Nations Ministry Center

A Great Start to 2012

2012-01-30T22:47:00.002-06:00

We are very excited about a great start to 2012! Here's what is happening every week at Nations Ministry Center:

Monday-Thursday 10:00AM-12:00 English School for Children (Preschool)
Monday-Thursday 4:00PM-5:30 Nations Academy (after-school tutoring)
Monday 5:00PM-7:00 Citizenship class
Tuesday 10:00AM-12:00 Citizenship class
Thursday 10:00AM-12:00 English class for women
Saturday 1:00PM-3:00 Citizenship class

And every day we provide social services and immigration support to more than 200 clients from 5 countries!

Come visit us at 4710 Charlotte Avenue. We have volunteer openings in most of our events.

New Home for Nations Ministry Center

2012-01-16T22:04:00.003-06:00

Nations Ministry Center has a new home at 4710 Charlotte Avenue and 48th Avenue North.

School is Back!

2011-08-23T21:55:00.002-05:00

School is back and so is our English School for Children (also known as preschool). We are welcoming refugee preschool children Monday-Thursday, 10:30-12:00. Our theme this semester is Animal Kingdom and we are learning about alligators, bears, cats, dogs....all the way to zebras! We have volunteer openings on Wednesdays twice per month and every Thursday.

Our after-school tutoring program is getting back into the swing of things. We welcome Chad Harrington as the new coordinator of this program. On Wednesdays, tutoring begins at 2:30 and there are volunteer openings on this day as well as others. Let us know if you would like to join us. Call Chad at 615.916.1203.

We are also working with new clients from Congo and making Nashville a more welcoming place to newcomers. Join us in building a stronger Nashville by walking with refugees on the journey to self-sufficiency.

VOTE FOR THE VAN!

2011-07-01T13:02:00.003-05:00

Dear friends:

Nations Ministry Center is competing for a $25,000 Pepsi Refresh grant to purchase a van for our after-school program. Each month, Pepsi is giving away 60 grants to small nonprofits. Grants are awarded based on the number of votes each proposal receives in a single month.

You can VOTE FOR THE VAN two ways every day for the month of July!

1. Send a text to the phone number 73774 with the following message: 107399 .

2. Vote from your Facebook account every day or from a Pepsi account you can create here:

This Week

2011-06-28T18:50:00.002-05:00

Friends from Ensworth's Summer Service Camp and from a Texas Methodist mission program joined us today. The Ensworth group brought games for our preschoolers and the mission team helped with office work, brought some music to the preschool, and led the kids in math games during Math Mania!

Math Mania!

2011-06-22T13:50:00.003-05:00

Math Mania in full swing at the Refugee Center! We are having a blast working on our multiplication and basic math skills. We have twelve students coming ranging in age from rising Kindergarten to rising 8th grade. We are making math fun by playing games and winning prizes. The kids have been coming for up to five days and we can already see tons of improvement! They are truly getting ready to not just survive, but truly thrive in their Math classes when school starts back in August.

E. works on ready with one of our volunteers!

Two children learn their site words and their ABCs.

We are also working with the kids on their English skills. We are having such a great time! If you are interested in coming to volunteer for Math Mania, the dates left are June 23rd, June 27th-30th, July 11th-14th, and July 18th-2nd. We would love to have more volunteers for our kids to learn from! Email Charles at academy@nationsministrycenter.org for more information!

Nations Ministry Center
Welcome.Connect.Celebrate

2 Students Enjoy Vacation Bible School at Harpeth Pres

2011-06-17T12:24:00.004-05:00

Last week, two of our Iraqi children attended Vacation Bible School at Harpeth Presbyterian Church. They had a great week with tons of other children playing games, making crafts, and singing songs.

Music time was definitely a favorite part of the day. Our client, on the left, is jamming out to the week’s music.

At snack time, they tried a lot of new and different foods. popcorn at movie time was delicious.

Programs like VBS, where our kids can be around so many English speakers is a great thing. The more time our students can be around English speaking children, the more they will be inspired to learn.
Thanks Harpeth for hosting our students last week!

Math Mania Begins!

2011-06-15T22:15:00.003-05:00

Math Mania began today with children from Eritrea, Iraq, and Burundi. We are excited to be honing math skills this summer with many refugee friends!

This Week at Preschool

2011-06-05T21:12:00.000-05:00

Summer has come indeed! We are loving the warm weather here at Nations! We are also loving have older kids to play with! Big boys and girls make the best play friends! Make this summer a family service summer at Nations!

This week (June 6th-9th) we are hosting middle schoolers from Harpeth Presbyterian Church. This means that even if you are planning to volunteer throughout the summer, please take this week as a break and a thank you for all you do for our clients.

