With our local schools back in session and kids getting into their academic routines again, the time has come to begin matching up mentors with local students through our Port City Mentor Program.  This volunteer opportunity involves eating lunch with a child during their regularly scheduled lunch time once a week, to build a relationship with them and simply be a positive influence in his or her life.  We will be providing more information about the Mentor Program (including real mentors on hand to answer questions) in the atrium at PC3 on Sundays August 28th and September 4th.  Come learn more—and begin praying NOW about finding your place within this amazing opportunity!

Below, Maureen Hill, the founder of the Mentor Program, describes the program’s history, vision and how to get involved…

* * *

The Mentor Program was started four years ago when I was teaching second grade at a local elementary school.  I had only been teaching for two years, so with little experience I felt completely lost and overwhelmed when I saw the true need of many of my students.  Many of them came from single-parent homes, where their moms were doing all they could to just survive by working numerous jobs.  Many of my students lacked the one-on-one attention a 7 year old so greatly desires—especially from a male influence in their lives.

I had two male students in particular who were struggling in my classroom.  They would have frequent outbursts and were disruptive to themselves and classmates.  Both of them came from single-parent homes where they got little attention or care.  It was obvious that this was a main reason for many of their problems.  I tried everything I could think of to help them—but nothing was successful.  So finally one afternoon after school I was sitting with some friends and just asked a guy friend to come eat lunch with them, thinking maybe the one-on-one attention of a positive male role model might be helpful.  So my friend Shane started eating lunch with these boys once a week.  It was very casual and fun—most weeks Shane’s time was spent just playing and listening to these boys talk about video games, cartoons and super heroes.  But as time went on, we saw that these weekly lunches were making a huge impact on these boys.  I saw a difference in their attitudes and behaviors: These boys now had something to look forward to each week, and they couldn’t wait for their time with Shane. It was amazing to see how they changed when they confidently knew that someone cared for them, would spend time with them consistently, and would hold them accountable for their actions.

At the same time I was attending Port City and had just gotten more involved with missions (after having gone to Kenya the summer before), and I saw the huge impact our church could make if just a fraction of the people attending would commit to eating lunch with one of our elementary-school students once a week.  So I began meeting with Christie Coley, director of missions at PC3, and we began planning on how a program like this could work.

The following school year I transferred to another local school, and we piloted the program there with only a few mentors.  Again we saw the positive impact in these students’ lives. The next year we connected with Elizabeth Redenbaugh (a school board member) and Valita Quattlebaum (New Hanover County Schools Public Relations Officer) and had the opportunity to share our vision for the program.  We began working with them to reach more students at other local schools in Wilmington.  We now serve four different schools (Wrightsboro, Snipes Academy, Rachel Freeman School of Engineering, and Sunset Park Elementary School), and this past year we had 41 mentors serving in these schools.  We are also trying to do more to reach and connect with these families by holding an annual celebration, where our students and their families, along with their mentors and their families, are invited to have dinner, attend TILT and spend some time getting to know one another.

The vision of the Port City Mentor Program is to connect local elementary students with a positive, caring and dependable adult who can help encourage them to reach their personal best.  We believe that through our actions and commitment, we will be able to share the love and fullness of Christ with these students. Our vision stems from the parable of the sheep in Matthew 18—the importance of going after the one.

Getting involved is easy!  We are looking for committed men and women who can be free to eat lunch with their student.  Men are always much needed (male students always seem to be referred more frequently).  Just pick up an application in the atrium on Sunday August 28th or September 4th and turn it into the church (at Missions Desk on Sundays or at the front desk during the week) by Sunday, September 11th.  Once we get your application we will contact you to let you know it was received, and then we will see you at one of our training sessions on either Sunday, September 18th, or Sunday, September 25th, at 12:30pm (details will be in your application packet).  After being trained we will match you up with a student, and you can begin your weekly meetings!  We look forward to another great year ahead and the opportunity to connect with many more students and their families!

—Submitted by Maureen Hill

On Sunday, August 7th, the front entrance outside the doors of PC3 was abuzz with excitement—the kind of excitement that can only be generated by the joy of giving.

And give people did!

Joining together to combine your resources and leverage your influence, YOU, the body at large, gave of your time, efforts and finances to make a HUGE impact in our community.

Jointly called Caring for Kids, two collections took place for local school and kids in need: Stuff the Bus and Pack the Pantry.  Going off the momentum from a fantastic contribution last year in 2010 (when over $17,000 worth of school supplies was collected), Stuff the Bus hit the ground running as soon as the big white school bus arrived.  The outpouring of your generous donations — from notebooks to crayons to paper to calculators — filled the bus to capacity, and a grand total of close to $26,000 worth of school supplies was raised!  Through local organization Communities in Schools, the items collected from Stuff the Bus will again be distributed to local schools in time for the new school year.

Pack the Pantry also saw huge success.  This first-year collection took place the same day with help from local organization Nourish NC.  Nearly 3,200 cans were raised—which is enough to feed all the kids in all the schools they serve for approximately one month!

THANK YOU to all donors, supporters and volunteers for making this day such a great success and, more importantly, such a great impact in our local community.

