Summer

What a Summer!

what a summer!

by Patrique Harris, Youth Ministry Director




There are many things I love about summer – predictably warm weather, enduring sunshine, afternoon ice cream, strappy sandals, floating in peaceful waters, and of course, obnoxiously cheering Jamaican athletes in the Olympics! To add to all that joy, the ministry that happens at Mission Adelante in the summer months is abundant and life-giving. 

With school out, the busy teenage schedule finally yields, spawning a golden time for our Youth Ministry. New and old participants bonded each Tuesday and Wednesday over intense games, indulgent food, and heartfelt discussions on Daniel’s courage! What’s more, our summer interns, Eli, Sonia, Unisha, and Keziah, were integral in curating the program experiences for our participants. Their fervor, creativity, and Gen Z slang were invaluable and made all the difference!  

Not only did we welcome our summer interns, but we were also thrilled to have Erick Flores join the Mission Adelante family as a Ministry Apprentice. After graduating from J.C. Harmon High School in the spring, Erick was moved to pursue a vocation serving kids and youth in his neighborhood. His experience participating in Mission Adelante programs in years past truly impressed upon him. He recalls the support he felt when mentors like Megan McDermott Fountain invested in him, especially during difficult seasons of his life. 

Following in Megan’s footsteps, Erick passionately walked alongside our summer interns. His team-building efforts (including debates on songs to add to the summer intern playlist), encouragement during long days of engaging kids and youth, and his counsel on matters big and small, helped the interns to thrive! Carla, Mikya, and I were honestly impressed.

To sum it all up in Jamaican terms, “mi glad bag buss”! In translation, “my glad bag burst”, which I would liken to the sentiments of David in Psalm 23:5 when his “cup runneth over.” The summer interns, program participants, volunteers, and even Erick’s arrival, were all answered prayers for us as a ministry team. God’s immense goodness was made manifest here in KCK this summer – and I get to bear witness!

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?
JOIN US FOR VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 7TH AT 9:00M

Join our team of volunteers for the summer trimester and be part of "loving people from all places." Attend our volunteer orientation on September 7th, 2024 and find your place serving kids, youth, or adults in the immigrant community in KCK

For more information about volunteer opportunities visit: https://www.missionadelante.org/orientation

Be part of our programs!

We are so excited for everything that is happening in our programs and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us next trimester?

How can you help?

  • Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.

  • Volunteer – Come to our Observation Nights. For more information visit: http://www.missionadelante.org/serve

  • Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.

Bees, Ministry, and Leadership

Bees, Ministry, and Leadership

By Jarrett Meek, Founder/Pastor/Executive Director




Keeping bees and ministry can be very similar. We nurture and invest time in both because we know it's worth it, and we can bear fruit one day.

Watch this video to learn more and discover how you can be part of our leadership development at Mission Adelante.

Would you consider investing with us in making an impact that ripples forward to eternity?  To donate, please visit www.missionadelante.org/infinity2024 or click the donate button below.

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?
MISSION ADELANTE OBSERVATION NIGHTS ARE HERE : JULY 8 - 11

Take a glimpse of what is going on at Mission Adelante and what we are doing in our different programs. This is a great opportunity to have the full experience of a Mission Adelante volunteer.

For more information visit: www.missionadelante.org/serve

Be part of our programs!

We are so excited for everything that is happening in our programs and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us next trimester?

How can you help?

  • Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.

  • Volunteer – Come to our Observation Nights. For more information visit: http://www.missionadelante.org/serve

  • Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.

Bees, Flowers and Emerging Leaders- Announcing Infinity 2024!

Bees, Flowers and Emerging Leaders- Announcing Infinity 2024!

By Jarrett Meek, Founder/Pastor/Executive Director

Over the past year, I’ve had an exciting convergence of new hobbies: beekeeping and flower gardening.  If we’ve spent any time together, you’ve probably had to listen to me spouting off fascinating bee facts and sharing stories about catching swarms, marking queens or harvesting honey.  My gardening interests have been shaped by my beekeeping as I’ve torn up a section of our grass to plant native pollinator flowers.  I’ve even started letting the white dutch clover grow unchecked in my backyard!

