Cornerstone Christian Academy

The Campolo Center for Ministry

EAPE , Featured Posts , Newsletters , Uncategorized

GREAT NEWS!! Cornerstone Christian Academy, the school EAPE started and supported achieved full accreditation from Middle States Association of Colleges and School Commission Elementary and Secondary Schools. This shows that our school, located in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Philadelphia, is not only helping “at risk” children get a good handle on what Christianity is all about, but is doing so while maintaining very high standards of education. We’re thrilled!

MORE GOOD NEWS! There are twenty young adults, Micah Scholars, who have been recruited, and are being supported by our EAPE ministry in Haiti. They are now studying at various seminaries in and around Port-au-Prince. When they graduate they will serve as pastors, church planters, and Christian education directors for churches throughout their country.

And another thing – Recently Brian Ballard of Red Letter Christians, another of our EAPE programs, spent several days in Haiti teaching these Micah Scholars how to use the Internet. I love it when our separately incorporated ministries network and find ways to help each other. Brian is a wiz with computers and an outstanding teacher. He did much to make the Micah Scholars more effective servants for God’s Kingdom.

Please note that we will continue to support all of EAPE’s ministries until the end of June. Between now and then we are hoping you will transfer your monthly support to one or more of the EAPE ministries which best focus on your heartfelt concerns. If you have not already done so, please contact my office to let us know which of EAPE’s ministries you would like to direct your future giving.

Do not think that I will stop doing ministry. I will go on preaching, recruiting young people for Christian ministries, and carrying on missionary work. But after June 30th, I’ll be doing my ministry work under the umbrella of the Campolo Center for Ministry (CCM) at Eastern University. I’ll tell you more about that later. Each of our ongoing EAPE ministries needs your continued giving. Pray for them! Pray for me! Transitions are hard to handle. Thanks for all you continue to do for EAPE.

Tony Campolo

Founder and President, EAPE

P.S. If you missed the Philadelphia Inquirer’s article about Tony and the future of EAPE, you can read the online version here: http://articles.philly.com/2022-02-01/news/46874064_1_campolo-eape-evangelical-association

40 Years of Ministry!

EAPE , Evangeline Ministries , Featured Posts

If you read our January newsletter you know that as of June 30th, after more than 40 years of incredible ministry, EAPE will close down. We can say that because with your help and God’s blessings, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!”

For four decades EAPE provided “seed money” and/or did the organizing for 16 missionary organizations. EAPE also provided essential undergirding for several existing ministries that needed our help. Just for the record let me list them for you.

Red Letter Christians
Mission Year
The National Evangelical University of the Dominican Republic (now with 15,000 students)
The Technical University of the South in the Dominican Republic (now with 4,000 students)
Cornerstone Christian Academy
Haiti Partners
Beyond Borders (in Haiti)
Urban Promise (Camden)
Connect Ministries (Toronto)
Plant with Purpose (formerly Floresta)
Eastern University’s graduate programs for micro-economic development in the Third World and in urban America
Kingdom Works
Nehemiah Youth Mission
Camden Printworks
The Walnut Hills Fellowship
The Urban Youth Workers Convention

Over the years we also have partnered with several ministries that needed help with funding and/or recruiting mission workers.

Aquila Way (in the UK)
Going Public (Wales, UK)
Signposts International (Scotland)
SPEAK (in the UK)
Evangeline Ministries (South Africa)
Peace of the City
REACH Ministries
Born to Serve
Urban Mentors Network
Urban Promise International (Malawi, Honduras, Canada)
The Palau Industrial School (in the South Pacific)
Oasis (in Zimbabwe)
Zero28

Among the several thousand young men and women we recruited to serve in these ministries over the years, there are those we were able to challenge and nurture into serving in church vocations across North America and in an array of Third World countries. Almost anywhere my travels take me these days, I meet up with former EAPE mission workers who tell me that they are in Christian ministry today because of the training and experiences they had while serving with us.

In my previous newsletter I pointed out that each of our affiliated mission organizations has become independently incorporated with its own governing board, executive director, and sustaining financial base. However, there are ten of these ministries upon which we are especially focused – and need ongoing support. They are listed here. If you haven’t done so earlier, we would very much appreciate it if you would identify which of them you wish to transfer your financial support that you previously gave to EAPE. Please call or email us to let us know and we will pass on that information to the organization(s) you have chosen.

