Love Shows Up

Love Shows Up

How one church’s long-term relationship with a school is bearing fruit

By Pastor Ayn DuVoisin

Schools faced extraordinary challenges during the height of the pandemic. Some churches helped bridge the educational gap by tutoring students.  

One church that serves as a model for helping the local school system is Symphony Church in Allston. Its partnership with Jackson/Mann K-8 School in Allston was marked by a long-term commitment that was highly relational with effective pastoral leadership supporting the initiative. 

The Boston Education Collaborative (BEC) at the Emmanuel Gospel Center has been key to the success of church-school partnerships like this. 

“There is tremendous opportunity for churches to extend God’s love and care to the community beyond their own congregations through building meaningful relationships with school communities, which includes students, staff, and families,” said Ruth Wong, BEC director. “Through relationships, mutually transformative experiences happen, and volunteers get to experience God more deeply for themselves.”

The BEC sees a need for more churches like Symphony to embrace changing ministry strategies during the pandemic, adopting church-school partnerships as a means to engage the outsized challenges facing schools. 

Symphony Church organizing the literacy room at Jackson/Mann K-8 School. [photo credit: Symphony Church]

Pushing through

Despite the uncertainty in March 2020 when the COVID pandemic hit, Symphony Church continued serving at Jackson/Mann. The church had been sending tutors to the school for seven years and had no plans of stopping.

Jackson/Mann had several community partners during the 2019 to 2020 academic year, but school officials told Symphony they were a key partner. That motivated the church to keep showing up and serving despite the challenges when the pandemic hit. 

Around that time, Symphony adopted a new microchurch model which helped to galvanize church members to continue serving in the community despite social distancing rules. Throughout the summer and fall of 2020, Symphony Church leaders preached and challenged members to serve. One sermon series focused on BLESS: Begin with prayer, Listen with care, Eat together, Serve in love, and Share your story. This was part of an effort to cast a vision for a missional culture of sending out the microchurches to engage their neighborhoods even in the middle of a pandemic through initiatives such as prayer walks. 

That summer, 20 church volunteers spent two hours every day helping with the school’s virtual program. Symphony also gave summer-school teachers a virtual tablet to use as a whiteboard. In the fall, even more people volunteered to tutor.

Symphony Church cleaning out and organizing school closets. [photo credit: Symphony Church]

Showing up

Partnering with local schools to help students is part of Symphony’s DNA. 

In 2010, the church started meeting at the Match Charter Public School’s high school campus in Allston. The school had a system of matching volunteers as tutors to each student. Twenty tutors made a full commitment to serve for two years. 

This inspired Barry Kang, lead pastor of Symphony Church, to imagine the potential impact of supporting students with additional tutoring and classroom aides in other schools. They decided to encourage the positive momentum by hosting an appreciation dinner for the tutors. 

Pastor Kang said he was convicted by seeing how many issues in people’s lives sprang from early challenges, starting with literacy. Third grade, when education shifts from learning to read to reading to learn, is a critical turning point in a child’s life. These are precious years in supporting systemic change, Pastor Kang learned.

Coupled with his conviction that the “bedrock of society is in the development of the future generation,” Pastor Kang felt that a church-school partnership was compelling. The church’s biggest resource, its energetic worshiping community of college and postgraduate students, had little money but some available time. Through prayer, the church’s leadership saw education as a place to leverage their strengths.

Symphony Church hosted a teacher appreciation breakfast in May 2022. [photo credit: Symphony Church]

In 2014, they wondered whether Boston Public Schools could make use of additional tutoring support of one or two hours a week. At a gathering of pastors, Pastor Kang heard BEC Director Ruth Wong give a presentation on the program’s supportive role in assisting partnerships. Wong connected Symphony with Boston Partners in Education as well as the International Community Church in Brighton, which had been volunteering tutoring services at Jackson/Mann. 

“Ruth and EGC helped us get started and helped us get better,” Pastor Kang said.

Pastor Kang said Symphony’s relationship with Jackson/Mann began with its conviction that “love shows up.” He was personally committed to the partnership as well as building direct relationships with the building principal, vice-principal, and teachers. Pastor Kang reinforced the vision for outreach to Jackson/Mann from the pulpit, and the school administration saw the fruit of the relationship. 