We also are welcomed Ms. Anne Elise Cain as a summer intern this week. She will be at preschool Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday all summer!

Thank you all for your dedication this school year. We are glad to have summer, but we will miss those of you who are taking a break until the fall. You are each a true blessing to our program, and more importantly, our precious little ones.

Peace,
Beth

Summer Opportunities

2011-06-01T15:32:00.002-05:00

Today is the last day of school for Metro Nashville Public Schools!

We have planned multiple opportunities for refugee youth this summer. Thanks to you, it will truly be a summer worth remembering.

We do have several camp scholarship funding opportunities available.

For $100, you can send a refugee child to algebra camp! And the student really wants to go!

Thanks to generous partial scholarships, we are sending 8 kids to camp for a week for only $25 per child! A gift of $200 will send 8 children to camp.

We have 6 others we are hoping to send to YMCA Day Camp for $50 per child.

Please send a gift to

Nations Ministry Center
P. O. Box 128154
Nashville, TN 37212

Or on-line giving to make this summer a summer worth remembering.

A Trip to the Zoo

2011-05-27T15:50:00.002-05:00

Our preschool crew took a trip to the zoo this week. Thanks to many of our friends who helped make this great trip possible!

Welcome, Nations Academy Coordinator!

2011-04-25T21:49:00.001-05:00

Today we welcomed Charles Flowers to the newly-created position of Nations Academy Coordinator! Charles will be growing our refugee youth education initiatives and will lead our after-school program.

Welcome, Charles!

Congratulations, Heather!

2011-04-21T23:12:00.002-05:00

Heather Cain was awarded the Mary Catherine Strobel Innovator in Action Award for her work with the Nations Ministry Center preschool! As Heather said in her acceptance remarks, this award is for our many dedicated volunteers who have given so much to prepare refugee children for the first day of school!

Kindergarten Readiness This Week!

2011-04-15T14:19:00.002-05:00

Nations Academy @LEAD Champions

2011-04-07T12:30:00.003-05:00

By Beth Olker

Tuesday night, our LEAD students were invited to a Family Dinner and Awards Night. It is a good thing we were all able to stay, because our LEAD students were winning awards left and right!

There were three different areas where students could receive rewards, and at least one of our students received an award in all three areas. The first awards given out were for Honor Roll. One of our 6th graders was one of only twelve students in the entire school to be on the honor roll.

Subject Area Awards came next. The way a student could win one of these awards is to be the student with the highest grades in a certain subject or show the most improvement. In 5th grade, both the Social Studies and the Math award were given to students in our tutoring program. In 6th grade, one of our girls won the Math Subject Award.

The last awards announced were the Citizenship Awards. These awards were nominated and voted on by their peers. There were two winners in each grade and two of our students each received one of these awards. We had one 5th grader and one 6th grader each get this neat award.

In all, 14 awards were given out last night and four of them were for our students! We are so proud of our LEADers!!

Around Town

2011-04-04T21:57:00.003-05:00

Today, and of course it was raining and storming much of the day, refugees were in my car and we were trying to solve some problems. One refugee had lost (or had been robbed?) all his identification, bank cards, etc. Another family had just moved to Tennessee from New Jersey. They were along there, knew no one, had little support. So they courageously came to Nashville to be with Congolese friends and seek a better life for their family. But some bureaucratic issues with USCIS were making life difficult. Not clear why there was a problem but hopefully it will be cleared up soon. We went to two banks, the DMV, a public housing area, and back.

At one point I was insisting we pick up some paperwork from a refugee family but the refugee who was on the phone kept indicating it wasn't a good idea to go. I could not figure out why. Finally, as we waited in one of the banks, I figured out the word he was saying was "funeral". There was a funeral going on and that's why we couldn't go! The "r" sound and "l" sound are notoriously difficult for east Africans. And my thick ears wouldn't allow me to hear the sounds.

Some problems were solved, others not. Others await Tuesday morning. I did meet two more children who will hopefully enter our preschool.

Then we were off to LEAD. Most of our volunteers didn't make it because of bad weather, but we pressed on and provided homework assistance.

Thanks to Karen and Leslie who helped get the kids home in bad weather!

Mary Catherine Strobel Award Finalist!

2011-03-29T22:59:00.001-05:00

Nations Ministry Center nominated Heather Cain for a Mary Catherine Strobel Award this year because of her hard work with our preschool. Below is part of the announcement from Hands on Nashville:

Hands On Nashville is proud to host the 25th annual Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards Presented by HCA/TriStar. The Strobel Awards recognize individuals and groups who selflessly give their time and talents to improve the community. The annual event, founded by Ford Motor Company, recognizes volunteers in six categories for their outstanding contributions to the community.