While we want you as soon as possible to transfer your financial support to one of these EAPE affiliated organizations, we nevertheless want you to know that EAPE will continue staying active and doing what we’ve always done right up to June 30th. We hope that we’ll have enough funding to keep us going until then – so if you have a few extra dollars please send them our way.

Keep praying for us, especially during this wonderful time of transition.

Tony Campolo

Founder and President, EAPE

(On behalf of EAPE’s Board of Directors)

P.S. If you missed the Philadelphia Inquirer’s article about Tony and the future of EAPE, you can read the online version here: http://articles.philly.com/2022-02-01/news/46874064_1_campolo-eape-evangelical-association

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Mission Accomplished!

EAPE , Featured Posts , Newsletters

2023 Christmas & Year End Giving Guide

EAPE , Newsletters

During this Christmas season you will be asked by us and other charities you support to give – and give generously – to make a difference in the lives of the “least of these.” As you prayerfully consider your Christmas and end-of-year gift to EAPE, we want you to know how your support will impact the lives of the children, youth and families that our urban missionaries and teachers love, serve and support in Jesus’ name.

This year we’re investing your gifts in 20 ministries, programs and special projects and we are providing the following giving guide to help you measure the impact of your generosity. For more details please visit the MINISTRIES page or call our office at 610-341-1722 (local) or toll free at 855-612-EAPE (3273).

$1 provides one day of education for a child in one of Haiti Partners’ seven schools.

$5 buys a Haitian Creole textbook for a child in Haiti.

$20 provides one day of education at Cornerstone Christian Academy for one Southwest Philadelphia child. Give Now

$30 sponsors one month in an Urban Promise After School Program or summer camp for a child from Camden, Trenton or Miami.

$58 (one day’s work at minimum wage) supports one day of service for Mission Year urban missionaries as they seek to love and serve their inner-city neighbors in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston or Philadelphia.

$100 sponsors two months of mentoring—including Bible Study, homework assistance, activities to build self-esteem and improve social and decision-making skills, and other life building experiences—for one child, teen or young adult served by Urban Mentors Network in Oakland, CA. Give Now

$125 provides a Haiti Partners’ school teacher’s salary for a month, or one month of education and training for a South African woman in Evangeline Ministries’ mentoring, leadership and economic uplift program.

$150 provides a homeless child or woman critical, holistic support during a short-term stay at Aquila Way’s drop-in shelter.

$350 allows a child impacted by HIV-AIDS or other traumatic circumstances to attend a Christ-centered 4-day REACH Ministries camp filled with adventures, fun and signing and the support of trained, loving counselors. Give Now

$365 sends a child to school in Haiti for an entire year or sponsors a year of After School programming and summer camp for a child from Camden, Trenton or Miami.

$400 enables teens to participate in Yes! And…Collaborative Arts’ year-long theatrical program that combines education, the creative arts and loving relationships, and fosters learning new skills, developing confidence and growing in their understanding of God’s love for them.

$500 supports one month of a “Wesley Corps” member’s service with Peace of the City, a dynamic ministry serving and empowering more than 100 children, teens and their families in under-resourced Buffalo neighborhoods, through literacy training, educational enrichment activities, mentoring and relational discipling. Give Now

$1,000 provides furniture (benches, blackboard, etc.) for an entire classroom or supplies (books, paper, etc.) for two classrooms in Haiti Partner’s schools.

$1,500: Teach, Train and Equip HIV Positive and Disadvantaged Women in South Africa
Impact: Provides a woman in Evangeline Ministries’ program an education in basic English and computer proficiency, certified training in sewing and design, and equips her with a sewing machine and access to markets to sell goods upon completion of training. Give Now

$3,900: Employ an inner-city teen in the Urban Promise Street Leader Program
Impact: Employs a teen from Camden, Trenton and Miami in the Street Leader Program who will serve as a counselor, tutor, and role model for children in Urban Promise’s After School Program and summer camps.