“There is tremendous opportunity for churches to extend God’s love and care to the community beyond their own congregations through building meaningful relationships with school communities, which includes students, staff, and families. Through relationships, mutually transformative experiences happen, and volunteers get to experience God more deeply for themselves.”

— Ruth Wong, Director, Boston Education Collaborative

Leaning in

During the 2020 to 2021 school year when schools were still grappling with the impact of COVID, 50 Symphony volunteers spent 2,200 hours tutoring at Jackson/Mann. 

“That year, we were that school’s only community partner,” Pastor Kang said. “All their other partners weren’t able to pivot out of their established lanes. But we could because of the BEC’s help.” 

Boston school officials announced they would close Jackson/Mann at the end of the school year in 2022, but Symphony decided to serve to the very end as it prayerfully discerns which school to partner with next.

Symphony Church cleaning out and organizing school closets. [photo credit: Symphony Church]

Symphony is energized by the multiplication potential of some of its microchurches serving in their own communities. 

While many people wonder when things will go back to the way they were, Pastor Kang feels the pandemic forced the church in a new direction that is yielding kingdom fruit. He said one of the microchurch members, who was skeptical of the new model in the beginning, confided that “‘before the changes, my journey in Christ was like sitting in economy class, but now it feels like sitting in first class — no, actually it’s more like being in the copilot seat, and I have a much greater sense of ownership in this journey.’” 

Pastor Kang noted a shift in the church from passivism and consumerism to more active participation as an integral part of the body of Christ and the kingdom.  

Because multiplication is part of its language, Symphony hopes its relationships will create new frontiers for support in other schools. And they are partnering strategically with the BEC to explore those new connections.

Symphony’s model of community engagement has been a transforming grace for its members. The church is blessed by working with children and seeing them grow so quickly in their understanding and development. There is a gratification of seeing work they’ve been engaged in, that is clearly useful, something bigger than themselves, that glorifies God. 

During the pandemic, when there has been such continual uncertainty, this outreach of serving others has been emotionally and mentally encouraging to the church, Pastor Kang said, with all the members getting to “exercise their love muscles!”

Symphony Church’s notes of appreciation for Jackson Mann staff. [photo credit: Symphony Church]

Ayn DuVoisin

About the Author

Pastor Ayn DuVoisin has been a volunteer associate with EGC’s Boston Education Collaborative initiative since 2019. She previously served as Pastor of Children’s Ministries at North River Church in Pembroke, Massachusetts, from 2000 to 2019. Over the past decade, she has been active in building the Church & School Partnership for Boston Public Schools. She is also a former board member of Greater Things for Greater Boston. She and her husband, Jean DuVoisin, have lived in Scituate, Massachusetts, for over 40 years. She is blessed by her three adult children and well-loved Golden Retriever, Sunny.

TAKE ACTION

Can you see your church engaging in a partnership like this? Here are some resources to explore as your church prayerfully discerns a potential partnership with a school in Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, or Brockton.

Volunteer

Partner with a school

Learn More

BPS Engagement Toolkit

Ministering to the Whole Family

Ministering to the whole family

How Christian out-of-school time programs play a critical role in the lives of kids and their parents during the pandemic

by Hanno van der Bijl, Managing Editor, and Pastor Ayn DuVoisin, BEC Associate

From obstacles with virtual learning to parents losing jobs, the coronavirus pandemic has made life difficult for many children in Boston.

Urban students were struggling even before COVID-19. According to “Boston Public Schools at a Glance 2019-2020,” 39% of third-graders scored Exceeding or Meeting Expectations in English Language Arts on the 2019 Next Generation Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams. About 75% of Boston Public School (BPS) students who began high school in September 2014 graduated in four years, according to the BPS 2018 Graduation Rate Report. 

Despite the challenges, Christian leaders at ministries offering after-school and summer programs say they are witnessing God’s goodness and grace toward the children and their families. But the pandemic also forced these organizations to scramble to meet the demands of the new situation with all its uncertainties.  

“We are still in the middle of a pandemic, and its negative impact on urban students and families persists into this new school year,” said Ruth Wong, director of the Boston Education Collaborative (BEC) at the Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC). “While learning remotely was hard for most students, the adjustment to in-person learning has been hard for students socially and emotionally. We have heard so much about the complicated and stressful situation with delayed school reopening plans that created much anxiety for school leaders, teachers, and parents. Parents have had to juggle jobs and transportation issues. Some parents are still unable to work.” 

