Hope Community of Shalom, Inc
Shalom
Partnership educates children, reinvigorates
Methodist church
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal -
By Beth Pratt
Historically, as central city neighborhoods change,
churches either change or go into decline.
For many churches, the option has been move or die.
Robin O'Shaughnessy/A-J Photo
Titus Padilla, 6, puts the puzzle together to spell Shalom, which has
the students' names on the letters. He is a member of Shalom Readers, an
after-school program at
Hebrew for peace, shalom is the name attached to a
United Methodist initiative to access needs and minister within inner-city
neighborhoods.
"God has worked a miracle for Asbury," said member
Noting the financial challenges of a shrinking
congregation, Clopton said, "The church is at the point that it might have
been closing its doors. But God sent a vision to the congregation that we
should reach out to the neighborhood with the Shalom ministry."
People came with the right gifts and knowledge, sent by
God at the optimum moment, she said, among them the Rev. Louise Schock,
pastor of Asbury since 2001; Esther Moses, with the Lubbock Inter-Ethnic
Parish; D'Aun Tavvener, wife of a former pastor and longtime member; Lupe
Manriquez, a neighborhood grandmother who lives near the church and is
rearing nine grandchildren; and several volunteers from other churches.
"God continues to bring support from many others who
are catching the vision of what Hope Community of Shalom can mean for
said.
Robin O'Shaughnessy/A-J Photo
Esther Moses directs the Shalom Reader program, a part of Hope Community
of
"The building will bloom once again with the voices of
people who will feel God's loving care for them through the service of this
grand old building now situated exactly where need is great," she said.
The vision became reality with the signing of papers
Feb. 20, transferring the building and equipment to the Hope Community of
Shalom Inc.
Schock credited the Rev. Dave Treat, who retired in
2001, with starting the process. The church, which is directly across the
street from
Andrew Tolbert, new executive director of the Hope
Community of Shalom, is excited about the possibilities for the
neighborhood. The retired career Air Force officer said he grew up in a
family that attained lower middle class status through the hard work of his
father, who was not well educated. As he got out into the world, Tolbert
said, he began to realize that education gap affected not only his father,
but also his view of the world, "much that I didn't realize I didn't know."
With most of his 23 years of military service in supervisory positions,
Tolbert said he was "constantly reminded of what kids from poor
neighborhoods and families are missing in the educational area."
Robin O'Shaughnessy/A-J Photo
At 89, Lucille Tune is the oldest among volunteers who come to
That is not meant as criticism of schools so much as
recognition that educated parents help schools with the educational process
for their children, he said.
Volunteers range in age from the traditional college
student at Texas Tech to the oldest volunteer, music teacher Lucille Tune,
89, who played piano accompaniment as one group of children sang "Itsy,
Bitsy Spider," led by a student from Sunset International Bible Institute.
Jean Lewis Kock has worked with first- and
second-graders since Moses began Shalom Readers at Asbury in 2002 as a trial
program.
"We started with six kids," Kock said. "I think this is
an absolutely incredible program. We offer snacks, supper and individual
attention ... with a big emphasis on reading."
Kock brings her own books for the children to read as
well as books from the library. The children enjoy the volunteers reading to
them, and also the 10 minutes when they do their silent reading of books,
she said.
A walk-through with Moses on a Tuesday afternoon found
children doing their homework, proudly showing Moses their good grades on
school papers or playing games.
Mary Jo Sanders, a retired schoolteacher and substitute
teacher for children with dyslexia at the Scottish Rites program, sat with
three fourth-graders who were completing their homework. Shalom Readers
provides one-on-one attention.
"All of these students are good readers," Sanders said
of the three fourth-graders, who were doing some work on spelling.
Sidney Thomas was the runner-up in the spelling bee at
Dupre, Sanders added proudly.
"He's a good singer, too," she said, noting that he was
a member of the MLK Boys Choir, as he modestly ducked his head, a bit
embarrassed but also pleased at the attention.
Speaking for himself,
wood, the teacher explained.
Robin O'Shaughnessy/A-J Photo
Cydnee Prince, 15, plays guitar with others at Loaves & Fishes, a food
and clothing distribution program in the basement of
Stephanie George likes having help with her homework at
Shalom Readers. Ryan Thorne agrees with
Sixth-grader Anthony Vela, who has attended the program
two years, also appreciates the help with homework.
"I like to sing in the MLK Boys Choir," he added.
Jackie Montoya, a retired teacher who taught at Dupre,
is a member of
"I still know the families, and I think (the children)
need a safe place where they can have fun, have supervision while learning
to relate to each other and to grown-ups," Montoya said.
When Schock retired from her position as conference
director of mission and administration, she accepted the assignment as
part-time pastor at Asbury, bringing with her a knowledge of the Shalom
movement as well as expertise in where to find funding.
"That is the church I attended while on conference
staff, and the church knew me because I had preached there," Schock said. "I
had co-chaired the Shalom ministry team until I came on as pastor."
But her knowledge of the Shalom program went even
deeper because she was present at the 1992 General Conference that
originated the concept of a neighborhood ministry.
"We took a day of fasting and prayer," she recalled of that first
program, developed in hopes of preventing a climate that makes a
neighborhood ripe for rioting. "It was started in
Robin O'Shaughnessy/A-J Photo
From left, Gabriella Manriquez, 9, Deionne Garza, 8, Valerie Rodriguez,
9, and Savannah Farrias, 9, take a break from homework to clown a bit at
Shalom Readers.
The program is part of the
"That was in May '92," Schock said. "It started in
Today, churches in
"(Shalom) is not something to do for people, but to do
with people," Schock said. "It is asking, 'What is it we need in our
community?' "
The program began with a five-month training period
with trainers coming from the
"That first summer, Esther and I walked the
neighborhood, met the people and did a Bible school through the Inter-Ethnic
Parish," Schock said.
Moses expects having the church building as property of
the Shalom program will work well.
"It gives us opportunity to expand and bring in more
people, but Asbury will still be involved in missions," Moses said.
The ladies of Asbury who make cookies and sew costumes
started the Shalom mission, Moses said.
"I tell them, 'You planted this seed.'
