What one thing would you say is the biggest need facing the world as a whole? Those raised in the church might quote Paul:
How can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him whom they have never heard about? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? -Romans 10:14
If you said people need to hear the gospel, you are right but, how can they hear? There is an unspoken obstruction in getting the gospel to those who need it. Notice what Paul said. How shall they HEAR? In our civilization with bibles readily available, we have reworded Romans to say “How will they know unless they read?” Many charities have been formed to put bibles in people’s hands, but that assumes something that is frequently not the case:
We often think of an education gap as a third-world problem. but most communities have literacy problems in our own backyard. In nearby Milwaukee, less than 30% of kids read at grade level. Here in Waukesha, a nicer suburb of Milwaukee, we only have a proficiency level of 44%. My bet is that your community is the same.
How does this affect a neighborhood? According to the department of justice, 70% of Juveniles incarcerated read no higher than the 4th-grade level. 70% of welfare recipients in the United States have low literacy levels. Boys that have difficulty in school are three times more likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol.
We spent a week with a church in Judsonia, Arkansas, learning a literacy program to duplicate it in our community. I want to share with you their program. If you have a few teachers and a building this is a great option for you to conduct in your own community.
The bones
We had a group of sixty kids, 1st-4th graders. 4 youth groups participated, with each “little buddy” paired with their own “big buddy.” for the whole week (a few active little buddies needed an extra helper). These were divided by basic grade level but named by color groups to disguise their grade levels for those behind a grade. Each group had a team leader with no buddy just to be a facilitator.
Morning program
- As they arrive there is loud music and games going on until everyone arrives and has name tags. lots of interactive singing and recitation of rules and verses help get some energy out.
- 40-minute group class in the morning led by past or present certified educators. Age-appropriate reading and visualization skills. making words with letter cards.
- 50-minute session isolated with a big buddy. Two main elements: sight word practice and reading time (taking turns reading to each other).
Afternoon program
- Lunch followed by a very informal VBS (no themes, no costumes, almost no decorations).
- More singing.
- Skit time. Each youth group was assigned a day to perform a skit teaching a basic moral
- Rotations – divided by color group, they go through crafts (provided by the same day’s skit group), games, snacks, and memory work to reinforce the skit’s moral.
- More singing.
- “Ticket time”. Tickets awarded throughout the day for positive achievements are turned into inexpensive rewards. Trust me, there is nothing like the sound of 120 kids chanting “TICK-ET-TIME!” at the top of their lungs to close the day’s program.
- The day ends as it begins. Informal time of playing with big buddies as parents arrive to bring their kids home, this allowed big buddies time to build friendships with their little buddies.
Testimonials:
Piper is a seventh-grader (the youngest age for big buddies). She came excited to spend time with her friends. Her buddy was a nine-year-old girl, and she enjoyed watching her buddy open up to people. At first, her buddy was shy and did not like to read, but soon gained confidence and even read aloud. Piper felt like she got to be a part of that. She also feels like she has made a lifetime friendship with her little buddy.
AJ is a high school kid from Missouri. He came to Kickstart for the second time. His little buddy from the previous year was back, and though they weren’t paired up, AJ enjoyed seeing his growth from last year. He said that this year’s buddy was a ‘troubled kid’, but worked hard, and AJ liked being a part of that. His little buddy wanted to work to get AJ’s approval which he supplied plenty of (not just tickets). AJ is committed to the program because if a kid can learn to read, he has helped enable a child to grow in his own knowledge of scripture.
Liv has also been a part of the Kickstart program for two years. Her little buddy, Lillia, had already attended the kickstart program for one year but after two days of her second year was so impacted, that she chose to become a Christian, Lillia and her family is still faithfully attending church.
Keegan’s buddy from last lear, ‘Kix’, enjoyed Kickstart so much that he was back this year, with a twist. He was too old to be a little buddy and too young to be a big buddy. He brought a younger friend to the program and spent the week as a ‘runner’ bringing anything that the teams needed.
At home
Here, in Waukesha, we have previously poured months of effort to put on themed VBS programs, only to have about 10 kids in attendance. I have noticed a trend in the same direction in other programs I have brought my kids to. If this is your situation, a literacy program may be a good option for you as well. You likely meet several of the needs of families in the community.
Adam, one of the teachers, summed it up well, “We infuse a little reading with a lot of Jesus.”
