Outreach Worker Perspective

Over the past few years with TCM, my roles have changed quite frequently. I went from being an intern to an Outreach Worker at Kingston-Galloway, to Communications, to an Outreach Worker at Jesse Ketchum. This past year, I took on the role as the Role Model Moms (RMM) Facilitator. Transitioning from working with children and youth to ministry with mothers has been a seamless transition. I firmly believe that God cultivated my love for moms through my past year at Jesse Ketchum. 

Abigaille with Jesse-Ketchum Moms

Working at Jesse Ketchum for the past year allowed me to not only build relationships with the children and youth but also with their parents. Every day, I’d have the opportunity to spend some time with parents during sign-in or sign-out. As a result, this naturally led to taking the moms out for coffee and getting to hear their stories, and my relationship with the moms grew deeper. God provided me with the honour of praying with them, crying with them and celebrating their accomplishments.  

When presented with the opportunity to facilitate RMM, I felt a sense of excitement. I was going to be part of a program that helped mothers gain their GEDs and be a source of encouragement along the way. The main goal of the RMM program is to equip moms with the tools and resources they need to pass the GED through one-on-one volunteering, building their confidence, and teaching them life skills. While doing this, I was excited to care for the moms and remind them that there is hope. God is the author of our story. He is not done with us yet and this is the hope that we continue to relay to our moms. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future””

— Jeremiah 29:11

Though there have been many blessings at RMM, we have also been faced with a major challenge. In September of 2023, we were made aware that the GED was on track to be discontinued in April of 2024. This surfaced a plethora of challenges for us as we had to begin discerning RMM’s next steps. Though we are still unsure of what the future holds, we are trusting that God will bring us clarity and guidance at this time.   

Amidst all of this, I get the unique opportunity to display the love of God to these mothers. I find that they are loving, kind and patient to their children, their partner, and to those around them. I have found that moms are expected to fill a variety of shoes on top of working or in this case, finish their GED. In light of this, I wanted to cultivate a place where they can also feel loved and accepted for who they are. My goal is for them to understand God’s love through the actions that I and our team showed them. 

One of my students had health concerns that came back only after studying for the GED. Her health affected her studies as well as her self-esteem. She would often miss classes due to unforeseen events and appointments which prompted us to communicate with her further to find ways to continue to support her. This was through spending extra time with her, finding extra resources and creating safe spaces for her to share. A major part of my role is to intercede for them and I was given many opportunities to pray with this mom. This led into bigger conversations about her faith and what she believes in. 

My faith has grown as God has modeled His faithfulness in their lives. As I grew closer with these women, they would share their testimonies and become vulnerable with me. When you listen to their stories, you can't help but wonder how they have gotten through life, thus far. The answer, God. God has been faithful in every single step they have taken. He has carved a path for them and is clearly guiding them. He led them to us! And we trust that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion till the day Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6). 

Outreach Worker Perspective: God is at Work

Jason was one of the first children to join Jesse Ketchum with his younger brother when we started the KIC programs in January 2022.

KIC is an afterschool program where children have the opportunity to hear the life-changing news of the gospel, some for the first time. Jason is one of our students who was introduced to the gospel through our programs. In addition, one of TCM’s core values is relationship building. Consequently, as the children engage with their Outreach Workers and volunteers, they are exposed to people whose lives have been transformed by the gospel.

Jason is an artistic and creative thinker. He likes to draw and colour during his free time and enjoys passionately sharing things he is excited about to his peers. In addition, he also loves gym games and is not shy about being around other kids and joining in on activities with them. 

Through Jason is often a lively kid, Abi (Outreach Worker at Jesse-Ketchum) realized that he does not like praise and worship or listening to Bible lessons. She often finds that he is not attentive to the Bible lesson as he hides behind chairs, or sits away from the group. Earlier last year, he mentioned that he “hates God” but then quickly said he was joking.

However, One day in October 2022, Jason had a change of heart and began becoming more curious about the Bible lesson and participating in praise and worship. One day the Bible lesson was about God’s promises to the prophets of the Bible. Jason was actively listening and participating in the discussion. He asked questions about the trinity, specifically, the Holy Spirit, and how we can talk to God personally. He also began to request specific worship songs and danced and sang along. One day, Jason’s dad asked us for a list of worship songs we sing during KIC because he noticed that his sons were singing them at home. His favourite song is "A Million Reasons” by Lifetree Kids. 