“We are still in the middle of a pandemic, and its negative impact on urban students and families persists into this new school year.”

— Ruth Wong, Director, Boston Education Collaborative

Last year, Brockton Christian Mentoring Initiatives (BCMI) converted their facilities and resources to set up learning labs and shifted from mentoring programs to supervising remote classes. Greenwood Shalom Tutoring Zone and Summer Enrichment remained committed to a holistic approach to serving and working with families in Dorchester. American Chinese Christian Education and Social Services (ACCESS) adapted its approach to partnering with other organizations to better serve low-income Chinese families in Chinatown.

They all leaned into God in prayer more than ever for direction and provision.

“Answers to prayer continued to reveal God’s faithfulness, especially in matters of protection over the health of the teaching staff and students at ACCESS,” said Pasang Drolma, executive director at ACCESS.

The BEC works closely with these ministries as part of its mission to support underserved urban students. Along with several other programs, it brought them together last year as a learning community to share updates and how they were adjusting to the demands of the pandemic. The BEC also helped ACCESS and Greenwood Shalom raise a combined total of more than $15,000 by assisting them in submitting proposals for coronavirus relief funds. 

When BCMI shifted to supervising remote classes during the pandemic, they saw how challenged students were in a school environment as opposed to mentoring relationships. As discipline was one of the most challenging aspects, they sat one-on-one with about two dozen students in grades one through eight to help them with their schoolwork. 

Lynda Snelling, director at BCMI, said it was really important for the students to see each other, so the organization used some available funds to build on these relationships with fun activities over weekends.

Parents appreciated the academic help and supervision. With improved connections with a nearby school through parent resource personnel, BCMI was able to secure lunches for the program.

“Along the way,” Snelling said, “God made the way.” 

“Along the way, God made the way.”

— Lynda Snelling, Director, Brockton Christian Mentoring Initiatives

Seeing God’s hand at work was also evident for Jeanette Merren, program director at Greenwood Shalom in Dorchester, which is part of Victory Generation, a program of BMA TenPoint, an alliance of churches as well as faith and community-based organizations in Boston.   

Greenwood Shalom provides a safe and nurturing environment where they attend to children’s educational, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs. Teachers encourage children by helping them with their homework as well as taking tests and discovering new skills.

Through perseverance and encouragement, the 18 students, ages 5 to 13, who attended the program daily, learned efficiency as well as improved organization and time management skills.

At summer camp, Rochelle Jones, director of education at Victory Generation, supervised a new devotional time that children led by reading a devotional and commenting on what it meant for them. Apart from simply encouraging children to attend church, Jones said the team is engaging in spiritual conversations through positive, Christ-centered relationships. And the children are responding with great questions and open hearts, Jones said.   

Greenwood Shalom also partners with parents to better equip them and support them in their own educational and personal goals.

One of the major obstacles to working with parents during the early days of the pandemic was the lack of in-person meetings with families, cutting off the information usually gleaned from conversations before and after pick up.

But developing close relationships with families has given Greenwood Shalom a front-row seat to the transformation unfolding in their lives. Merren said she takes special joy in seeing God at work when a parent secures a new job.

In addition to academic enrichment, the program helps families find resources for food, finances, language learning, housing forms, and food stamps. The team also assists families, who may not be culturally familiar with the school system, in navigating communication issues such as understanding report cards, responding to emails, and advocating for special needs.

That kind of transformation was also on display for the team at ACCESS in Chinatown, which saw systemic change and more supportive relationships with families.

Like others, the organization grappled with lots of policy and schedule changes, but good communication with BPS and parents enabled ACCESS to help children and their families.

For some families, the assistance is critical. When asked what the ACCESS program meant to them, one parent shared, “It makes the difference of me being able to work or not!”

For those parents who lost jobs, ACCESS was able to make accommodations in their fee structure.

That was due in part to the love and generosity of several organizations that enabled ACCESS to maintain its outreach in the community. 

Some of those groups include the SuccessLink Youth and Young Adults Jobs program in the City of Boston Youth Engagement and Employment department, Chinatown Community Land Trust, Northeastern University’s Service-Learning program in its Office of City and Community Engagement, Boston Public Health Commission, and Tai Tung Village. 

Long-term partnerships with churches include the Christian Bible Church of Greater Boston and the Boston Chinese Evangelical Church.

