CITY & MOUNTAIN
These two stories represent the rich — and varied — opportunities for ministry here in Holston Conference.

Art program helps inner-city kids improve grades

Running water is a first for needy family in mountain area

Art program helps inner-city kids improve grades

By Heidi J. Robinson

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (UMNS) — To a casual passerby, the scene might look like an extreme sports exhibition: an enormous slingshot stretched between field stakes, participants cloaked in protective plastic garb, and the cheers and shrieks of the crowd.

Twelve kids take turns firing projectiles of paint at oversized canvases, creating a colorful masterpiece worthy of a gallery, and noise reminiscent of a football game.

But what is taking place in a field behind Christ United Methodist Church of Chattanooga District is far more significant than a casual competition. Children from Chattanooga's inner city are experiencing the thrill of seeing their own artistic talent make an impact.

"It makes me feel special, and that I can do a good job and make things happen in my life," says rising seventh-grader Sierra Daniels.

The enormous slingshot, paint-soaked tennis balls, and happy faces are the kids' payoff for voluntarily spending summer mornings hitting the books, as part of a program aimed at raising the academic performance of children in the inner city.

"These kids will remember how much fun it is creating the art," says Becky Hall, Christ UMC director of missions. "They remember how rewarding it is to create something beautiful, and that is an insurance policy that they will return to our literacy program next year."

Two dozen women prep canvases, soak paintballs and instruct in pottery embellishment. The women, who call themselves Moms on a Mission, use the extreme art in tandem with the academic instruction offered at the Bethlehem Center, a United Methodist neighborhood center in the inner city. The art and other enrichment activities are a lure to keep middle-school students involved in the academic tutoring program during the lazy days of summer.

"Our students have scored below grade level during their academic year," explains the Rev. Lurone Jennings, Bethlehem Center executive director and pastor at Bethlehem-Wiley UMC. "They must have intensive work in both language arts and mathematics if they are to reach their full potential in high school. We must reach them now. The problem is that there are a lot of distractions and reasons not to come to get the help they need."

Enter Moms on a Mission and extreme art classes. Several professional artists count themselves among the group of moms. They lend their talents to a number of diverse artistic expressions that draw the students' attention and fire their collective imagination.

"Today, I had a group of boys who were very apprehensive about coming out here to paint because they think that's a girl thing," says professional painter Jane Newman. "Once they got started, they simply got lost in the beauty and freedom of the art process."

Sharing gifts

In the three years since the program's inception, students have had opportunities to create oil paintings, in both abstract and representational styles. One boy says painting taught him new things about himself.

"It makes me feel good," says Jeremy Davis, a rising ninth-grader. "I didn't know I could paint. I know Miss Jane has faith in me." The moms say they have learned alongside the kids and have gained insight into the purpose in their own lives.

"I think it's our mission. God gives each one of us a gift, and we're supposed to use it," Newman says. "I need to share my gift."

Jenny Smith says exploring the creative process with the middle-school students reinforces her belief that faith takes action. "I think it is very important that we show other mothers and parts of our community that all children are important, and every child deserves an opportunity. We have to give children new experiences so they can truly grow."

Demand for art

In all, more than 100 pieces of art are created in the program. Some of the canvasses span three or four feet, and some are glazed ceramic. At the end of the summer, the art will be auctioned and the proceeds will help fund the tutoring and academic support for next summer.

"One of the best parts of this program is that the students have some ownership in it," Jennings says. "Their work impacts the program. "

The art is already in high demand. A local BMW dealership says it plans to purchase and hang some of the art in its new showroom. "It's quality work. They put all their effort into it," says Leslie Williams, BMW of Chattanooga. "I think it's fresh inspiration for us to purchase this and put it up in our new facility, rather than purchase elsewhere."

The combination of art and academics appears to be a master stroke. Tutors report that by the summer's end, they see a 28 percent increase in the number of students who can pass a grade-level reading test. This means the students start this school year with a firm grasp of the scholastic, and also a confidence in their God-given talents.

Jeremy Davis sums up the feeling of the young artists: "I did a very good job."

Heidi Robinson is a freelance producer based near Cleveland, Tenn., and a member of Christ UMC in Chattanooga District.