Abi and Karen were surprised with Jason’s change of heart. Seeing him enjoy worship along with the other kids brought them joy and encouragement. Their goal is to integrate worship music in all parts of the program so the children are exposed to it even in “non-worship” environments. Further, we hope that Jason and his brother minister to their parents by continuing to listen to the songs at home. Specifically, that their parents will hear the lyrics and begin to think about the meaning behind them and wonder about the God that their children are singing about. This shows us that although we are ministering to children, they are bringing the Gospel home and have the power to influence their parents. 

Through this experience, we witnessed God’s working power even when we don’t see results right away. Although we cannot pinpoint exactly what the switch was with Jason.  We are thankful that God opened his heart to have the desire to learn about Him and bring His presence home through music.

God Promises to Be With you

When you hear ‘God’s promises’, what is your first thought? I’m reminded of the promises that God has made with the people of the Old Testament. With Noah, He promised that He would never again send a flood to destroy the world (Genesis 9:11). With Abraham, He promised that Abraham would be the father to many nations and that many kings would come from his lineage (Genesis 17:5-6). With David, He promised that the Messiah would come from his lineage (2 Samuel 7). 

Now, when you hear ‘God promises to be with you’ what comes to mind? You might be reminded of Moses and the Israelites. God told Moses to go to Egypt to save His people from Pharaoh but Moses responded back and said “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:11). To which God responded with the following verse:

“But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain”

— (Exodus 3:12)

As we follow the story of Moses, we learn of the different ways God continues to be with Moses and the Isrealites. He protects them from harm as they leave Egypt by parting the Red Sea so that they could get away from Pharaoh (Exodus 14). He provided them with sustenance of quail and manna when they started to complain and continued to be with them are they wandered for a total of 40 years. He kept them safe and sound and always was by their side as a pillar of cloud at day and a pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:21-22). We see how God continues to be with the Israelites when Moses dies, as he sets Joshua to be the next leader. He then promises Joshua that He will also be with him, just like He was with Moses (Joshua 1). 

As Christians, we face a multitude of situations. There are times when we feel like we’re going through waves, just trying to float and stay alive. Other times it seems easier. But God promises that through whatever season, situation, issue that we are facing He is right there with us. Even though we feel like we’re drowning, God is right beside us. 

I pray that in times of trouble, confusion, and wandering, you are reminded of the words “God promises to be with you”. I hope that you cling onto the stories of Moses, Joshua and others and remember that God is with you. This is also what we hope to teach our kids at program. We hope that they come to know that God promises to be with them too. That through any trial or tribulation God promises to be with them, just like in it states in Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 

Our kids love praise and worship time. They’re always ready on their feet whenever it’s time to sing. In one of our praise and worship songs ‘Never Let Me Go’ by LifeTree Kids, it says “Through every storm of life, I know you’re by my side. So I am holding on, to your promises. You are the God who holds, my future, all my dreams. So I am holding on. You never let go of me!” I hope this song serves as a reminder to them that God holds His promises and will be by their side. 

In This Season Of Lament, I Will Continue To Praise You

By: Abigaille Alpay | Communication Coordinator

The world has been in this state for almost 9 months now and although it may feel like the norm, it’s still surreal. Many of us are in a state of lament as we reflect on lost jobs, being separated from family, cancelling special events and more. 

What is lament or lamenting? Lamenting is a deep expression of grief or sorrow. The pain is so extreme that it touches your soul and that you grieve from such a deep place. Lamenting in a Christian context is, according to Crosswalk, “...a prayer in pain that leads to trust. It is not only how Christians grieve; it’s the way Christians praise God through their sorrows. Lament is a pathway to praise when life gets hard.” 

Recently I’ve been in a season of lament. In the beginning of October, I felt myself feeling an overwhelming sense of grief, sorrow and hopelessness. Circumstances like the pandemic, school and the changing season are possible factors that explain how I’m feeling. Being in front of a screen for almost 12+ hours a day has been draining (between school, catching up with friends and family, work and ministry). For someone like me, who constantly needs social interaction to be stimulated and to be productive, working from home has been a challenge. 

