What About The Children

A Word from The Basketball Coaches

that affect us and the world.

Even with all of this parental support, our children will not be perfect. They will choose to do a good bit that is right, but at some point they will also choose not to do the right thing. Our consolation comes in knowing that we have taught them well and have put them in the hands of the Lord. We never cease praying for our children nor do we end our teaching. The question is what about the children that do not have parental support?

What happens to the latchkey kids who roam the streets until someone gets home? They often go hungry and have no one

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In our last newsletter, I wrote about a few situations our young people were facing. However, that was just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many stories that go unspoken. As caring parents, we want the best for our kids. We encourage them to fulfill their potential. We hope that they will make right

choices for their lives and try to teach them to resist peer pressure. We want to nourish, motivate, and build up their character and self esteem. We want them to know that they are unconditionally loved. God has given us the responsibility of raising up our future leaders. One day it will be our children who will make decisions

“At the onset of he season I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from our players. During the first two games it was evident that the guys had not developed a feel for playing with one another. However, after the second game, things started to click. The guys played

“Over the years I’ve watched my mother [Justina] work with and help kids from all walks of life. I’ve walked the path that a lot of these basketball players have walked. I know their struggles and desire to be an encouragement to them. I was definitely

encouraged to see the growth of the 15-under team in attitudes, skills, and team sportsmanship. I only hope to be able to continue to impact them in a positive way. They earned their place of second in the league. We thank GOD!”

Emanuel Dix

What About the Children 1,3

Coach Comments 1,3

Precious Moments 2

Summerhill Plays with Passion 2

Summer Camp Needs 4

Basketball Praise 4

Inside this issue:

Newsletter ~ April 2005

more as a team and started supporting and encouraging each other more and more.

I have been on many teams that have started out 0-2, but I have never seen the grace and composure shown by the members of the Summerhill team. Not

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Serving Inner-City Youth and Families Summerhill Community Ministries, Inc.

Page 2 Summerhill Community Ministries, Inc.

Precious Moments

claim to be Christians then that means that we represent Jesus Christ, and if we do a poor job representing Him then we can push people permanently away from our Savior.

Please pray that as we strive to love, help, and teach people that we will be mindful of the great and awesome privilege that we have been given. We want to do our job well! Please pray for my family too. My aunt was a wonderful person and will be greatly missed.

Jennifer Brumfield

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Ephesians 5:15-17

I've been searching for words to write to express all that I've been feeling. I’ve decided that God's Word might say it best (He always does!). The above verses are what I believe speak to all that has been on my heart and in my mind. Lately, I have been thinking about how precious and unpredictable life is. I have grieved with many people

over the loss of someone who was dear to them. However, this is the first time in my life where it is me who is the one grieving. My aunt Christie passed away this week and I miss her already. This loss has

caused me to ponder about how sacred our time on earth is and makes me want to make the most of the time that I have been given.

I have also been thinking about all the injustice and harm that I see going on by fellow ministers of Christ. A few weeks ago some of our children were participating in an activity with another Christian organization, and I was very hurt to see the way the children were treated. For as long as I have been working in Summerhill I have been mindful of the harm that can come to others when we do not follow the will of God. Recent events have magnified this great disservice. God treasures children (He says this repeatedly throughout the Bible), and any that harm them will have a price to pay. We must be very careful about what we say and how we interact with everyone. We don't know if the last interaction we had with someone will be the last one we will ever have. If it is, it is so important that it is a good and meaningful time. If we

“We don’t know if the last

interaction we had with someone will

be the last one we will ever have.”

Summerhill Team Plays with Passion

I am a person that gets excited quite easily, especially if I am doing something that I enjoy. Basketball is one of the things I enjoy most - playing, watching, and now coaching these guys. They enjoyed the game and had fun.

What I loved most was how they played with a passion. This passion led to a number of hard fought victories and a few

agonizing defeats. Either way, I never questioned the passion and hard work that each of the young men on our team possessed. It was a privilege and honor to coach the Summerhill basketball team for the sole purpose of being able to enter into the lives of these young men. For this I am thankful.

Zach Zimbelman The “18 and Under” Team

Page 3 April 2005

or 12 points but what happened next was an answer to silent prayer. Our team went on a ten minute run going up by 12 points, only to lose the lead, and then to take it back in the last seconds for the victory!