—Submitted by PC3 staff

I have just recently returned home from a much-anticipated mission to Guatemala with PC3.  Our team’s previously scheduled mission to Guatemala, back in May, was canceled due to a volcano eruption and tropical storm, which kept us here in Wilmington that week.  As our team was trying to figure out what God had planned for us here, we came across WARM (Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry).  I have heard it described as, “Habitat for Humanity builds from the ground up; WARM starts from the roof and rebuilds down.”  Upon waiting for our rescheduled mission to Guatemala, we jumped in and experienced an awesome opportunity to serve right here in our own community.

Since then, along with others from PC3, I have been involved with three different job sites so far, and each one is so completely different.  WARM has allowed us to get an “inside look” into what lies right here in Wilmington. The teams thus far have done various jobs such as landscaping, putting in storm windows, caulking, and painting the outside of a house.

But this last house we went to was indeed the most intimate.

I say this because, first, like I said, I just got home from Guatemala.  We go through much spiritual preparation before we go on a mission.  We pray for things such as safety, preparing our hearts and the hearts of the people we will be serving, for the Lord to prepare our path and make His way known to us.  About one week before the scheduled WARM day, I felt God really pressing upon me to pray.  Just because we weren’t leaving the country didn’t mean that a local mission deserved less spiritual preparation.  So needless to say, I prayed just as I did for Guatemala.  This is relevant to the story because God showed up in every aspect of preparing the team, the job and the family for that day.

We were asked to get 15-20 people to serve this day.  As of Monday I had about 11-12, Tuesday one of my skilled men (yes, my dad) had to back out, and on Wednesday I found out we didn’t even have a project manager for Saturday and that another girl had gotten sick.  But by Saturday morning, we had 17 volunteers with lunch provided, and one of our skilled team members stepped up to be project manager!  In fact, once we had gotten to the job site, I was thinking we had too many.

We served a lady who lived in a roughly 9,000-square-feet house.  Her disabled sister, a boyfriend and three children lived with her.  She was a self-proclaimed “hoarder.”  Unfortunately, all the clutter was causing asthma in three of the daughters.  However, because of the great team turnout, we were able to do more than what was on our list.  We ripped out carpet, laid tile, painted walls and baseboards, replaced blinds, helped her organize some shelves, and cleaned out the dog kennel (some team members even walked the dog!).  And we also had time to talk with the family.  This was so special.  I had all been smiling at the disabled lady all morning, thinking she couldn’t talk.  There was this moment when she was waving, so I thought Well, lets just sit with her.  She motioned to bring her paper… She could write!  She wrote “Y’all are like family.  So nice.”  I almost lost it right there!  The family was so very appreciative.  The owner of the house at one point said she could see Jesus in each and every one of us.  She also mentioned how she never felt judged because of all her stuff, and she just knew the Lord had sent us to her.

I have no doubt that God was present at this house.  We are all so grateful that He has made WARM known to us.  As I grow in my walk with the Lord, I am amazed at what He has done without even praying.  However, being intentional about prayer deepens the intimacy with Him and being able to truly see His hands at work.  We are here to serve Him as He serves others.

John 13:14.  “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

On the first and third Saturdays of each month, PC3 teams prepare and serve a hot lunch meal to our neighbors in need. Through this ministry, many people have received encouragement and have witnessed the love of Christ. Areas of service in this mission include shopping for food/supplies, meal preparation, transportation, serving, visiting with guests, and clean-up. For more information or to join in this work, email missions. Below, one volunteer shares his experience with this ministry.

My motivation for first getting involved with Saturday Meals came from my desire to give back to this community and its people. God gives me free, unconditional love, and this is just one small way I can spread His love to others.

What I have discovered over time is that God is blessing me and using me in ways I never imagined. In serving the homeless and hungry in downtown Wilmington, God is teaching me a new level of contentment in life. This by no means is a way of suggesting, “Wow; these folks have nothing, and I’ve got it really good.” In truth, it’s just the opposite.

One of the worst things we can do as humans is compare. When we compare, we set up scales that judge our lives against others: looks, income, possessions, talents, etc. When God created us, He had long planned our purpose in His glory, not according to our own. No one human soul is worse or better than the next, we are ALL unique and serve a purpose in His plan.  We will surely arrive at different circumstances in our worldly lives, some good and some not so great, but God values each and every soul He has created with a very special purpose.

As Christians, we understand the importance of fellowship and community. When you work with a dedicated group of people, you establish relationships. The relationships that are developed through this program, just as any other, start and live in fullness to help each other in supporting and improving the lives of ALL people in Wilmington.  It is a blessing to see the smile on a person you are serving, not necessarily because we come with a hot meal, but simply because we love each other, and are happy to be able to spend more time together.

This program, to me, is not about providing a meal to the less fortunate. That’s what is “seen,” but in truth we are serving God’s people, regardless of color, creed, beliefs or social status. And in this fellowship, the blessings we receive in return are mutual, not based on a meal, but in sharing the truths of our lives and giving all Glory correctly to God.

My hope is that the transformation of God’s love in peoples’ hearts, just as has been done in mine, will branch outside of Wilmington and go out into the world. God is doing just that in me, as I am headed to Kenya in December!

The world has amazing potential when we remember that each, every and any person we encounter, at any moment of any day, just in fact could be Jesus.

—Submitted by Todd Devine