Willowdale Night to Shine 2022
Night to Shine 2022 was another amazing experience for all involved. From the team of coordinators and the ministry leaders who planed it, to the 105 volunteers who helped pack goodie bags, build yard signs, decorate the parking lot, capture all the moments through videos and photographs, and danced and cheered guests through our Shine thru event for over two hours in sub zero temperatures!! After the Shine Thru event, all of the 133 guests had their goodies ready for a virtual Night to Shine celebration.
The virtual Night to Shine celebration kicked-off with a zoom “welcome” attended by our guests who were all excited to see each other dressed up for the occasion and ready to celebrate. The Tim Tebow Foundation video that they all had special access to, reminded them of why they are honored guests to this event, of God’s love for each one of them and why host churches want to share this with them and be part of celebrating them as kings and queens. Then four amazing volunteers hosted zoom rooms including; dance party, trivia, sing-a long and a quiet room to complete the virtual celebration.
These are some testimonials from our the parents and honored guests:
- “We enjoyed the Shine Thru on Saturday and felt so blessed that all of the volunteers braved the cold to create such a welcome for all of us and made our guys feel so special and appreciated!! Please pass along our thanks. You all really know how to Party!!”
- “Brought real tears of joy and gratitude to my eyes!! You are truly angels on earth and I wanted to let you know that all the parents and our forever children appreciate you, all your super hard work, and all the big and little things you do to make our world a more kind and better place. “
- “What a fabulous drive through!!!! We can’t thank you and all the volunteers enough for providing such a special experience today. You are all special!! Thank you for your time, your willingness to freeze, and for your friendship.”
- “I know it takes countless volunteers and many, many hours to put this event together, whether it is virtual or in person, and our family appreciates everyone’s efforts to make Night to Shine a night to remember for all the “kings and queens.”
These are some testimonials from some of the volunteers who partnered with us to make these events happen:
- “I first wanted to say that I had SO much fun at the Shine Thru! What an amazing opportunity to be God’s love and celebrate such wonderful people alongside wonderful people.”
- “Thanks so much for the opportunity to be a part of Shine Thru! It was truly an amazing day.”
What makes this event so special for the guests is how many volunteers partner to make it happen. Therefore, a huge Thank You to everyone involved! It honestly could not have happened without your time, energy, and enthusiasm! And rather than having to wait a whole year to serve in our Special Needs ministry, would you consider volunteering? There are lots of ways to get involved:
- Every week we provide buddies for kids with Special Needs so that they can join in with all the activities Willowdale Children’s and Student’s programing provides from preschool up to high school. This happens mainly during our Sunday services but also during the week when small groups meet up.
- We run monthly Respite Nights where we provide fun activities for all the kids in the family so their parents can have some “respite”. We have volunteers who run the activities, as well as buddies for the kids. This is a great opportunity for families to serve together – kids and students can be buddies or join in with the activities.
- There are also opportunities in the summer to help with Joni and Friends family camps, that are attended by families from our Willowdale community. Click Here to read more or email Alison Kelisek for more information.
Check out our WiServe form to partner with our Special Needs ministry!
Willowdale Men’s Annual Christmas Tree Project
The Annual Christmas Tree Project is entering its 10th year of blessing families in need in our community. This local outreach ministry began in 2012, when Don Egan and his wife, April, were out buying a Christmas tree. It was on that day that Don thought it would be a good idea to purchase 10 additional trees (and stands) and give them to some of the families in need within our Willowdale community. So, on a Sunday morning in December 2012, those 10 trees were delivered and the Christmas Tree Project took root.
The following year a Willowdale men’s small group was looking for a community outreach project. Don, being a new member of the group, suggested they adopt the Christmas Tree Project. And in December 2013, those 10 men met for breakfast, split into teams and delivered gift cards, food boxes, wreaths, poinsettias, and trees with all the trimmings to 25 families. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the children and families that were helped touched each of them and the mission of the Christmas Tree Project began to spread.
