2011 was an exciting year for Urban Concern. Harambee Christian School expanded to serve grades K-7 over a year round school calendar and Parent University was launched to provide educational, financial, and spiritual support to adults in our community
Read more about 2011 by reading our Annual Report here.
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Urban Concern’s new youth Bible study, Lighthouse, has started out with a bang with an average of 44 students coming out each week for the first month of teachings. It’s our hope to see this meeting serve the relational and spiritual needs of students of all ages in the South Linden community, and we expect to see it grow fast!
More volunteers are needed for a variety of roles, from youth worker to food preparation. Contact Michael if you are interested in serving in this awesome ministry!
Jillian Nielsen: teacher, volunteer, mentor, Bible study leader
Meet Jillian. By day she is music teacher at Urban Concern’s Harambee Christian School. But her work doesn’t stop there.
Throughout the week, Jillian can be found volunteering much of her time mentoring, leading a girl’s small group Bible study at Harambee, and helping to oversee Lighthouse – Harambee’s new youth Bible study which meets on Sundays.
Here’s Jillian’s take on her time at Urban Concern, in her own words:
“While studying at OSU to be a music teacher, I realized that I wanted to work in urban schools… through God’s sovereignty the position to teach music for Harambee opened up. I felt God’s leading and applied for the job. Since being hired, I have felt an immense burden for the students and helping them have a relationship with God.
As soon as I started teaching the students at Harambee, I knew that I was going to want to spend more time with the students and to build relationships with them. Luckily, God knew how to take care of that! I feel that the students have taught me to truly rely on God’s strength and wisdom as opposed to relying on myself. I also felt the burden to live closer to the students so that I might serve them better, and God blessed my husband and I with the best place to do that!”
For those thinking about getting involved at Urban Concern, Jillian has this advice:
“For those who want to serve, but feel that it might be hard, all I can say is that it is hard. But that’s also why you should do it! God has shown me that nothing is too difficult for Him and that He put me here to do His work. You don’t have to worry about the difficulties because God is taking care of everything, and we just have to be willing to do the work, even if it’s hard. Once you get past the first hurdle of showing up, the rest is just fun because you’re building into something eternal.”
Jillian and her husband live in the South Linden community.
Thanks for all you do, Jillian!
If you want to make a difference in the lives of our students and families like Jillian, email Michael about how YOU can get plugged in as a volunteer.
Please consider Urban Concern in your giving for year-end and 2012!
Download your digital pledge packet by clicking here.
Download the pledge form to mail or email in.
–
Harambee Christian School is expanding.
Mentoring is increasing. Adult Education is beginning.
Bible studies are growing.
God is moving.
Will you partner with Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School to empower students and families to be agents of positive change in our community and the world?
–
Volunteer at Urban Concern and
Harambee Christian School
Give the gift of time and relationships
Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School rely on dedicated volunteers like you to help us in our mission of empowering students and families to become agents of positive changes. Volunteer your time and talent as a:
- Classroom aide
- Tutor
- Adult worker
- Mentor
- Bible study leader
We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you in person to serve our community!
If you have any questions on giving or volunteering, do not hesitate to contact Michael Larson at larsonm@urbanconcern.org or by calling 614.291.0885.
Students capture faith and community in photos
urbanconcern : November 14, 2011 11:51 am : Urban Concern
Over the past two months, students at Harambee Christian School have spent there Saturday mornings looking at their communities through a new lens.
When Kat Cleary and Rachelle Bryant, two volunteers with a passion for photography and the beauty of God’s creation, decided to share their talent with the students of Harambee Christian School, students took to the streets with cameras to capture the light of a community in need: South Linden.
The class came to fruition simply:
“Kat and I have both been very interested in learning and practicing photography, as well as sharing what we have learned with others. So when the idea came to Kat’s mind, we both instantly thought it would be awesome to get more involved in the ministry at Urban Concern” said Rachelle.
“Teaching about God through a medium like photography was actually not difficult to do at all. The reason why I got into photography is because God’s beauty is so apparent in nature and in people, and I wanted to be able to take pictures of that beauty. We focused on one specific spiritual theme for each project. For example, when we taught the students how to take landscape pictures, we talked about how God’s invisible attributes are seen in the world around us. The students went into the community and looked for attributes about God they could see in nature, and they took pictures based on our lecture of how to take a landscape shot,” said Kat.
Photos by India and Aquarion, 6th Grade
It’s one thing to want to share a passion or hobby with others, but how did the students respond to Kat and Rachelle’s idea?
