Freedom School Partners

On June 20, 2011, C.N. Jenkins became one of the first African American churches to host a Freedom School in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. Freedom School Partners (FSP) is dedicated to serving at-risk students and families living in poverty in Charlotte, North Carolina. Its mission is to engage, educate and empower children to succeed in school and in life through quality, year-round educational enrichment programs. They work with community partners, offering summer and afterschool Children Defense Fund's Freedom Schools® programs, to improve academic achievement, reduce dropout rates, and inspire the love of reading.

"What an impact this program had on us,” says church member Doris Boyd. A retired educator, Boyd served as volunteer coordinator for the summer Freedom School program. “Our congregation raised more than $60,000, had 135 volunteers from the church and community, and transformed much of our building into a summer school.” The volunteers served as Harambee (a Kiswahili word for “let’s pull together”) readers, breakfast servers, field trip chaperones, motivational speakers and on-site activity planners, where they shared their skills and hobbies, like playing chess.

To learn more about Freedom School Partners and/or volunteer, please contact Doris Boyd at dorisboydcarolin@bellsouth.net.  You may also go to www.freedomschoolpartners.org .

International Mission Trip to Belize, Central America

A team of 14 missionaries from C.N. Jenkins answered a call and met a need.  They traveled to Belize, Central America, and lead a  Vacation Bible School targeting 100 kids in July 2011. By the third day, 140 kids showed up. They received printed materials, supplies, workbooks, and food for the week.  “It was so humbling seeing some of the children who didn’t have much. God worked in our lives to get us to go deeper, to recognize that we’ve been put on earth to help each other,” said Sharon Johnson, C.N. Jenkins Deacon and recruiter for the trip.

To learn more about our international missions, please contact Sharon Johnson at sha.1963@yahoo.com or Wanda Moonie at wandagricemoonie@yahoo.com.

Impact Charlotte

In November 2011, Covenant Presbyterian Church and C.N. Jenkins Presbyterian Church formed teams together, with members and friends, to make an “Impact on Charlotte."  They visited sites throughout the community to serve and to learn more about the work of our partners in ministry. It was an exciting day – both for the chance to be among neighbors and to work alongside fellow Christians. It was a day of giving and caring that illustrated that we are all “Blessed to be a blessing”    There were over 50 projects included in this effort and over 800 mission volunteers who made this one-time 2-hour commitment to a day service to others .  Projects included work at both church campuses and at dozens of sites across the city including Hope Haven, McCreesh Place, Crisis Assistance Ministry, Carolina Raptor Center, Highland Renaissance Academy and Jackson Park Ministries.

To learn more about this mission and to sign up for our next day of community service, please contact Michelle Stewart at mbstewart@carolina.rr.com.