Over the years, this outreach has grown to include several local churches, various men’s groups, and nearly 70 volunteers making deliveries throughout Southern Chester County, Maryland, Delaware, Philadelphia, Exton, West Chester and all points in-between. And the mission to bring smiles to families, invite them to church and share the love and light of Jesus will reach nearly 150 families on December 4, 2021.
This year, the Christmas Tree Project will once again be delivering bags of food, trees, lights, wreaths and poinsettias to local families and there are plenty of opportunities for the men of Willowdale to volunteer. Over the next few weeks, there will be a need to help unload, trim and clean up trees for delivery, assemble food bags, as well as set up and take down during the event on December 4. If you are interested in learning more about how you can help, click HERE to volunteer.
The Garage Expands to Avondale
We have had the honor of partnering with The Garage for the past 20 years, working together to benefit the most vulnerable members of our Southern Chester County community.
The Garage has recently purchased a new property located at 121 Pennsylvania Ave in the Borough of Avondale, the original Avondale Firehouse. This space opens the doors, literally and figuratively, to a bounty of opportunities and services for the Avon Grove community. The change is bittersweet, as the West Grove Garage will be absorbed by this space, but the growth opportunities in this new space cannot be achieved in our current location. With over 11,000 square feet, their program space will more than triple in the Avon Grove School District.
The Garage Community and Youth Center has provided academic support, enrichment programming, career readiness workshops, self-care and emotional support to hundreds of community youth all while offering nutritious meals, safe transportation, and reliable internet and technology access on a daily basis. This new Avondale Garage space will allow the organization to further elevate its services and widen its reach to the growing population in Southern Chester County including those once served by the West Grove location. The Garage is proud not only to continue, but elevate and expand our services while fostering friendship, combating food insecurity, building confidence, providing safety, and much more.
Working with a very generous seller, The Garage will be able to purchase and completely renovate this space for an approximate cost of $900,000. Enclosed is some additional information about the impact that The Garage has made on Kennett Square and Avon Grove youth, and they look forward to expanding that impact in the new location.
The Avondale Garage Capital Campaign is essential to our community for five important reasons:
- Added Capacity
- 50% increase in student enrollment from Avon Grove School District expected
- Increase in attendance frequency expected with a higher quality space
- A new partnership with Octorara Middle and High School will add additional youth
- Room to grow!
- Program Enhancement
- Indoor gym space
- Expanded commercial kitchen
- Quiet academic study space
- Wifi and computer access
- Makerspace studio for hands-on learning
- Community Service
- Additional office space for community service and non-profit partners to reach vulnerable families
- Added community meeting and event space
- Opportunities for additional volunteers to engage with neighbors in need
- More community involvement in Garage programs
- Nutrition and Food Insecurity
- Larger kitchen space for daily meal distribution
- Larger storage space for grocery and food distribution
- Teaching kitchen for cooking classes
- Rental of kitchen for partners
- Long-term Sustainability
- Gaining an organizational asset rather than renting space
- All building upgrades remain ours
- Rental opportunities for income generation
Once the mortgage is paid off, more funding can go towards students and programs!
Jennersvile High School Small Group Spreads Love In Detroit
On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning we served at the Detroit Rescue Mission (a local organization that provides rehab for those struggling with addiction and experiencing homelessness). We prepped meals in the kitchen with their lovely cook, Noel, and by the end of the week, we had learned so much from her and we’re so blessed to have gotten to connect with her.
On Tuesday morning, we went on a long prayer walk around the city and heard so many stories of how God has been working. And on Thursday morning we spent two hours in prayer asking the Lord how we could be love to the people there, and we ended up making a handwritten card and bracelet for each of the kids attending the camp.
In the afternoons, we ran a Vacation Bible School for kids from the projects. We lead songs, large and small group discussions, as well as crafts, snacks, a memory verse, and games with the kids. And in the evenings, we were able to eat with the teens who stayed after and do ministry with them.We even had a dance party! At the end of each day, we were asked “Where did you see God?” and we got to share with the teens and each other.
