A Look at Missions through Community Hope

Liz Rickner is one of the newest members of the Leadership Council here at Church of the Apostles. She has served as a mentor through Community HOPE (a Ministry Partner of Apostles) for the past three years. Read about Liz's experience with living out a portion of our mission statement: "transforming the city through Jesus Christ." 

Community Hope is a literacy mentoring program sponsored by the YMCA and supported by Church of the Apostles.  It is not just a tutoring program; it is a relationship and a bond between mentor and child. 

For the past three years I have been mentoring the same child once a week during the school year.  We work through an individualized literacy plan to build vital reading skills, with guidance from an experienced Community Hope staff.  It has been rewarding, educational, inspiring and challenging for both of us!  My student and I learn from each other regularly. When we study together weekly we understand more about patience, perseverance, and persistence.  It is rewarding to see a concept that we have been working on come alive and make sense.  

Community Hope is inspiring to me because I know God has brought us together at just the right time in our lives. Weekly, I try to be a good example to my student with words and actions that please God. I am looking forward to another productive year with my 5th grader.

Mentors are still needed and children are on a waiting list. If you would like to get involved in Community HOPE and become a mentor, you can contact the following people:
Eric Saunders – Finley YMCA (North Raleigh)
Eric.Saunders@YMCATriangle.org

Sharlene Provilous – Alexander YMCA (Downtown Raleigh) Sharlene.Provilous@YMCATriangle.org