It was a Tuesday afternoon and I was surprised to find every space of the church building filled with the sound of instruments and children. This is the new norm, not only on Tuesdays, but every weekday at Fuente de Salvacion Covenant church. This small congregation in Itagui has continually shown a commitment to the whole Gospel of Jesus, seeking to be ambassadors of shalom in their community. It is beautiful to witness the impact of their community grow, especially in the lives of children and teens.
This congregation has always been committed to serving and tangibly showing the love of Jesus, especially to the most vulnerable in the community around them. They have partnered with a home for older adults, providing companionship for many who are without family. They have served in partnership with community leaders in a neighborhood made up primarily of displaced people (from Colombia and Venezuela), offering tutoring and other activities for children. A year ago, a team of lay leaders responsible for helping the congregation move in these ways, began to dream about offering music classes and academic support to kids and teens in the community. Through a partnership with New City Kids ministry, this dream is now a reality.
The way this initiative is designed results in impact both in the lives of the participants and the leaders. Lay leaders, mainly young adults from the church, volunteer their time and expertise in the area of music and teaching drum, piano, and bass lessons. They mentoring and training a group of 12 teenagers, who also serve as volunteers. These teens participate in music classes, entrepreneurship workshops, spiritual accompaniment and training on creative teaching methods. This initiative has provided a safe and caring space for teens to find community and develop and share their gifts. The teens are finding a community of support and are being mentored by leaders who care for them and are showing them God’s love.
These teens are the ones, who with the support of the adult leaders are teaching weekly music lessons for pre-teens and children. Right now over 30 adolescents and children are involved in the “Community Music School” that the church is offering. And together the teens and adults are offering classes on three different instruments – bass, drums, and piano.
It’s simply beautiful. The amount of people from the church who have gotten involved continues to grow as more volunteers sign up. One of our sons is learning drums with a group of adolescents, while our other son is volunteering by teaching basic English classes for the teen leaders. The adult volunteer teaching bass lessons, Daniel, also invited Sam to learn and teach alongside of him once a week. Click on the image below for a taste of drum lessons.
Kids and teens participating in the program are mainly from outside of the church community. They have come because of an invitation of a friend or because of the invitation of the church leaders. Pray for the congregation as it serves its community, offering this important opportunity for teens and children to grow holistically. Pray for the adult leaders, the teen volunteers and the children and adolescents that are participating. In a world where it seems more chaotic and complex for these younger generations to find a place to belong, this initiative meets and important need. May the impact continue to grow and positively impact the families of these teens and children.