Overall, we are super blessed to have gotten to know so many wonderful kids and families who live in Detroit, and to learn and listen to their testimonies and perspectives on life. Thank you for all your prayers and support! We are praying that God will continue to do amazing things in Detroit.
Update from the Palmer Family: Starting a New Chapter
After 29 years of service in Central Asia our family has decided to make the transition back to the United States. It has been a very hard year for us. As we look to the future, we believe this is the right decision for our family and particularly our daughters. Next year they are all going to be in high school and we want to help them successfully manage the transition back to American culture. It has been an extremely difficult decision to make. We rejoice that the ministry is in a good place for such a transition and are confident that the amazing work God has begun will continue with the indigenous leadership that is in place.
Please continue your partnership with us. We are not leaving the mission, we are just changing locations. In fact, we need you more than ever. We are heading into the unknown. Currently, we are looking at 2 potential ministry opportunities in the NC Research Triangle area. We plan to visit them and the teams this summer.
Please continue to pray for the following items:
- Our emotional, physical, and spiritual health as we make this transition.
- God would give us the best job assignment. We plan to stay with CRU and are looking into two ministry opportunities in the Raleigh/Durham area in NC.
- We would be able to sell our apartments and car at a good price.
- We find affordable housing, furniture, and cars in the US.
- We would finish well. We would have good closure.
- We would figure out all the logistics in our transition. Since we don’t have a clear place to move, it is hard to decide what to do with our things including our cat. Pray that we would have wisdom.
Thank you again for your love and concern.
By His Grace, for His Glory,
Mark, Natasha, Emily, Jessica, and Elizabeth
Christ-Centered Recovery at Bowling Green Rehab Center
Bowling Green is a chemical dependency rehabilitation facility located directly between our two Willowdale campuses. And when leadership at Bowling Green decided to incorporate Christ-centered recovery options at their facility, they reached out to Willowdale about holding a Sunday Celebrate Recovery service. So on Easter Sunday, a small, dedicated team launched a weekly Sunday service with a recovery slant at Bowling Green.. A special “Thank You” to Nance Weber, Willie Derr, and Jim Conkle, who are committed to making it happen every Sunday afternoon. It has been an absolute joy connecting with the residents at Bowling Green and we’ve already seen people from Bowling Green join us on Monday night at Celebrate Recovery. How cool is God?
In addition, we also launched a mid-week Celebrate Recovery program at Bowling Green. Thanks to Nance Weber and Denise Derr, who are meeting there every Wednesday with the women in rehab taking them through the steps of Christ-centered recovery. God has opened doors for us to take the gospel to a new community and we are both excited and humbled by it.
If you’d like to learn more or have a heart to serve in some capacity, contact Jim Conkle at jconkle@willowdalechapel.org.
Urban Promise: Loving and Teaching Through the Pandemic
Our church family has partnered very closely with Urban Promise’s Academy High School. They have slowly been moving into a large renovated home on North Market Street in Wilmington, which will be their home ongoing for the 26 students 7 staff members. Willowdale has played a key role in helping prepare the facility along with showing lots of love to the kids and teachers during their remote learning time, and now as they return to school in person.
At the end of 2020, Willowdale purchased and delivered Turkeys and fixings at Thanksgiving, and created a custom stocking for each student at Christmas. We delivered them directly to their homes so that these teens never felt far away from the love of Willowdale.
In 2021, the staff moved into the renovated school as they brought back students who were struggling with remote learning to come to school to get back on track. Our Thankful Thursday team from Willowdale has been providing food for the kids by filling the schools’ Food Pantry with breakfast, lunch, and snacks and loving notes and encouragement bags for the teachers. With the start of face-to-face teaching at the school this week, the same team is cooking and serving a hot home-cooked meal for the students on Mondays and Thursdays each week.
