February 14, 2013
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Supper at Shady Maple Smorgasbord
In New York City, (Brooklyn, to be exact) on a street that is dirty, and in a neighborhood that is anything but “good”, there is a sign that marks to meeting place of the Followers of Jesus Mennonite Church. Using the same facility is a Christian Day School. They call this school “Followers of Jesus School” and it ministers to children of inner city Christians, but also to other children whose parents, for whatever reason, have sought out an alternative to the public schools in the area.
This school is largely the result of a vision of my Beloved Daddy, Mark Yoder, Sr., who was overseer of the Followers of Jesus Church for many, many years. He felt that a Christian Day School would serve as a tool for evangelism and “equipping of the saints” in the work of the church in Brooklyn. And (I say this with a great deal of admiration and respect) he was right.
The school relies heavily on outside support to supplement the tuition. Teachers work for a great deal less than they could probably make somewhere else. There are times when the work is discouraging but there are rewards, and most of them are in it for the long haul.
I say all that to say that this school is having a fundraiser at
129 Toddy Drive, East Earl, Pennsylvania 17519On Friday, March 8th at 6:30pm.
The event notification on Facebook can be found by copying and pasting this web address:
http://www.facebook.com/events/402714806471255/
There, the description of the event reads as follows”
“Do the headlines depress you? Do you wonder what is the future for urban youth and education? Come hear what happens when a few young people and a few adults dedicate their lives to building a Godly future in the middle of one of New York’s worst neighborhoods. Believe me, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate.”
There will be a program, and music and information given — and (of course!) SUPPER!!!
I believe all the tables have been funded, which means that interested people just need to let someone know they are coming and then show up. Between our Sweet Mama, (Alene Yoder) and Certain Man’s Crew, there is room for quite a number of guests, and some of our church is planning to attend. However, we do not begin to have enough people to fill the tables. So if you would like to go, would you please let me know — either by leaving a comment here or messaging me privately? No matter where you may be, if you can make it to East Earl, PA on the evening of March 8th and would like to take this in, please, just let me know. And we should have your answer by this Sunday evening, February 17th, if possible.
Consider yourself personally invited!
Comments (2)
Sure wish I were going to be in that area!!!!
This is such a great school! The principal and his wife have been the cooks at our church camp for years and years and years. Now that they have moved to NYC they give us a report every year when they come cook for us. We can relate so well, since we have an inner city here at our church too, that relies on the generous support of many, many interested Christians to survive. It’s been a blessing to share dreams with them, even when we can’t share a whole lot of money!