Join us for the 25th Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards luncheon!
Thursday, April 21
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Franklin Marriott Cool Springs Conference Center

Six award recipients will be selected from 18 finalists and 92 nominees. The following finalists have been named for 2011:

Volunteer Innovator Award Presented by CMT One Country
The Volunteer Innovator Award honors individuals or groups who have responded creatively to an unmet community need by designing a volunteer program, practice, or response, or by adding innovation to an existing program or agency.
Finalists are: Arts Council of Williamson County board of directors, Heather Cain, and Triple Thread.

In the Neighborhood

2011-03-28T22:00:00.002-05:00

The past few days we have been in the neighborhood, mainly the Cumberland View public housing area. This area around 25th North and 26th North has had a terrible reputation and probably isn't one of the safer places to be. Unlike many housing areas, vacancies are always to be found at Cumberland View. Refugees, when times become difficult, sometimes move to Cumberland View. We have been privileged to serve many refugee families who have lived at Cumberland View and many who have moved out into safer Habitat for Humanity houses.

Last week we were helping a family register a child for Head Start. We helped another family complete paperwork for a special-needs refugee child. We introduced a Congolese family to how to apply for a Habitat for Humanity house and how their middle school children could become a part of our after-school program at LEAD Academy. Tonight, I dropped one child off at Cumberland View after tutoring.

Thank you for making it possible for us to be in the neighborhood.

E-news Sign Up

2011-03-23T13:53:00.003-05:00

To sign up for our e-news and to download copies of annual reports and newsletters, click here!

SPRING BREAK FUN AND LEARNING!

2011-03-22T21:38:00.001-05:00

New Mexico Volunteers

2011-03-18T22:16:00.003-05:00

Over spring break, a Presbyterian Disaster Assistance group from New Mexico, in addition to flood relief, volunteered each day with Nations Ministry. Volunteers kept our kindergarten readiness program active while most of our regular volunteers took a break. Each afternoon, volunteers worked with middle school refugee students in overseeing reading and math assessments, multiplication BINGO, and lots of learning fun.

On Friday, we were especially blessed by three volunteers who built shelving units in two of our closets. Thank you, our new friends from New Mexico!

Spring Break

2011-03-11T22:48:00.003-06:00

Nations Ministry Center will be active during this year's spring break. We will welcome a University of New Mexico student group who will be partnering with us. First, we will have our regular kindergarten readiness program, Mon.-Thur., 10:30-12:00.

From 1:15-4:00 we will be providing educational enrichment and tutoring for refugee children in elementary and middle schools. Email us at volunteer[at]nationsministrycenter.org if you would like to join us or help with transportation.

On the way home

2011-02-09T00:32:00.003-06:00

Tonight I took three children home after our after-school tutoring and homework assistance. To one family I delivered 4 clothes hampers so the children could develop the habit of organizing their dirty clothes and help their parents manage a large family.

When one child was getting out of the car, he said something I didn't understand. He repeated it and I still wasn't sure what he said. Finally, I understood: "waxing crescent." When we left the school, I asked them to watch for the moon and tell me what phase the moon was in because we've been struggling with science and that's what has been getting much of our attention. So, 20 minutes later when we got home, he proudly told me "waxing crescent." To be honest, I had no idea if the moon is waxing or waning. I am just so glad that this child knows that the moon waxes and wanes!

A Day in the Life

2011-02-05T11:31:00.002-06:00

Friday was a great day of service. Three Ensworth seniors who are doing their senior service project with us volunteered all day. They helped prepare for our after-school program, aided us in communicating with our donors, picked up some in-kind donations.

While they were busy, I helped a client understand his mail from the Dept. of Human Services and assisted him in re-applying for food stamps. He's been out of a job for several months but had gotten a referral to the Cheesecake Factory. His daughter is mentally and physically handicapped so only one of the parents can work. I also visited a Togolese family twice as we worked on resolving some issues with their taxes. I then made my way to interview a tutor we are hoping to hire for one of our LEAD Academy refugee students who is failing science. Without this targeted tutoring, he may be retained which could become highly problematic for him since he is already older than all the other kids.

Since we don't have programming on Fridays, we sometimes don't know what opportunities will come our way.

Thanks for making it possible for us to serve our refugee friends.