Running water is a first for needy family in mountain area

By Henri Giles

LAKE CITY, Tenn. — Even in the 21st century, indoor plumbing remains but a dream for many Americans.

Kathy and Jerry Lynn Jackson of Lake City, Tenn., know this all too well. The picturesque surroundings of the Appalachian Mountains cannot mask the poverty in their rural area.

Their four-room house, built during the Great Depression, is tucked way in the mountains of east Tennessee and has seen few improvements over the years.

"We were sitting here with no hope, no money, didn't know what we were going to do to fix the place up," says Jerry Jackson. "The things that needed to be done, we just couldn't afford to do."

For the past 13 years, the Jacksons lived with a makeshift bathroom. "Our toilet was non-flushable," Kathy Jackson recalls. "We had to take a 5-gallon bucket of water and flush it, and in the wintertime it was like a deep freezer. Our water would freeze, even in the bathtub."

Like so many of their neighbors, the Jackson family was in need. Help came by way of the Appalachia Service Project, an organization founded by a United Methodist minister and comprising volunteers from around the country who make home repairs.

The Cup of Cold Water Project, which is a part of the Appalachia Service Project, provides plumbing to homes without running water. Last summer, Kathy's sister, who lives nearby, was having work done on her house by a team of service project volunteers. Kathy approached the workers and asked for help.

"These people just happened to be in the neighborhood, " Jerry says. "(It was) just like God had sent them here because they knew it was work to be done." After going through the application process, she and Jerry became eligible this past summer to receive the improvements their house so badly needed. For eight weeks, volunteers worked all day in oppressive heat to make the Jackson home more comfortable.

Linda Honea, external relations coordinator for the service project, tells what the renovation includes. "The Cold Cup of Water project is providing them with a first-time septic system, a room addition which is their brand new bathroom, complete with tub, shower, vanity, sink and toilet. We're doing a complete re-wire of the house."

Jerry is grateful for the new electrical work. "The switchbox wouldn't carry enough electricity to supply the house," he says.

Adds Kathy: "Gosh, we were so worried it would burn the house down because the fuse box was loose."

Travis Packer, one of the Appalachia Service Project's community coordinators, likens the work to an extreme home makeover and notes that it brings many levels of satisfaction for those involved.

"It feels great to have a purpose every day, to walk out and know what things you need to do that day and that those things are the right things for other people. It's very satisfying for us to hang out here and do work with them, so I don't think of it as us coming to serve them. It's all of us serving together."

Need still remains

Since 1969, the Appalachia Service Project has helped reduce the number of families living without running water and in dilapidated houses. Founded by a United Methodist minister, the Rev. Glenn "Tex" Evans, the service project has helped thousands of families enjoy a safer, warmer and drier home.

The organization serves people in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Each summer, more than 13,000 volunteers help improve the living conditions for 400 families.

"The thing that I love about ASP the most is that it's a relational ministry and that the work we do is really wonderful. It will last a very long time, and it will make a difference in a family's life," says Dorota Pruski, a service project summer director.

Great need remains. The organization is able to assist only one in six people who apply, according to Linda Honea. "Quite a number of families around here do not have adequate facilities, and we did not have a problem finding homes to work on this summer. It takes everything large and small coming together in these hills and hollers to make ASP go."

Changed lives

The volunteers range from teens to retirees. Meeting and working with the families is often a life-changing experience. This is 17-year-old Justine Norys' third summer. "When I come here, I'm definitely changed from before. It makes me more appreciative, humble, and I feel like it's my way to help serve others while serving for God. I can go home and be so thankful and do my best to help others." The Woodstock, Ill., student has also encouraged family and friends to volunteer.

Retired carpenter Merle Freund takes a quick break from his saw to survey the work site. He is also a repeat volunteer from Woodstock. "At first I used to come down here because I thought I would be helping people. Now I come down here because it's just darn fun!"

To show his appreciation, Jerry helped the team of workers with the renovation. He says the volunteers' dedication has restored his faith in people helping others. Because of the kindness of strangers, Jerry and his family will spend this winter in a home that is warm. They won't have to carry in water from outside to cook and bathe. Jerry and Kathy Jackson will be able to turn on a faucet, flush a toilet and enjoy a hot shower.  

Henri Giles is a freelance producer based in Nashville, Tenn.

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