Part of beekeeping is managing bee reproduction.  Did you know that a queen bee can lay 2000 eggs each day during the peak season!  I estimate that my first hive had around 70,000 bees by mid-summer last year.  And, when a hive outgrows its space, it sends out a swarm, nearly half of the colony, to find a new home.  In this way, not only do the bees reproduce on an individual basis, but the entire colony reproduces itself.  The process has a hint of infinity as the cycle perpetuates itself under the care of a Creator whose perfect designs are worthy of study and awe.  My great satisfaction as a beekeeper and gardener is in the cooperation with our Creator in stewarding such a fascinating part of His creative work.

Each summer at Mission Adelante we celebrate the perpetual work and infinite impact of God’s creative work in developing young leaders from our community.  And much like beekeeping or gardening, we are delighted to cooperate with our Creator in stewarding and caring for the lives of young people who will one day be disciples who make disciples and leaders who develop leaders. 

Mission Adelante invests in emerging leaders from our neighborhood starting at a young age, and we have a lot of programs designed for this purpose.  But, one of our most exciting leadership development initiatives is our summer youth internship.  This summer we have an amazing group of youth- six to be exact- most of whom have been in and around Mission Adelante since before the age of five.  For some, we’ve had the privilege of being a part of their lives from birth!  Can you grasp the joy of collaborating with God in their formation and now seeing them shine as they serve others and grow as leaders!

It is in this spirit that we launch our summer campaign, “Infinity 2024”, to raise funds to support our leadership development initiatives.  The programs funded by this campaign are “Leadership Training Project” for youth, “Youth Summer Internship” for youth, and “Ministry Apprenticeships” for young adults.  Our goal this summer is to raise $30,000 to help fund these programs.  Would you consider investing with us in making an impact that ripples forward to eternity?  To donate, please visit www.missionadelante.org/infinity2024 or click the donate button below.

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?
MISSION ADELANTE OBSERVATION NIGHTS ARE HERE : JULY 8 - 11

Take a glimpse of what is going on at Mission Adelante and what we are doing in our different programs. This is a great opportunity to have the full experience of a Mission Adelante volunteer.

For more information visit: www.missionadelante.org/serve

Be part of our programs!

We are so excited for everything that is happening in our programs and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us next trimester?

How can you help?

  • Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.

  • Volunteer – Come to our Observation Nights. For more information visit: http://www.missionadelante.org/serve

  • Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.

The Journey to Infinity

The journey to infinity

by Jarrett Meek, Founder/Pastor/Executive Director


“I love you to the Moon and back, infinity times infinity.”  Each of my children heard that phrase as a consistent part of our bedtime routine more times than they could count.  Even if the concept of infinity is difficult to grasp, my children knew that it meant my love for them was without limits, that it rippled through space and time without ever reaching an endpoint.  

How can ministry impact reach to infinity and beyond? The answer is found in leadership development.  Investing in young leaders who will in turn develop others.  Like a wave of light emanating from a distant galaxy, the ripple effect of developing young people travels through generations to infinity, reaching times and places never imagined.  

A child grows up in our urban neighborhood.  She finds a safe place to learn about Jesus.  She learns and grows, receives love, encouragement and help in school.  She’s invited to serve her community.  Mentors invest in her life.  As a teenager, she joins an internship where she is challenged to begin leading in new ways.  She invests in younger kids.  Her peers come to her for advice.  Her love for Jesus continues to grow along with her love for her neighborhood and her heart for children and youth growing up in similar circumstances to her own.  She overcomes many obstacles to become the first person in her family to go to college.  She serves, she loves, she builds.  Her children know Jesus and they love others well.  She shares her life and life and love for Jesus.  She develops others and many “honor her for all that her hands have done.  Her works bring praise at the city gate” (Proverbs 31:31).  The journey to infinity has begun.

Join us for one of our summer Fundraising Events!