Serving in the Snow

2011-01-31T23:03:00.002-06:00

January was an unusually snowy month with many days of programming canceled. However, we were able to continue to serve refugee families. Thanks to a generous donor, a Togolese family received a car, their first car in America! We have started targeted tutoring in reading and English for two refugee children who are struggling. We paired a Congolese refugee with a community volunteer to help him learn English taking his schedule into consideration. We helped a refugee get a Social Security card. We welcomed a new preschooler from Iraq! We are recruiting new students for our tutoring and mentoring program in partnership with LEAD Academy. We welcomed partnership with 34 student volunteers from Franklin Road Academy, Lipscomb University, Ensworth, Harpeth Hall, and St. Cecilia's. I also gave a refugee family a lesson in how to use their new washing machine so the clothes not only get wet but also get clean.

But there are many more opportunities to serve! Won't you join us?

Off to a Great Start!

2011-01-08T00:23:00.002-06:00

We are off to a great start for 2011! All our programs have begun, and we welcomed a new preschooler from Baghdad, Iraq, to our preschool.

We look forward to seeing you at one of our programs this year!

Follow the LEADers! Christmas Party

2010-12-21T00:26:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Leslie Grote for a great Christmas party with our LEAD kids!

Nations Ministry Center

2010-12-14T23:44:00.001-06:00

Click on the YouTube logo at the bottom of the screen to see a larger version with better quality!

Harpeth Hall's ACTNow Provides Learning Spaces

2010-11-21T21:59:00.003-06:00

Special thanks to Harpeth Hall's ACTNow service club that provided desks, lamps, and accessories to create a homework/learnng space for all the girls in our Follow the LEADers! program, our mentoring and after-school tutoring program for refugee children at LEAD Academy, a Nashville public charter school. The refugee families had recently moved into Habitat for Humanity homes, and the girls now have the space for a place to do their homework. The Harpeth Hall students provided a gift that will stand as an important reminder to the great value of doing homework! Thank you to ACTNow and to Heather Cain who coordinated this project for Nations Ministry Center.

Welcoming a new family to Nashville

2010-11-03T21:25:00.002-05:00

We have had the wonderful experience over the last 10 days of welcoming a new family to Nashville. This family of 10 fled the war in Congo on foot and walked for a month as they literally dodged bullets and hid from warring factions. They encountered unthinkable atrocities and several extended family members remain missing. They then lived in squalid conditions in a Tanzanian refugee camp for 9 years. Having become candidates for resettlement to the US, they were resettled to Indiana in July 2010. After experiencing numerous difficulties there, they decided to move to Nashville where the hope of better living conditions, a better job market, warmer weather, and other Congolese refugees might make life a bit more bearable. The family ended up in public housing in north Nashville with little to no furniture and a few refugee friends who were trying to help them begin their new life in Music City.

They then came to my attention and alerted Heather Cain to their dire situation. A long list of friends then rallied in an incredible way to provide household items, furniture, kitchen items, dishes, blankets, pillows, toys for the children, diapers for the babies, gift cards, and many other kinds of support.

Nations Ministry Center is providing case management services to enroll their children in school, update immunizations, and other matters necessary to getting settled. We also hope to connect them with English teachers and jobs.

Thank you to all who have changed their nearly empty apartment (pictured here) into a new home. The children are pictured here as well.

Dress-up at Kindergarten Readiness!

2010-10-28T23:36:00.002-05:00

This week our kindergarten readiness program celebrated the letter "H" and the color purple. We also dressed up!! Eleven children from four countries are enrolled in this vital program which prepares them for success in school.

More Habitat for Humanity Ribbon Cuttings!

2010-10-17T22:58:00.004-05:00

Park Preserve, a new Habitat for Humanity community in north Davidson County, was dedicated today. Four Burundi refugee families were among the first six families to dedicate homes in this new development. We assisted all these families in their application process and worked closely with Habitat to help ensure their success on their path to home ownership! Now, their children will have a safe place to grow up.

Many of these families have participated in multiple Nations Ministry Center programs since their 2007 arrival. Jeremie and Oleni received their mortgage. Vincent is in our preschool, and three of their children are in our Follow the LEADers! program.

Learning to Write at Preschool

2010-10-07T21:43:00.005-05:00

Our ten refugee preschool kids are learning to write their names! THANK YOU to our 38 volunteers who regularly give to make this program such a great success.

Java Jolt!

2010-10-04T21:45:00.001-05:00

Special thanks to all our friends who attended Java Jolt, hosted by Heather Cain and Shannon Beisel. Thanks for dropping by and learning more about Nations Ministry Center and the refugees we serve. Also thanks to Merry Beth Myrick and Leah McIntyre for sharing their jewelry. Visit their websites and mention Nations... Ministry Center when you order. A portion of the proceeds will benefit NMC refugee clients.

