Bel-Aire Community Partners is a non-profit in Greenville, SC that runs a free summer camp and after-school program for children in a lower-income area in the western part of the city. They partner with parents and the community to build relationships with these children and families in order to share the gospel as they love and serve them.
HOW GOD HAS ALLOWED US TO MINISTER DURING THE COVID-19 SHUTDOWN
While we have had to temporarily suspend our after-school programming, due to CO-VID19, we have been able to keep in touch with our students by launching a new program called Mailbox Camp! We gave each child a shoebox to decorate and turn into their own personal mailbox and we stop by every day to drop off different games, crafts, snacks and other activities.
This has actually opened up doors for new relationships with families we did not know before and proven to be a good way to check in on our students and families. Because most of our families do not have access to Wi-Fi or computers, we have had to get creative in a world that is moving towards being more and more virtual.
Our prayer with this, and all of our programs, is that it will create a platform to speak the truth of the gospel and show the love of Jesus to a population that is often forgotten.
HOW EMMAUS ROAD HELPED US
We are so thankful for Emmaus Road’s partnership this year! They were so quick to share resources with us on creating a board, how to build a support team and just so much encouragement along the way! When I stepped into the role of Executive Director last April, I found myself quickly overwhelmed with the business side of running a non-profit and all the details and structures I was unfamiliar with. It has been a huge blessing to have their advice just a phone call away. They have truly gone above and beyond to offer their services and prayers and we are so so thankful!!
I love camp because we get to do fun things and eat snacks and go to the park and learn about Jesus.
I love everything about it!