“It was amazing to hear the students talk about their pictures because they obviously thought deeply about the spiritual theme and applied all of the photography aesthetics correctly to their pictures. It was great because, not only did they learn how to take aesthetically pleasing pictures, but they learned how to think about God more deeply and appreciate the nature and people around them.”
Do you have a talent or skill you’d like to share with the students at Harambee? We’d love to work with you to find a good fit for you and our students. Contact Michael at larsonm@urbanconcern.org to learn how to get involved.
Check out our Facebook here for more photos from the class.
Mark your calender to make a gift to Urban Concern on November 10th through The Columbus Foundation PowerPhilanthropy website, and get your gift matched by the Foundation and its generous supporters.
Gifts must be a minimum of $20.
This is an awesome opportunity to partner with our community to provide needed support to Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School!
To make your gift, visit below on November 10th:
http://www.columbusfoundation.org/
ECON 101
JOBS | Teaching about money shouldn’t wait until high school or college – and it’s inner-city schools and a new economics program that are leading the way to elementary financial literacy | Joel Belz
COLUMBUS, Ohio -
When fourth-grader Kadayah Keys casually stops by the store at Harambee Christian School here to buy a granola bar for her mid- morning snack, a lot more goes on than a simple commercial transaction. Kadayah pays for her granola bar not with cash, nor even with an old-fashioned debit card.
Instead, she quickly enters her student ID-and the transaction is cashless, cardless, and paperless. But she’s not being taught some bad habits as a consumer:
Kadayah, instead of charging a purchase to be paid back later, is simply deducting the cost of the bar from credit she has previously built up in a school account. Within the hour, she’ll be checking the status of her account.
Click here to read more.
2010-11 was another strong year academically for Harambee Christian School staff and students.
See how Harambee compares with other Columbus schools by reading the full report.
Take a look at NBC4′s recent story on expanded EdChoice in Ohio, featuring Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School!
For years, Franklin International (which is among the largest privately held manufacturers of adhesives and sealants in the United States) and its employees have been supporting Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School through their employee giving campaign.
On Tuesday, August 30th, we were privileged to share with Franklin employees the invaluable effect their support is having in the lives of our students and families. As a part of the tour, employees took in a Chinese lesson in our 3rd grade classroom, drum lessons in 6th grade, and some playwriting with future Shakespeares in 4th grade.
Thanks for all you do, Franklin!
Urban Concern benefits in an invaluable and ongoing way through Franklin’s value and display of social responsibility. We are grateful to partner with them in order to empower students and families in our community to become agents of positive change.
2011 was an exciting year for Urban Concern. Harambee Christian School expanded to serve grades K-7 over a year round school calendar and Parent University was launched to provide educational, financial, and spiritual support to adults in our community
Read more about 2011 by reading our Annual Report here.
Urban Concern’s new youth Bible study, Lighthouse, has started out with a bang with an average of 44 students coming out each week for the first month of teachings. It’s our hope to see this meeting serve the relational and spiritual needs of students of all ages in the South Linden community, and we expect to see it grow fast!
More volunteers are needed for a variety of roles, from youth worker to food preparation. Contact Michael if you are interested in serving in this awesome ministry!
Jillian Nielsen: teacher, volunteer, mentor, Bible study leader
Meet Jillian. By day she is music teacher at Urban Concern’s Harambee Christian School. But her work doesn’t stop there.
Throughout the week, Jillian can be found volunteering much of her time mentoring, leading a girl’s small group Bible study at Harambee, and helping to oversee Lighthouse – Harambee’s new youth Bible study which meets on Sundays.
Here’s Jillian’s take on her time at Urban Concern, in her own words:
“While studying at OSU to be a music teacher, I realized that I wanted to work in urban schools… through God’s sovereignty the position to teach music for Harambee opened up. I felt God’s leading and applied for the job. Since being hired, I have felt an immense burden for the students and helping them have a relationship with God.
As soon as I started teaching the students at Harambee, I knew that I was going to want to spend more time with the students and to build relationships with them. Luckily, God knew how to take care of that! I feel that the students have taught me to truly rely on God’s strength and wisdom as opposed to relying on myself. I also felt the burden to live closer to the students so that I might serve them better, and God blessed my husband and I with the best place to do that!”
For those thinking about getting involved at Urban Concern, Jillian has this advice:
“For those who want to serve, but feel that it might be hard, all I can say is that it is hard. But that’s also why you should do it! God has shown me that nothing is too difficult for Him and that He put me here to do His work. You don’t have to worry about the difficulties because God is taking care of everything, and we just have to be willing to do the work, even if it’s hard. Once you get past the first hurdle of showing up, the rest is just fun because you’re building into something eternal.”
Jillian and her husband live in the South Linden community.
