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PARTING GIFTS!
Parting Gifts
By Erin Irwin
It’s no wonder why I passed the Front Porch location a couple of times.
Driving past, I’d assumed the brown brick building was a bar with no signage. Inside, men called David John and Thomas Jones were behind the café counter, running the ship. They made me laugh and were unafraid of diving deep into conversation in between making the best sandwiches and salads.
Toni Code (Jones), too, seemed to run the café. Bold and effective as she was, she was always kind and welcoming to me. “You are one of the ladies!” she’d say. It was a warm welcome to the South Street family, and one I’ll never forget.
I felt safe in the then-unfinished Front Porch with these people — these natural leaders. I also felt, all at once, like we were on the precipice of some sort of movement. There was a kind of magic at 798 Grant Street.
Eventually I met Joe, asked to intern with him at South Street … “Mission” … or “Ministry”? I wasn’t sure of the name — but knowing the connection to the Front Porch sold the deal for me.
Volunteering at South Street Ministries, then working in the café, then leading as a Grants Manager-turned-Development Director has grown my heart and love for Jesus in some incredible ways. It’s because of those leaders that South Street Ministries has been my home for six years.
These people carried the weighty Gospel from the pages of the Book with their hands and feet. I like to say now that I prayed the prayer as a kid, but truly experienced Jesus’ salvation in the last 10 years.
I am humbled by my co-laborers’ skills, commitment, and joy amidst serving in these challenging places. I am blessed to call myself a past member of this team.
You can probably guess by now that this is a sort of good-bye — it is. However, the work hasn’t ended, and I am still tied to it. For life, Summit Lake and South Akron are my home. Six years with South Street Ministries and five years on staff has grown me, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I got to serve in such unique ways.
Today, I am saying good-bye to this post of Development Director. I am also welcoming a new chapter of life serving in another way. Kind of like South Street — the job description may change, but the heart doesn’t!
So in the spirit of SSM, I have a few parting gifts for you:
- First — you are empowered to continue giving to South Street Ministries in whatever way God has led you to give. If you are a volunteer, cook, donor, or all-around champion of South Street, continue doing just that. The work continues, and my transition has not changed the effectiveness and integrity of this awesome organization.
- Second — continue (or start) praying for South Street Ministries as often as you think of it. Pray for our beloved neighbors in Summit Lake and South Akron. Pray for each staff-person by name (Donovan, Jocelyn, David, Gary, Joe, LaMarr, Roy, and Lisa). Pray for each ministry and its participants (youth outreach, community engagement, the Front Porch, Reentry, and mentorship/discipleship). Pray for community empowerment and agency. Pray for community sobriety. Pray for community solutions. Pray for radical racial reconciliation.
- Third — remember, the magic of South Street is simple: There is no magic, just dynamic people. It’s all about the people. Each cup of coffee, each conversation, every planning meeting, and each relationship is meaningful in shaping our beloved community. At South Street Ministries, the “other” is uplifted, and the forgotten are centered. That’s not just an anecdote. I am a living witness to this, especially since I have had the privilege of sharing these beautiful stories for years.
The feeling is bittersweet, but I am so grateful for each one of you — whether a participant or a partner — who I have been privileged to meet. I am even more grateful for the generosity you have shown by supporting South Street’s friends and neighbors.
I met my husband at South Street Ministries, forged several strong relationships, and experienced God’s love and providence with your help.
There’s nothing left but gratitude, warmth, and plenty of good stories. I’ve shared mine. I hope you decide to make memories with South Street in the days to come.
***
Thank you, Erin, for your excellence, service to the Kingdom, and your heart for humanity!
BIBLE BLOCK UPDATE
RICH Kids has a few different enrichment activities, and Bible Block is one I have the opportunity to lead. Our Bible Block time has continued and transformed throughout all the different iterations of RICH Kids — from Zoom to hybrid to now being back in-person.
I have a renewed appreciation for the simplicity of being together with our youth in person.
This season of Bible Block has been short but sweet. We started with the parable of the lost sheep and have built on that. Each week we begin our time by asking our youth a question, giving them a paper to draw or write out their thoughts, and then we go around sharing what they drew and tying it to the passage.
As I finish up my last class of seminary, I am refreshed and encouraged by this time with our elementary-aged youth at RICH Kids. The parables of Jesus have such depth that we can continue learning from them for a lifetime; but, alongside that, the truth Jesus shares is so simple that a seven-year-old can hear His words and have such peace knowing that Jesus will find His lost sheep.
I pray that wherever each of us lands in our journey with Christ, we would cling to the same basic truths that a child understands when they hear His words.
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” —Jesus (Mark 10:14b)
BIKE SHOP BEGINS
A quick update on Bike Shop service opportunities!
- Bike Shop starts June 2.