These partnerships were a source of joy when challenges loomed large, enabling ACCESS to cover unanticipated expenses and avoid staff layoffs while providing creative programming in science, technology, engineering, and math in a healthy and safe learning environment.

It was the first year on the job for Annie Tran, who came on board ACCESS as program director after working in biotech. In that field, she was able to control variables in science experiments. But not at ACCESS. This new job was a radical change at a challenging time with many variables.

Tran said she learned “to be more vulnerable with my weaknesses and begin lifting them up to God.”

Despite wondering what God had planned, Tran said, “Not only is God great and powerful, but he is also strategic!”

“Not only is God great and powerful, but he is also strategic!”

— Annie Tran, Program Director, ACCESS

TAKE ACTION

This fall, schools and programs are experiencing first-hand the social-emotional impact of the pandemic on children and young people. 

School staff members have shared about challenges with helping students to relearn the norms of being a student, of how to work out conflict with other students, or how to express themselves when emotional. Staff at one school shared about the challenges they are facing with their ninth-graders who were last in school as seventh graders. 

Academic mentors and support for teachers are high needs. At the same time, families are still faced with resource needs such as food, diapers, clothing, and financial assistance.

Here’s how you can help the BEC’s partner organizations:

Volunteer

Volunteer in person. Contact Ruth Wong at rwong@egc.org for more information.  

Donate

Consider donating items for learning and activities. Follow these links for more information:

• ACCESS

  • Wishlist: activity sets, arts and crafts supplies, board games for children, chapter books as well as children’s books, puzzles

• BCMI

  • Wishlist: arts and craft supplies, games, gift cards to Target and Walmart for Christmas gifts

• Greenwood Shalom

  • Wishlist: Treetop mystery books series for grades K-7, 15 to 20 headphones, 20 Bluetooth speakers, one TV screen, 20 exercise mats in bags, 20 STEAM Activity sets

Here’s how you can help the BEC:

Partner 

The BEC is looking for church partners and Christians across the Greater Boston area to partner with and love on these Christian out-of-school time programs as well as school communities in the new school year. Contact Ruth Wong at rwong@egc.org if you are interested in learning more about how your church can partner with a local school.

Mentor

The BEC is seeking to recruit 250 volunteers to serve as academic mentors. Both schools and out-of-school time programs need in-person volunteers to assist teachers and staff to work with students in Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, and Brockton. There are some remote volunteer opportunities, too. To find out more, contact Ruth Wong at rwong@egc.org.

Donate cloth masks and clothing

BPS staff have requested the faith community to donate cloth masks, and Catie’s Closet is holding clothing drives. Contact Ayn Duvoisin at becassociate2@egc.org for more information on both initiatives. 

Refer job candidates for BPS schools

Know of someone who would be a good fit for BPS? There are about 400 open positions in the schools. Please see the district’s list of job openings to refer candidates to the school.

Support families

Immigrant parents and families experiencing homelessness need help to navigate Zoom, online learning platforms, and resources. There is a special need for volunteers who speak Spanish. Volunteers can help provide support through phone or Zoom calls. We can train you to learn how to access various online platforms like Google Classroom. Contact Ruth Wong at rwong@egc.org to learn more.

Families are also in need of basic items such as food, clothing, diapers, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products, etc. Go to www.egc.org/covidresponse to donate to our COVID-response fund to help families.

Other opportunities to support parents during these challenging times could also be explored. Contact Ruth at rwong@egc.org if you’re interested in working with families.

Hanno van der Bijl

Ayn DuVoisin

About the Authors

Hanno van der Bijl returned to EGC as managing editor after working as a teacher and reporter in Alabama for almost a decade. Before that, he worked with EGC’s research team and graduated with an M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2010. A native of South Africa, he is thrilled to be back in Boston where he became a U.S. citizen in 2007 at the Hynes Convention Center. Hanno and his wife, Lauren, have three young, beautiful children who are already smarter than their parents.

Pastor Ayn DuVoisin has been a volunteer associate with EGC’s Boston Education Collaborative initiative since 2019. She previously served as Pastor of Children’s Ministries at North River Church in Pembroke, Massachusetts, from 2000 to 2019. Over the past decade, she has been active in building the Church & School Partnership for Boston Public Schools. She is also a former board member of Greater Things for Greater Boston. She and her husband, Jean DuVoisin, have lived in Scituate, Massachusetts, for over 40 years. She is blessed by her three adult children and well-loved Golden Retriever, Sunny.