Thanks for all you do, Jillian!
If you want to make a difference in the lives of our students and families like Jillian, email Michael about how YOU can get plugged in as a volunteer.
Please consider Urban Concern in your giving for year-end and 2012!
Download your digital pledge packet by clicking here.
Download the pledge form to mail or email in.
–
Harambee Christian School is expanding.
Mentoring is increasing. Adult Education is beginning.
Bible studies are growing.
God is moving.
Will you partner with Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School to empower students and families to be agents of positive change in our community and the world?
–
Volunteer at Urban Concern and
Harambee Christian School
Give the gift of time and relationships
Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School rely on dedicated volunteers like you to help us in our mission of empowering students and families to become agents of positive changes. Volunteer your time and talent as a:
- Classroom aide
- Tutor
- Adult worker
- Mentor
- Bible study leader
We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you in person to serve our community!
If you have any questions on giving or volunteering, do not hesitate to contact Michael Larson at larsonm@urbanconcern.org or by calling 614.291.0885.
Students capture faith and community in photos
urbanconcern : November 14, 2011 11:51 am : Urban ConcernOver the past two months, students at Harambee Christian School have spent there Saturday mornings looking at their communities through a new lens.
When Kat Cleary and Rachelle Bryant, two volunteers with a passion for photography and the beauty of God’s creation, decided to share their talent with the students of Harambee Christian School, students took to the streets with cameras to capture the light of a community in need: South Linden.
The class came to fruition simply: “Teaching about God through a medium like photography was actually not difficult to do at all. The reason why I got into photography is because God’s beauty is so apparent in nature and in people, and I wanted to be able to take pictures of that beauty. We focused on one specific spiritual theme for each project. For example, when we taught the students how to take landscape pictures, we talked about how God’s invisible attributes are seen in the world around us. The students went into the community and looked for attributes about God they could see in nature, and they took pictures based on our lecture of how to take a landscape shot,” said Kat.
Photos by India and Aquarion, 6th Grade
It’s one thing to want to share a passion or hobby with others, but how did the students respond to Kat and Rachelle’s idea?
“It was amazing to hear the students talk about their pictures because they obviously thought deeply about the spiritual theme and applied all of the photography aesthetics correctly to their pictures. It was great because, not only did they learn how to take aesthetically pleasing pictures, but they learned how to think about God more deeply and appreciate the nature and people around them.”
Do you have a talent or skill you’d like to share with the students at Harambee? We’d love to work with you to find a good fit for you and our students. Contact Michael at larsonm@urbanconcern.org to learn how to get involved.
Check out our Facebook here for more photos from the class.
Mark your calender to make a gift to Urban Concern on November 10th through The Columbus Foundation PowerPhilanthropy website, and get your gift matched by the Foundation and its generous supporters.
Gifts must be a minimum of $20.
This is an awesome opportunity to partner with our community to provide needed support to Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School!
To make your gift, visit below on November 10th:
http://www.columbusfoundation.org/
ECON 101
JOBS | Teaching about money shouldn’t wait until high school or college – and it’s inner-city schools and a new economics program that are leading the way to elementary financial literacy | Joel Belz
COLUMBUS, Ohio -
When fourth-grader Kadayah Keys casually stops by the store at Harambee Christian School here to buy a granola bar for her mid- morning snack, a lot more goes on than a simple commercial transaction. Kadayah pays for her granola bar not with cash, nor even with an old-fashioned debit card.
Instead, she quickly enters her student ID-and the transaction is cashless, cardless, and paperless. But she’s not being taught some bad habits as a consumer:
Kadayah, instead of charging a purchase to be paid back later, is simply deducting the cost of the bar from credit she has previously built up in a school account. Within the hour, she’ll be checking the status of her account.
Click here to read more.
2010-11 was another strong year academically for Harambee Christian School staff and students.
See how Harambee compares with other Columbus schools by reading the full report.
Take a look at NBC4′s recent story on expanded EdChoice in Ohio, featuring Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School!
For years, Franklin International (which is among the largest privately held manufacturers of adhesives and sealants in the United States) and its employees have been supporting Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School through their employee giving campaign.
On Tuesday, August 30th, we were privileged to share with Franklin employees the invaluable effect their support is having in the lives of our students and families. As a part of the tour, employees took in a Chinese lesson in our 3rd grade classroom, drum lessons in 6th grade, and some playwriting with future Shakespeares in 4th grade.
Thanks for all you do, Franklin!
Urban Concern benefits in an invaluable and ongoing way through Franklin’s value and display of social responsibility. We are grateful to partner with them in order to empower students and families in our community to become agents of positive change.