Here are some additional highlights of Willowdale Serving at UP this year. A long list, but many of God’s hands at work.
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- Nancy Lewis’s Ladies group created encouragement bags of goodies including a Graphic Novel Bible and a handwritten note for each student. Nancy’s team also created a special encouragement bag for teachers/staff, with baked goods, Starbucks gift cards, and handwritten encouragement notes.
- Willowdale volunteers purchased and sent books to each student that the students had picked out for home reading
- Our volunteers led the PowerUP team that cleaned and prepared the Academy building for a return to face to face classes
- UP bought an uninhabited house next to the school, then had it demolished, and the Academy kids are designing a Community and School Garden along with University of Delaware Landscape designers. The Garden will provide an outdoor educational space as well as teach the kids about Gardening.
- Willowdale volunteers designed and implemented the classroom technology approach to allow for hybrid teaching including the use of Smartboards for in-class teaching, with cameras and audio technology to blend the zoom kids into the classroom. It’s been a real success during this first week of school.
- Willowdale provided $50 Grocery Cards to all 25 families of Urban Promise Street leaders (High schoolers that work in the Afterschool Camps)
- We have dozens of men and women from across our church’s groups that have “adopted” at-risk Urban Promise students to pray for during the school year. We are praying daily for students to show up online or in person, stay engaged and succeed scholastically, build connections with teachers, and understand they are loved by their teacher and ultimately by Jesus.
Rescue Academy: Let’s help people in helping people
” I often found myself at a loss to comfort someone. Experiencing grief and trauma myself didn’t make me feel more qualified. Rescue Academy gave me the confidence to help others see beauty from their brokenness. The study helped give me words to say to hurting people.” Sarah Flowers
Over the last two years, The Willowdale Deacon team cultivated a very simple idea. Let’s help people in helping people. Pretty basic, right? We believed that with a little coaching, instruction, and a few key insights, we would have an opportunity to release the people of Willowdale – people just like you – to bring hope to the hopeless. This is the very framework of Rescue Academy; a training that equips us to coach and support others through the messiness of life with a framework that shows us how to facilitate brave conversations and maximize our own gifts as we care for others. And as a Deacon Team, we were excited to offer it to the congregation as part of our discipleship pathway.
In the initial roll-out of Rescue Academy, we offered the training to our deacons, elders and staff. But we did not want to stop there because as we know, on a rescue boat everyone is crew! So, we pushed out further, offering this opportunity to the entire church body with great hopes of equipping the entire crew. And with an overwhelming response of excitement, we had nearly 40 individuals sign up for the 5-week online course experience.
We would like to congratulate all of our Rescue Academy Alumni crew for joining us on the rescue boat mission.
To our Alumni: please stay tuned for “what’s next” as we will be reaching out to you soon! And for those who have interest in participating in our next Rescue Academy group, click here.
Finally, we want to say a huge “Thank you!” to both Joe Brendle and Deb Parrish for their leadership as they steered the crew through Rescue Academy. We are grateful for each of you and the passion that your team brought to each session!
Now, let’s hear from some recent graduates about their Rescue Academy experience:
“I really enjoyed walking through Rescue Academy. Many of the concepts are simple, but so helpful to talk through their application with such a wonderful group of people who are all on the same path to becoming better at serving others. This is a wonderful course to help one become a better helper, listener, supporter and friend.” Lynsey Cecere
“Rescue Academy was eye-opening and practical. I learned more about myself as someone in need, as well as how to help others in need without trying to fix them. The “fixing” comes from God only.” Ryan Lafferty
“Anxiety, depression and other mental health issues are so important. Even in normal times, let alone in the middle of pandemic-driven lockdowns. Equipping lay people with the basics of engaging these challenges with a unique combination of radical acceptance and personal responsibility is immensely valuable. Rescue Academy did just that, and more. It’s an excellent program for anyone looking to engage one’s community of neighbors and friends with love and support and make a difference in bringing emotional healing. I highly recommend.” Susan Mahoney