As days went by, I weeped, yelled and cried out to God, questioning why I was in this season, why was I feeling this way? Why am I grieving? Why does it feel difficult? I was pretty angry with God because He felt so distant and I wasn’t sure what to do. I shared my difficulties with a sister in Christ and she recommended reading through the Psalms because it’s full of laments of David. I stumbled upon Psalms 13 in which David is in turmoil and it seems as though his enemy is winning but he goes on to say that he will continue to trust, rejoice and praise God because He’s so good to him. Meditating on this Psalm helped me realize that even though I’m going through this season, God is still good. I’ve also been meditating on a song by Maverick City called ‘Promise’ and it has been a reminder that God is my anchor. 

Thank you God for who you are. Thank you for being my firm foundation through this uncertain time. Thank you for showing me that even through this time of lament, you are still faithful and true. Even though I don’t know what may come or what I may go through,  you know and that’s enough for me. Whether you make it known to me now, later or never, I will still continually trust in you. 

In this season of lament, I will continue to praise you. 

Activities To Do With Family

By Abigaille Alpay, Kingston-Galloway | Outreach Worker

During our online KIC (Kids In Community)  program at Kingston-Galloway, we made our very own greenhouses with the help of Just Vertical (Click on the link to learn how to make your own). This activity was so simple, yet so much fun! While doing this activity, I realized that there are many activities that can be fun for you and your family. Activities that include the Bible, cooking, planting, imagination and games. Here is a list, as well as resource links to activities that you can do with your family!

Bible Time Activities:

Bible challenges are always fun!

• Challenges (Memory Verse, Bible Trivia, Bible Jeopardy): Our kids love a good challenge! Especially if there’s a prize to be won. 

• Reading or Watching the Bible together: Reading or watching Bible stories is always fun. We’ve been reading through “The Jesus StoryBook Bible” which makes stories easy for individuals of all ages to understand. Here is a link to watch it on Youtube

• Act Out the Bible: Acting out Bible stories help kids understand the stories better!

Food Activities:

• Naan Pizza: In early May, Carmen posted a blog on how to make Pizzas with Naan bread which was a hit with the kids!

• Popsicles: Homemade popsicles may be the best cure to a hot summer's day.

• Rice Krispies: Easy to make but also easy to customize with your favourite sweets. Add chocolate chips, peanut butter, granola, marshmallows and more if you’d like.

• No Bake Chocolate Cookies: Our kids love anything with chocolate and the best part about this recipe is that you don’t need to bake anything!

During summer camp, we made Daniel and Lions from the Bible story out of popsicle sticks.

Craft Activities:

• Fluffy Slime: Slime is a crowd favourite for our kids, that they make slime inside and outside of camp (Sonshine Day Camp). They even bring their homemade slime to camp! 

• Origami: Our kids made origami last summer and they had fun figuring out how to fold a piece of paper. They made different creations and had fun seeing the results

• Toilet Paper Rolls: Toilet paper rolls are very versatile. You can make different animals, trees, crowns, decorations and more!

• Popsicle Stick Crafts: There are many things that you can make with popsicle sticks. You can make puzzles, puppets, houses, even a picture frame!  

Gym/Imagination Play:

On girls day we painted their nails!

• Pillow Fight: This simple game is super fun to play with everyone.

• “The Floor is Lava”: In this game, you pretend the floor is lava. You and your family cannot touch the floor. The only way you can get across the room is by jumping on furniture to get across the room.

• Indoor obstacle courses: Make an obstacle course with pillows, furniture, stuffed animals and other toys. You can either make it super easy or super hard!

• Tea Party: During last year’s Sonshine Day Camp, we had a tea party with our kids. We did each other’s hair, made snacks, played dress up and did each other’s nails (here is a link to some nail art).

• “Camping”: Not outdoor camping but living room camping! Making forts in your living room using blankets, pillows and surrounding furniture is always a fun time! You can even “pack” your bag and “travel” to the campsite with your stuff.