$5,000: Save a House, Make a Home in Philadelphia
Impact: Acquires a vacant house which will be converted into a home for a low-income family. Through a special collaboration between EAPE, the Fuller Center for Housing and The Simple Way, this is a creative, redemptive and sustainable way to address poverty at a micro level in Kensington, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia. There are more vacant homes (20,000) in Philadelphia than there are homeless people in the city, so there is a tremendous opportunity to uniquely and responsibly offer families in need of a hand up! Give Now

$7,500: Sponsor a Summer Camp Site in Camden, Miami or Trenton
Impact: Sponsors an Urban Promise summer camp to provide 50 children in high-risk communities with fun summer programming in a safe and stimulating environment that includes 6-hour days of enriching, age-appropriate activities and a daily food program.

$7,500: Scholarship for K-8^th Grade Student in West Philadelphia
Impact: Sponsors a year of quality, Christian education in a safe and loving environment for students at Cornerstone Christian Academy and prepares them for academic, personal and professional success and a life of faithful discipleship. Give Now

$10,000: Sponsor a Year-Round Site in Camden, Miami or Trenton
Impact: Sponsors an After School Program and Summer Camp to provide 100 children in high-risk communities with a safe and stimulating environment and programming that promotes academic success, life skills, and leadership. After School Programs offer activities such as academic enrichment classes, arts and crafts, recreation, life skills workshops, and community service during after-school hours.

$16,000: Sponsor an Urban Missionary in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston or Philadelphia
Impact: Houses, trains, feeds and insures Mission Year urban missionaries and sustains their year of service as they follow Jesus’ command to “Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Give Now

$20,000: Support an entire Haiti Partners’ school in Haiti for a year
Impact: Improves facilities and provides educational materials for students; trains teachers in student-centered, innovative education methods; provides training for school staff and the local community to create social businesses that can help pay for teacher salaries and other expenses.

When you give to EAPE, your investment supports a network of innovative, holistic ministries that are changing lives and communities throughout North America and around the world in Jesus’ name. Thank you for entrusting Tony and our Board of Directors with your generous support!

PS. If you’d prefer to mail your donation please send it to: EAPE | P.O. Box 7238 | St. Davids, PA | 9087. We can process your mailed donation for 2023 through January 15th with a check dated December 31, 2023.

GIVE ONLINE TODAY!

The Importance of Education for Holistic Ministry

EAPE , Newsletters

My daughter started third grade last month, and I shared in her excitement for the new school year – the joy of reconnecting with friends, the awe of learning new things, and the awareness of beginning this next chapter of her life and dreaming of what the future holds.

Working with EAPE reminds me not to take my daughter’s education for granted.

As a sociologist, Tony has always understood the importance of education as a means for lifting people out of poverty. This understanding has informed EAPE’s holistic vision for ministry, which has made education a cornerstone for much of our work.

In September, when the City of Philadelphia started this school year with 23 fewer public schools, Cornerstone Christian Academy began its 25th year of providing quality, Christian education in a safe and loving environment for low-income children in southwest Philadelphia. Cornerstone was ready to welcome many new students to its classrooms.

Through Haiti Partners we’re equipping Haitians to change Haiti by educating children, teachers, community leaders and disciples.

In Haiti, where nearly 50% of school age children don’t go to school, more than 1,000 children returned to Haiti Partners’ elementary schools and the new Children’s Academy and began to realize their hopes for a better and brighter future for their country.

The work that Tony began over 40 years ago would not be possible today without the generous support and prayers from friends like you.

I invite you to spend some time here and peruse our redesigned website, which features new stories, photos, and announcements about Cornerstone Christian Academy, Haiti Partners, and each of our other Core, Supported and Affiliated Ministries.

This year we’re investing in a total of 20 innovative, holistic and effective ministries, programs and special projects and we’re counting on you beginning, continuing, increasing or renewing your support this year to meet all of our ministry goals and objectives.

Throughout the coming months we’ll keep you informed about the inspiring work of our urban missionaries and teachers, and of the impact their service—and your gifts!—is having on the children, youth and families we minister to across North America and around the world.

I’d love to hear from you, so if you have any questions about our ministry and how you can begin or deepen your involvement in our work, you can reach me by email using the “Contact Us” form below or toll-free at 855-612-EAPE (3273).