You’re invited to attend one of our two small fundraising events this summer.  Each event will be a unique KCK experience and will include dinner (no charge) and a classic Strawberry Hill view.  These events are part of our summer INFINITY 2023 campaign to raise funds for our leadership development initiatives at Mission Adelante.  We're hoping these pilot events will help us get a good start toward our summer campaign goal of $60,000.

The Mockingbird Lounge Patio- Thursday, June 15- 6:30-8:30: Enjoy a local taco truck dinner, fellowship, and a classic Strawberry HIll view of downtown KCMO on the Mockingbird Lounge patio.  Please RSVP Here by June 12th (If you forget to RSVP by that date, please contact us!).

Splitlog Coffee Rooftop- Saturday, June 17th- 6:30-8:30: Enjoy SLAPS Barbeque, a great cause, and a cool experience with a classic view of downtown KCMO, on the rooftop of Splitlog Coffee Shop.  Please RSVP Here by June 12th. (If you forget to RSVP by that date, please contact us!)

If you are unable to attend, but would like to make a contribution toward the Infinity 2023 campaign goal of $60,000, you may do so at www.missionadelante.org/infinity2023.

Be part of our programs!

 We are so excited to start our summer programs and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us this trimester?

How can you help?

  • Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.

  • Volunteer – Come to our Observation Nights. For more information visit: http://www.missionadelante.org/serve

  • Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.

Arts Camp 2019

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Written by Sara Forsythe, Arts Community Volunteer

This year we held our third annual summer Arts Camp at Mission Adelante! Since 2017, Christ Community Church and Mission Adelante have partnered together to offer a week-long arts camp to equip and encourage young artists in the Mission Adelante community. Our theme this year was Created to do Good Works, which is based on Ephesians 2:10: , “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This year we had over 35 campers participate in our camp, and we had a blast being creative together. Here are three things that made me smile during our week of camp: 

Watching the apprentices and interns take the lead: The apprentices and summer interns at Mission Adelante were a vital part of the Arts Camp this year and we could not have done it without them! Phul Maya Rasaily leads Adelante Arts Community during the year, and she stepped up and took on the role of running things during camp week! She was AMAZING. The other apprentices and interns helped our teachers during class time, they helped set up and tear down every day, and they were in charge of games and recreation. 

Seeing the campers get to know each other: We had a few different cultures represented at the camp this year, and several of the campers did not know each other. At the beginning of the week they were all fairly shy, but by the end of the week we could see a difference. They were talking to each other, laughing, and creating together. It is fun to get to know people who are different than you!

Our exceptional volunteers: One of my favorite things to do was walk through the building and watch our volunteers in action. Our sewing teachers would load up a wagon with all their sewing equipment each day and pull it to their classroom. Our videography/photography teacher had photos on the wall in his classroom. Our theater teacher always had fun notes on her whiteboard. The improv teacher had her kids make the funniest faces! Our food team fed us breakfast and lunch every day. Seriously, these volunteers are the best!

This year’s camp was awesome and filled with creativity! We will be hosting another Arts Camp next summer. I invite you to come join us next year and experience it for yourself!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

  • Love running? Want to support local non-profits? Join us on September 7, 2019 for Dream KCK 5K Race! Your registration fee and any additional donations support Mission Adelante and/or Second Wind. Register here: https://runsignup.com/Race/KS/KansasCity/DreamKCK

  • We will be hosting a New Volunteer Orientation on Saturday, September 14th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. If you are interested in volunteering with kids, youth, arts and music, adult ESL, or citizenship classes, this is a great opportunity to jump in the fall trimester (September 16 - December 5). Sign up for the registration here: http://www.missionadelante.org/orientation

CURRENT NEEDS:

  • Do you have a heart for kids? Do you want to make a difference in a kid's life? Mission Adelante's Multicultural Leaders In Training (LIT) program needs volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids

  • Thinking about decluttering your house before fall? Adelante Thrift is in need of gently used items in all departments: Men's, Women's, and Children's Clothing, Housewares, Electronics, and Furniture. Adelante Thrift is located at 3720 State Ave KC KS 66102.