Getting Ready for School
It's back to school time! Some families are excited, some are growling. We have some opportunities for you to bless both types of families this school year.
Serving
This year we are adopting Bagdad Elementary school in an effort to build strong relationships with staff and student families. Aug. 15 & 16, they are needing our help to get classrooms set-up for teachers. Let's show our support by showing up with an army! We, adults and kids, can be a part of making their school year start off well!
Serve at Bagdad Elementary
We also partner with Education Connection and provide volunteers who spend 30 minutes a week helping children read. This is one of the neatest way you can impact a child's abilities and confidence. Serve in Education Connection
Back-to-School Construction
As our HIS Kids Preschool prepares for their semester to start, you'll notice some on-going projects around campus. Through God's provision, our licensed preschool program has received a grant from the Child Care Relief Fund. In total, the HIS Kids program is scheduled to receive $700,000 to support and make improvements related to their specific ministry. This grant money does have specific parameters for which it can be used for the weekday program.
We are excited that God has provided a way for the Preschool to initiate updates that will benefit their students and families. As a reminder, the HIS Kids Preschool has a separate budget from the church that is tuition-based (along with the grant), but is overseen like all other ministries of New Hope (by staff and Finance Committee).
I mention this both as a praise for provision, and to be transparent about the projects you may see on our campus. These projects are not coming out of the New Hope church budget. In regard to the church budget (supported by member giving), we have come a long way in closing the budget gap thanks to your generosity! In terms of ministry spending, we will continue to "slam the brakes" and cut back as mentioned in last week's article.
--Keith Pate
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