The next one will be January 8. All of Sojourners Social Justice groups are encouraged to meet after the service. If you’re new to the church, or simply haven’t attended any of these meetings yet, please feel free to drop in on one (or more!) that day.
Dr. Keiser talked about several Clark Elementary School initiatives when she addressed the congregation November 6. When interviewing candidates for teaching positions they put the person in an actual class to observe. They had instituted co-teachers for the third grade and hoped to add them for other grades. Many after-school activities were offered four weekdays such as cooking, drawing and newspaper work. Because of a 21st Community Learning Center Grant, tutoring and outdoor recreation were offered four weekdays. This had a health and food component to teach healthy living as well as service learning in the community. To focus on the importance of college, one day a month, faculty wore something from their college and had conversations with students about setting goals. Clark had strong volunteer support from PVCC, JABA and UVa’s Madison House. She welcomed Sojourners as volunteers and asked for our prayers for her as she led the school with which she had already fallen in love.
In addition to registering Giant grocery cards so percentages of sales go to the school we’ve begun collecting Box Tops for Education. A church neighbor had asked us to participate along with other area churches. Last year over $300 was raised simply by the efforts of the school families.
Our next Social Justice Sunday is November 6. Dr. Daphne Keiser, the new principal at Clark Elementary School, will deliver our Social Justice Moment outlining for us additional ways we can connect with the school. At the beginning of the school year we donated supplies, specifically focusing on the classroom of a Clark teacher with Sojourner ties. We’ve recently started gathering sign-ups for Giant Food’s program to channel percentages of store purchases to designated schools.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of Sojourners Social Justice Groups is September 12 worship. These groups are open to anyone who would like to participate. If you’re new to the church or simply haven’t decided on a group yet, feel free to drop in on one or more of the meetings to find out what’s happening. This summer for Social Justice Sundays, we began inviting directors of various local agencies or organizations which we fund through our Service & Missions grants to join us for worship and to briefly address the congregation. We look forward to welcoming our second speaker in this series, Drene DeGood, Executive Director of the Alliance for Interfaith Ministries (AIM). All speakers are invited to stay for fellowship and the meetings after worship so that we can share more information about our respective social justice work.