Ohio church’s Freedom School gives students a head start

Children in the Freedom Schools program show their excitment. (Photo via www.thecincinnatiherald.com)

As seen in The Cincinnati Herald:

More than 50 students out for the past summer school break returned to school last week better prepared and inspired to tackle their assignments due to the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools program provided at Gray Road Church of Christ.
The program provides summer and after school enrichment that helps children fall in love with reading, increases self-esteem, and generates more positive attitudes toward learning.
Tracey Jasper, whose husband Craig Jasper is assistant pastor at Gray Road Church of Christ, directs the program there.
Jasper said the children developed such a strong desire to read that they want to read to other children in the program. Some parents report their children are requesting them to take them to the library often, she said. And the children are using the dictionary to learn new words.

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• Feedback
  This is refreshing news! Thanks to the Gray Road for daring to launch out into the community to work and serve the needs of others. This is what Jesus did. What is really commendable is that this church is engaging in this ministry at a time when so many Christians are turning inward and blaming the people below them for all our economic ills in society. To them, conservative politics trumps the real, spiritual mission of the church. This is a time when Good Samaritan acts (medical care, transportation, housing, and “any thing else needed”) is shunned in favor of support for corporate wealth and power. What Gray Road is doing should be an example and inspiration to all of us to discover the joy in serving these categories of the needy.

  Harold Williams

  September, 6 2012

  I’m not sure what conservative politics have to do with caring for the poor. Plenty of us conservatives are giving to groups like City Rescue Mission, International Justice Mission, Ghana West Africa Missions, Predisan, Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Heartbeat for Hope, and Citizens Caring for Children, to name a few, as well as sponsoring children in Africa and other places so that they can attend school. All these groups help the poor and downtrodden. Corporations in my area also give hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, to charitable causes, and they enable many of us to have the resources to do the same on a smaller scale. If we all do our part, we CAN make a difference in this world.

  Lori Walle

  September, 7 2012