TONY'S NEWSLETTER
AUGUST 2009
Dear Fellow Kingdom Builders,
These have been good days for EAPE ministries. In spite of the economic downturn the work of our affiliates continues to flourish. One of those affiliates, seldom mentioned in our newsletters is Yes! And... I know, I know, that’s a strange name, but then again, who am I to judge? My ministry is called EAPE.
Yes! And… is a program developed around the arts. Each summer over 100 children come together and, with help from an incredibly talented group of volunteer leaders, put together a first-class theatre production. These boys and girls spend weeks constructing background settings, writing scripts, learning new songs, and creatively doing all that goes with a first rate production. Then at the end of the summer they put on their shows in packed out sanctuaries of churches throughout Philadelphia .
But this is not just an ordinary theater production process. What makes this program distinctly Christian is the way the boys and girls involved are brought together across racial and social class lines, so that they can joyfully interact in the name of Jesus. The Yes! And… program recruits children from “at risk” neighborhoods in Philadelphia to Camden , New Jersey and joins them up with children from upper class communities in the suburbs. Rich and poor; African-American and white Anglos; Hispanic and Asian; all working together to make something truly beautiful happen.
The Bible says that in Christ every ethnic and economic barrier that separate people has been obliterated – and for several weeks during the summer months that truth is lived out in the Delaware Valley, as children from diverse backgrounds really and truly become one.
In addition to all our other programs, Yes! And… helps EAPE bear witness that the kingdom of God is breaking loose in the here and now.
And so I come to you again and ask you to dig deep and give all you can to keep EAPE going. Our affiliates are doing so much good and sharing the gospel so effectively that they deserve not only our admiration and prayers of thanksgiving, but also our financial support. We need to come through for them.
Sincerely,
Tony Campolo
P.S. We are grateful for all the financial support and encouraging notes we recieve in response to these e-newsletters. If you would like to make a convenient, safe and secure online donation to help undergird our ministries, please click HERE. Thank you!
ABOUT TONY + AUGUST 2009