Dear Caldwell,
Today brings us a tale of two of our on-campus ministry partners.
This morning’s paper brougt the glorious news that the Salvation Army shelter at Caldwell has been adequately funded for another 12 to 18 months of operation. Multiple funders and congregations have commited to make it possible to house up to 50 women at Caldwell. In turn, this means there is more room for homeless women with children at the main Salvation Army shelter, the Center of Hope. You can read more about it here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/05/31/2339158/wave-of-support-keeps-shelter.html#storylink=misearch
Funders have told the Salvation Army that they invest in this ministry because it demonstrates excellent partnership across several public, private and faith-based entities and that the Caldwell shelter is a high-functioning, cost-efficient, proven model of service. With this round of funding now in place, we will focus on some new plans to make our shelter more intentionally transitional in nature, putting in place more resources that help our guests move on to more permanent housing. Stay tuned for more on that.
Another on-campus ministry is at a different crossroads. The Charlotte Bilingual Preschool has grown in a decade from 15 children at one location to 130 at two. Now it’s facing the threat of significant funding cuts. North Carolina Smart Start, a public education program that covers half the bilingual school’s budget, is under pressure as the General Assembly seeks to cut the state budget. We probably won’t know exactly how severe those cuts will be for a few weeks but the information we hearing is sobering. For now, I ask you to pray for the preschool and the families it serves. With 100,000 Latinos in the Charlotte region, it is difficult to understand why it makes sense to make major cuts to the only school that prepares latino preschoolers for success in public schools.
Please don’t forget the wonderful celebration planned for George and Mary Carol Michie this Sunday after worship. More on that later.
Peace to you in this hot-hot week.
John