Extending the Season in the Children's Garden

This photo, taken yesterday, shows seedlings planted in mid-October by youth in the After School Program. While the temperatures are generally cooling down (not that today's weather is any indication of the trend!), we have been able to extend our growing season with the use of a cold frame, a rudimentary device that acts as a mini greenhouse. With this simple technology, our students are able to grow radishes, spinach, carrots, and other cold-hardy crops well into the cold season. Later this month, we will enjoy the fruits of our labor with a fresh, winter salad as we discuss the importance of healthy foods.

Stay tuned for more photos and updates as our plants continue to grow!

Kids Camp 2010

"God's fingerprints are everywhere!" This was our focus for the 2010 Kid's Camp as we gathered together to learn about how God is everywhere in our lives. We spent five weeks learning about how God is in our selves, our friends and family, our neighbors, our community, and in creation. We had almost 80 children registered and an average attendance of 58 children.

This summer we were able to hire 10 staff members through grants from Alternatives Inc. and Family Matters. These staff brought stability to the program by providing staff members who were able to work all five weeks of Kid's Camp. Thank you to our staff!

This camp would not be possible without the help of volunteers. We would like to thank the groups from First UMC in Downers Grove, Church of the Resurrection in Leland, KS, Littleton UMC from Littleton, CO, Oxford-University UMC from Oxford, MS, and groups from D.O.O.R. Chicago who volunteered throughout Kid's Camp to give extra hands. Thank you to Jon, Julia, and Joe who taught dance and music. A special thanks goes out to the people from United Church of Rogers Park who helped out; thanks to Stuart Salvatierra, Carol Corey, Eileen Martin, Carol Gloor, and Pat Williams.

Garden Days

Changes have been happening in front of the Ashland house this summer. During the first week in June, youth from Church of the Resurrection - UMC's west campus in Olathe, KS helped install four raised beds for vegetables. Several Saturdays ago we held a garden day. Church members and children from the afterschool program joined together and planted tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, basil, and many other vegetables. Each week on Thursday afternoon, Peter Hoy is giving garden classes to neighborhood children where they learn about where the food we eat comes from and other gardening skills. Peter came to UCRP as a Loyola student working in the afterschool program and this summer is helping with the garden. We hope by the end of the summer the garden will be overflowing with fresh vegetables!

Summer has begun at United Church of Rogers Park and this means mission trips! This past weekend, we had high school youth from the Church of the Resurrection in Lewood, KS's east campus in Olathe, KS here on a mission trip for our first mission trip team of the summer.

This team worked hard! They painted the entire house that we will be using for mission trips during the summer and then to house an intentional community in the fall, they put in raised beds that will soon be planted with vegetables in front of the house, organized all the art supplies in a new closet they built, and brought a crew that set up and networked all the computers in the library. The crew worked hard but also took some time to enjoy themselves by going down to Devon Avenue to try Indian food and spending one day of their trip downtown eating the famous Chicago deep dish pizza, visiting Millenium Park, and doing a boat tour of the city.

Each Tuesday afternoon, the Overdier Hall in the United Church of Rogers Park becomes a Tae Kwan Do center. The children are participating in a peacemakers Tae Kwan Do program led by Tim Peebles. The goal is that the children will be able to use Tae Kwan Do as a positive outlet for their energy and that they will learn body control that can help them in stressful situations. It is through this program that we are hoping to build children who are peacemakers and who can help bring peace to our neighborhood.

Please check out our video to learn about why Tim, our Tae Kwan Do instructor, sees Tae Kwan Do as a way to help the youth in our neighborhood.

This past Sunday we had a team visit from Groupon who helped to liven up some of our children's education wing. They painted quotes in the library, hung up bulletin boards and posters, gave fresh, new coats of paint to the stairway and blue room, organized our resource room, and more. Thanks to their help, our children's education wing is now a much more friendly place!

Change for Change

During the season of Lent we are challenging people to join our "Change for Change" project. We encourage you to save all of your change and then after Easter count it up. Send a check to the church at 1545 W Morse Ave, Chicago, IL 60626 or donate online the amount that you've saved. Through a little bit of change we can make big changes in our neighborhood!