- South Street needs volunteers to help serve and commit to any of the following over the next few months:
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- Monday and Wednesday nights — earn a bike
- 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month — share bike rides / purchase accessories
- 1st Friday in Kenmore on the Boulevard
- Farmers Market — bike shares and equipment
- 3rd Saturday of the month — ride at Summit Lake, meet at the Nature Center
Please contact Joe@southstreetministries.org for more information and questions, or go to https://southstreetministries.org/volunteer/ to sign up today!
RICH KIDS REWARDS
RICH Kids Rewards
Intro By: Jocelyn Grant
Felicia Johnson, M. Ed., LPC of Healing Hearts Counseling and Consultation Services, has been teaching Emotional Wellness to our RICH Kids Enrichment Program students throughout the school year. Virtually, and most recently in person, Ms. Johnson has helped our students give language to and process through their feelings about a plethora of things, including themselves, everyday interactions, and the lack of in-person interaction with their friends due to the pandemic.
She has also given space for the students to process national events that have
caused them to ask serious questions. During her time with us, she has empowered our students to start conversations about their thoughts and feelings, giving them tools to strengthen emotional intelligence. This includes helping them write and record a song to prevent violence by observing changes in a person’s body language and vocal tone:
Chorus:
Well, we’re going to outline some of the warning signs – Because violence can’t live here no more! (Repeat 2x)
Verse 1:
If someone’s about to lose their cool
You’re gonna to see them use a tool
We should never fight in school
Because it is not cool
Bridge:
Warning signs can protect us, yes, they can protect us!
Warning signs can protect us, yes, they can protect us!
Verse 2:
If you see somebody with a gun,
Shout “GUN” and then run,
Drugs and alcohol are not fun,
Tell an adult and then you’re done
Bridge:
Warning signs can protect us, yes, they can protect us!
Warning signs can protect us, yes, they can protect us!
Verse 3:
Sometimes people can get loud,
Bullies intimidate the crowd,
Body language tells us how,
Emotions can go up and down
Bridge:
If you hear somebody make a threat – or make a plan to commit – a violent act they will regret – be safe and you can make a bet – that warning signs can protect us, yes, they can protect us! Warning signs can protect us, yes, they can protect us!
Chorus:
Well, we have outlined some of the warning signs – Because violence can’t live here no more! (Repeat 2x)
We are happy to have partnered with Ms. Johnson, and look forward to working with her in the future. Here’s a brief word from her about her involvement thus far!
Being part of RICH Kids programming has been a rewarding experience.
Part of the work we do as therapists is engaging in mental health promotion on various topics that help people with problem solving and coping skills. I have used this as my focus when planning lessons and activities for our weekly sessions.
In my time spent with the kids in this group, it became clear early on that many of the topics we’ve covered are not new to them. This is great! It means I get to help them process and find meaning in their experiences while also enhancing their well-being and quality of life.
Helping them sort through stress-management, coping skills for depression and anxiety, understanding their feelings, and identifying their strengths are just a few high-level areas we’ve covered.
Working virtually during the time we have all spent at home during the pandemic was a struggle for everyone. However, it has been a pleasure to expand our use of technology and find new ways to connect. From creating stories to our most recent project of creating a song to help identify warning signs for violence, we have taken creativity to challenge as we cover what could be considered, for many people, difficult conversations.
INITIATIVE INVOLVEMENT
Here is an update on two of South Street’s initiatives in which you may be interested … or know someone who is!
#1 Across the Lake Circles
We are excited to be incorporating “Circles” into our Across the Lake initiative! We will gather neighbors from Kenmore and Summit Lake (10 from each residential community) together to view our video series and center a discussion around it over the course of four weeks. It’s about envisioning and leading our future together as well as reconciling our past.
Each month:
- 1st Tuesday — Relationship First — where neighbors get to know each other and establish deeper connections.
- 2nd Tuesday — View one of the 20-minute videos and do some Circles work.
- 3rd Tuesday — Talk to Action, answering “What are the things we want to move about and move toward?”
- 4th Tuesday — “What can we as residents move toward?”
Keep an eye out for sign-ups — both for the four-week intensive and to get updates about Across the Lake, including select screenings of the video project and any other events we host.
#2 Book Club Cohort — Embodied Cause
Embodied Cause’s second bi-weekly book club will be covering Too Heavy a Yoke by Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes. Dr. Barnes examines Black women and the burden of strength, especially in the Christian church!
Our hope in these book clubs is to develop a working theology of ministry in the real world — and in the communities of Summit Lake and South Akron.
Erin Pfanner, South Street Board Member and Treasurer, says of her book club experience thus far: “I was glad to be going through such a heavy text with others who helped me understand the content better. I believe the book will help me think about things differently and opened my eyes to many things that I had not thought about before.”
For more information or to sign up for cohort #2 (it is open to all!), please visit https://southstreetministries.org/embodiedcause/.
Your prayerful support of South Street Ministries makes caring, compassionate Kingdom work possible.
It is your generous giving that keeps us walking alongside children, families, and neighbors who need hope. Together, we’re renewing our community for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Thank you, and God bless you!