The game was one of the most amazing sporting events I have ever witnessed and the amount of team work and support that the guys showed was amazing. Even at the lowest point, I can’t remember anyone blaming someone else, but instead they believed in each other, supported one another and had fun together. It was an incredible privilege to be able to coach this basketball team. I not only was able

one player gave up on the team. Instead everyone was excited about practicing in order to improve for the next game. Indeed we did improve wining four out of our next five games!

The never-give-up attitude and reliance on fellow teammates was typified in our second to last game. On that particular morning we were short on players and had to suit up Jeremy Crawford from the 15 and under team to play with the six 16-18 year olds. We were down about 10

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youth to come and receive positive counseling, problem solving skills, academic help, teen fellowship, nourishing meals and snacks, social skills development, and activities in physical sports. Our programs are led by Christian people who have a heart for the kids and who desire to see them succeed. Please join us in this ongoing effort to make a difference!

Justina Dix

to help with their homework. Many lose hope and interest in school and life. The suicide attempts of our middle school and high school kids are rising in Atlanta. The number has also greatly increased of our students who are being expelled from the public schools and sent to alternative schools only to soon drop out totally. According to the GA Department of Education and other surveys, the Atlanta City Schools has

a very high dropout rate of 56.9%. As I drive through the community, it looks like the kids are on vacation from school. When I stop and ask kids why they aren’t in school, the responses are, “I was suspended for 3 to 7 days”, “I’m in alternative school, they don’t care if you’re late”, and“ I don’t go to school anymore, I might get my GED later”. Where are the parents? Some are

(Continued from page 1) working and will not or cannot take off time to tend to their kids. Some are battling addictions and can’t seem to focus on the needs of their children. Some have asked me to stand proxy for them as their kids face problems in school like falling grades, suspensions, tribunal court cases and more. Other parents have declared that they can’t do anything with their child and have given up. Our first reaction may be feeling pity for these kids. We shake our heads and hope that things will get better one day, or think, “I wouldn’t know how to help these kids even if I wanted to”. When a child’s family, school system, or community support system breaks down, what happens to the children?

At some point someone, somewhere must take a step to go further….

We at SCM want to put forth an honest effort to encourage inner city youth. Our young people have critical needs in which there is no easy fix. We need you to be involved, because we certainly can’t do it alone. With your ongoing support and your volunteer efforts, we can provide safe places for the

What About the Children

“As I drive through the

community, it looks like the kids

are on vacation from school”

to witness the amount of commitment each player had to the program, but also was able to build a friendship with each one of the guys, which I look forward to continuing.”

Philip Yarberough “The Summerhill Community Ministries staff have a real gift of working with young people. Their impact in the community is demonstrated with the love of Christ. I count it an

honor to work with the SCM group as they reach Atlanta’s future.”

Phillip Wu

Our Summer Camp will begin in June. Parents & kids are already asking to attend. We covet your prayers and support for this ministry. We are trusting God to provide the necessary funds. Sponsors are needed for the children, teachers, and job trainers. Camp Costs are as follows:

$300 per camper

$840 per job trainer

$1,500 per teacher

Our other needs include camp t-shirts, a new or gently worn reliable VAN, gas cards, and CAMP VOLUNTEERS. Please call or email if you are interested in helping.

P.S. Our van need is critical. We transport kids to and from the After-School-Program, sports practices, games, church, camp, and so much more. This ministry is seriously impeded when we do not have transportation.

Summer Camp Needs

James & Marlita were married this past Easter weekend. Congratulations! They are shown here with proud mom, Justina and grandmother, Shirley Jones.

Our season just ended with our teams playing with pride in their new Nike jerseys. We placed 2nd & 4th in the League. Our teams learned and showed great support and respect for their coaches and team mates.

Prayer was a priority before each practice & game. During the season, the players developed such close relationships with each other that some confessed their marijuana habit and that they had dropped out of school. We are now working with these young men to get them back in school and to match them with a mentor. We ask you to remember them in prayer.

Basketball Praise

The “15 and Under” Team

P. O. Box 160294 Atlanta, Georgia 30316

404-964-4604 (Justina) 404-909-3110 (Jennifer)

E-mail: justinascm@juno.com jenbrumfield@cs.com

http://summerhillcm.tripod.com

All donations are tax deductible.

Newsle t t e r ~ Apr i l 2005

Summerhill Community Ministries, Inc.

Thanks to Nancy Lindsey and Anne Burlas for their help with our newsletters!

Serving Inner-City Youth and Families