especially well with one little guy named Quentin. During the first week or so of Art and Games, Quentin told me that he prefers the nickname Q-man. Because I go exclusively by my nickname, I could appreciate how nice it is when others respect your wish to go by that name. The following week, when I greeted him as Q-man, his face became one huge smile and he excitedly said, “Hey! You remembered my nickname!” We were fast buds from then on! He even made me a sweet necklace during crafts one week instead of making one for himself!

My lack of experience with kids seemed painfully obvious to me at times. I didn’t know how to deal with a child that seems to be crying for no good reason or how to get a group to pay attention when they’re rowdy (though I think it helps that I can yell louder than any of them). But when we were first getting started with Art and Games, Lee talked with us about how uncommon it is for kids in these underprivileged neighborhoods to have even one older person they can trust and rely on, and how having someone in that role can make a dramatically significant difference in the future course of a child’s life. It was clear to me that all of the kids we got to play with were hungry for that, and it was important to me that I suppress my own inhibitions and prove to these kids, and especially Q-man, that I am reliable and trustworthy.

All in all, it has been one great summer! Though I’m still working on how best to continue building relationships with the kids who’ve found their way into my heart, I know for sure that choosing to volunteer with Art and Games on the Green was fantastic decision!"

Jesse “Taj” Test

"Every Wednesday I would rush out of work and get to the green early because I was like a kid in a candy store ready to play games and do craft with the new kids(friends) I had made. I was a group leader of the purple team. Our team started off really strong and always had tons of kids in our group, it was a great time to get to know the smiling faces that came every week. For me the best part is that I only missed one Wednesday and the kids loved seeing my face every week. As the weeks went on our group got smaller but the kids we had were always excited to be there and have someone to spend time with. Miss Amber...look here...Miss Amber be on my team...Miss Amber, Miss Amber, Miss Amber....look at this. They KNEW that Miss Amber would be there no matter what.

One night I walked a couple of girls home after the green and when we arrived at their house there wasn't a parent in sight.  The kids didn't even bat an eye and they went to another house and then the grandparents weren't there either. This really made my heart sink because I never can remember a time when my mom wasn't there when I got home. This also touched my heart and made me want to be that one person that they could count on and knew would always be there for them."

Amber Collins