With gratitude and hope in Christ,

Robert Gauthier
Managing Director, EAPE

Cornerstone Christian Academy – A Beacon of Hope in West Philadelphia

Cornerstone Christian Academy , EAPE , Newsletters

Over the years, EAPE has created a variety of missionary enterprises that have impacted some of the neediest people in the world. Through our monthly newsletter, I’ve tried to give you glimpses into what is happening in one or another of these programs. This month, I’ve chosen to tell you about Cornerstone Christian Academy. We created Cornerstone Christian Academy for school children who are growing up in “at risk” neighborhoods in Southwest Philadelphia, many of whom come from single parent homes or are being raised by grandmothers.

Children attending Cornerstone Christian Academy receive a quality education in a safe and loving environment.

Initially this school struggled academically and we faced a variety of crises. Principal after principal left after only short terms of service. Teacher turn-over was an ongoing problem. We had trouble with the city government when we tried to get our building approved for use. But we “hung in there,” and the results are more than encouraging.

First of all, Cornerstone Christian Academy (CCA) is up for full accreditation with the Middle Atlantic States accrediting association. It’s come a very long way academically!

Secondly, CCA’s ministries are year round; they do not stop. The school becomes a haven for kids in the neighborhood during the summer months. There will be an urban summer camp for children that will include lots of fun and games. Educational programs to give these children a “head-start” when they go back to school in the fall.

The Gates Foundation generously gave computers to CCA that have enabled us to offer expert and comprehensive training in all aspects of computer use. Both those enrolled in CCA during the regular school year as well as those in CCA’s summer programs will get the benefits of this specialized training. This is a great gift to a poor neighborhood where children have been left behind in today’s increasingly technologically oriented schools.

During the summer, campers participate in drama, music, art, dance, technology, sports, swimming and weekly field trips.

CCA has stayed focused on its Christian mission. The Bible is woven into the curriculum; participation in regular chapel services and nurturing of Christian character are at the heart of our efforts. We are committed to having our children come to know Jesus in a personal way.

Now here’s where you come in. We need you to go the second mile with your giving. All of our students receive financial support to help cover tuition expenses (which are very low to start with), but there are some children whose parents or guardians are not able to meet even our low financial expectations. Some of the poorest of the poor may have to drop out, and we are working hard to prevent that from happening.

Could you make an extra effort in giving so we can give such children the financial help they need? I hope your answer is “yes!”

God at Work in Haiti – Children’s Academy & Chickens

EAPE , Haiti Partners , Newsletters

I want to give you the good news about one of our Core Ministries—Haiti Partners. They recently received a $250,000 loan to start a poultry business. And I believe it is in act of God’s intervention that they were recently blessed to have a German missionary, who has expertise in the poultry business, “just happen” to join Haiti Partners at precisely the time they needed help in making sure this new enterprise becomes efficient and profitable.

This new project will not only create desperately needed jobs for Haitians. It will also provide income for several of the schools that Haiti Partners is developing and supporting. The goal is to make each of these affiliated schools self-supporting. And there is little doubt in my mind that Haiti Partners will succeed.

One of these new ministries in education will be constructed in the mountains just four miles south of Port-au-Prince on 2.8 acres of land. There will be eight classroom buildings, administrative offices, a library and a computer lab as well as a kitchen and dining area.

The Children’s Academy will be consistent with the ideals to which Haiti Partners is committed – Spiritual and moral growth, civic responsibility and empowerment, environmental stewardship, entrepreneurship, artistic creativity and individual expression, fluency in Haitian-Creole, French and English, technological fluency, especially with computers. I can think of no better way to share God’s love in a tangible way with God’s children in Haiti at this time than this.

Given the way God is at work in Haiti Partners bringing together free enterprise and education, it is not at all surprising that their work has been featured on TV by the Discovery Channel and Fox Business News. Your gifts to EAPE are being multiplied a hundred fold around the world. This is one story of how it’s happening.

Our Core Ministries like Haiti Partners, Cornerstone Christian Academy, Urban Promise, Mission Year and numerous others that you have helped EAPE to start and sustain are deserving of your ongoing sacrificial support. We need some extra help right now – so give all you can. Thank you!