Nick and Christian Village Inn Fellowship

Nick’s mom recruited me to be a presenter at the recent Middleton High School Coming Together Expose for students, parents, and members of the community.  Nick is a freshman there in the Engineering Magnet program and a member of the Air Force Junior ROTC unit.  I agreed to make a presentation and suggested the title be: “Secret Handshakes for the College-Bound Student.”  

 

Media reporting the following day highlighted the principal’s determination to keep trying to get parents involved after the dismal turnout that Saturday.  There was only one parent who stopped by the room where another gentleman and I had set up to share information with students and parents.  This mom did not have children at Middleton.  Nevertheless, the previous evening she learned about the Expo from Ms. Buchanan, the school’s parent liaison and decided to explore opportunities available for students at Middleton.

 

CW spent enough time to get an idea of what the two presenters in Room 211 had to offer and she took our handouts with her.  She mentioned that she would get back to me.  She has a son who is a junior in Pasco County and a freshman daughter at the Brooks-Debartolo Academy.

 

A week later, Debbie, Nick and I agreed to fellowship at the Village Inn Pancake House.  Debbie has an issue that Middleton and the school district have yet to address to her satisfaction.  I cannot change that, but at least, I can listen and offer encouraging words.  When CW called me, I invited her to the Village Inn so that I could also fellowship with her and her son, Christian.  They joined us about an hour into the fellowship.

 

Before they arrived, I got Debbie’s version of the week’s events that related to an unresolved incident at Middleton.  Nick had on his 2007 Notre Dame “The Shirt” and ND shorts.  His older brother, Joshua, will graduate from ND this year.  I also congratulated him on contributing to the recent award that his Junior ROTC unit received.   “The Distinguished Unit Award is limited to the best of the best of our nation’s 879 Air Force Junior ROTC units.”

                               

Christian sat across from me when he arrived and his mom sat to my right.  For the next couple of hours, once again, I received “the paycheck” for what I do.  As I asked questions of him, Christian’s responses indicated that he is making use of already existing opportunities to prepare himself to become a competitive applicant to America’s Best Colleges.  As it turned out, both he and his mom were interested in finding out more about the exceptional opportunities that Notre Dame offers young people.

 

Christian plays football.  He is also the vice-president of the Student Council at his high school.  He has done some volunteer work and frequently attends church at First Baptist Church of College Hill in Tampa.  He is uncertain of his college major, but has a strong interest in Math and Engineering.

 

Last year, Christian took a college-level class, Advanced Placement World History as a sophomore.  This year, he is taking AP English, AP US History, and AP Statistics.  During the summer, he will be taking AP Microeconomics and AP US Government.  His schedule during his senior year will include AP English Literature, AP Calculus and Physics.  Once again, I found myself sitting with “Gold” at the Village Inn Pancake House! 

 

It has been a little while since I last had something worthwhile to post to The MIMS Institute blog at www.mimsinstitute.wordpress.com.  Three 21^st Century graduates of Yale University helped me get started with this way of putting my reflections in Cyberspace.  Who’d a thunk that, after a week of “No’s” from the likes of the School District of Hillsborough County and the College Board, the Good Lord would send me fuel to keep the lamp of hope burning in the form of a “Christian” to forward to Notre Dame’s admissions and Engineering officials?

 

And there were lights

  

I’m thankful, Lord, that all the darkness in the world has never put out Thy light.-Unknown 

The year 2008 has an extra day called Leap Day (February 29).  In Tampa, where I raised a family, the city’s Black History Committee used that evening in part to honor Twenty Points of Light.  Sierra attended on my behalf while I was witnessing the lights being held up by 21^st Century Yale graduates in the Greater Houston Area.

Café Charisma is the brainchild of Dexter Upshaw, Jr., Yale ’06.  Koinonia (Kim) and Jesse Givens III are 2001 Yale graduates.  They established Not Just Ministries, Inc. in order for others to multiply their talents in service to minority and underrepresented communities.  Not Just Ministries supported, guided, and entrusted Dexter in coordinating and executing this inaugural Café Charisma.  In Dexter’s words, “It’s not just fellowship…it’s Kingdom!”

 

As I experienced the evening unfolding, I saw the light that the Givens are holding up for believers in the Greater Houston Area.  I also witnessed the enthusiastic support they received from their home church family.  Using my cellphone camera, I took two primitive pictures.  The message for me is clear:  “And there were lights.”  Kim and Jesse explain the dreams of Not Just Ministries.  Dexter and Lindsey Upshaw (Yale ’04) in a profile shot.

 

Our board and advisory council held a teleconference earlier in the week.  I don’t know how many such conferences were occurring throughout Cyberspace that Tuesday evening.  I just know that Not Just Ministries is an excellent example of what I live for:  To see young people committed to their faith using their highly developed critical thinking skills to bring the light of hope to others.

http://www.notjustfellowship.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=79&Itemid=91

This is the link to more information about Cafe Charisma and Not Just Ministries

January 10 HOPE Community Center Fellowship

 

Student Participants HOPE Community Center Fellowship 1 10 08

Middleton High Freshmen Nicolas Rivera and Evan Regateiro; Hampton University Freshman Phoenix Raines; University of Tampa Senior Sierra Mims; University of Notre Dame Senior Justin Gray

The HOPE (Help Our People Excel) Community Center turned the lights on for us so that we could have yet another monthly fellowship to discuss academic excellence in zip code 33610.

Freshmen in Hillsborough County Schools are receiving their scores this month from the PSAT that they took in October 2007.  Nick and Evan shared their scores with us and described the environment in which they took the test in October.

The college students were able to give them some insights about how to successfully navigate the complex and oftentimes challenging public education system. 

This was the fourth monthly fellowship to promote academic excellence in zip code 33610.  Nick and Evan are putting in the time now so that by the end of the year, they will be able to guide others who follow them toward academic excellence.

In His Service,

Jason