Hardwear Merry - Handcrafted Rock Star Glam! Necklaces, earrings, cuffs, rings.
hardwearmerry.com

Leah McIntyre Jewelry
www.leahmcintyre.com

Habitat Home Dedications!

2010-09-20T20:04:00.002-05:00

New Beginnings

2010-08-25T23:33:00.002-05:00

With school back in session and our summer break over, Kids Academy (refugee kindergarten readiness program) began this week. The program meets Monday-Thursday, 10:30-12:00. We have volunteer opportunities available on each day. Please email if you have interest in volunteering, chris@nationsministrycenter.org .

Details for our after-school program are being worked out and we will announce that as soon as everything is finalized.

We also have several refugee adults who are interested in learning English and are available during the daytime. We will provide training and materials. Two ladies from Iraq and a wonderful mother from Togo are very interested. This opportunity would be quite fulfilling for a volunteer interested in helping others learn English.

Westminster Presbyterian Church Mission Camp

2010-08-04T00:12:00.002-05:00

Special thanks to the Westminster Presbyterian Church Mission Camp who visited our preschool today. The campers read with the children and delighted the kids with a puppet show about being nice to their neighbors! Thank you, Mission Camp!

Thank You, Liz!

2010-07-31T00:09:00.002-05:00

Elizabeth Klein finished this week her year of service with Nations Ministry Center as a Young Adult Volunteer, a program of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Liz worked diligently in all of our outreaches. She eventually coordinated our ELM (English Language Mentoring program) and helped recruit many new volunteers for this program. She mentored a Sudanese refugee to take his GED, helped another with job training, and was a regular participant in our after school program. She coordinated many enrichment activities and helped in every way she was asked. She also served as the coordinating teacher for our Nashville Teaching Fellows Summer School. She was a great servant and became a valued friend to many refugees.

We wish you the best, Liz, as you take the next step in life!

We also look forward to welcoming our next Young Adult Volunteer who will begin serving with us in September.

Thank You, Hillsboro Presbyterian!

2010-07-18T19:11:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Hillsboro Presbyterian Church, these four children were able to participate in a Vacation Bible School and a Sports Camp! The children had a great time and especially benefited from the camp since they live in public housing and aren't able to play outside as much as they would like. We commend Hudson Neely and all the staff and volunteers for a great experience for the children.

A Week of Opportunity

2010-07-16T10:13:00.002-05:00

Nations Ministry Center's mission of promoting education opportunity was shining brightly this week as we completed the Head Start registration of a Togolese and a Burundi preschooler. After 8 visits to the home and multiple visits to the Head Start office, with the assistance of a French interpreter and Kirundi interpreter, and with one person providing additional transportation, we managed to get all 12 of us to the Head Start group registration with almost all the needed documentation. And by the end of the month, the process will hopefully be completely and these two little guys will begin benefiting an age-appropriate learning environment. It's one of the first steps in a long journey to their academic and social success! We are privileged to be a part of serving these two families and thank Liz, Betty, and Marcia for the support they provided.

Readng is the Key!

2010-07-11T23:01:00.002-05:00

We were passing out some books on Friday, and the kids just sat down on the sidewalk and started reading! It was a great thrill to see them interested in reading. As much research indicates, being on reading level by third grade is key to success in life. We are delighted to encourage reading among refugee children. Whether it's signing up refugee children for the Books to Birth program, reading in our preschool, or passing out summer reading materials, we are committed to helping refugee children succeed in school!

SES Tutoring Provides Vital Service

2010-07-02T11:25:00.003-05:00

June 30th we concluded our SES Tutoring, small group tutoring for elementary school children and funded by No Child Left Behind. Seven children officially completed 25 hours of tutoring and several other children who weren't officially enrolled also participated. Almost 200 hours of structured learning were provided to 11 children. The children received instruction in reading and math. Thanks to Tutoring Unlimited for partnering with us in bringing this important education opportunity to refugee children.

Fun with Friends from Tinkling Springs Presbyterian

2010-06-28T22:45:00.002-05:00

We had a great week with many friends from Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church in Virginia. Thanks to April Cranford and Liz Klein for coordinating activities. We had four days of preschool and four afternoons of activities for older children. It was a great time of learning and fun.

New Homes for Refugees

2010-06-25T22:45:00.004-05:00

We were delighted recently to join Feredite and Eleziel for the ribbon cutting of their new Habitat home! To receive a Habitat mortgage, applicants must meet stringent preparation standards by attending classes, volunteering with Habitat, working on their house, and providing up to $2,500 in closing costs.

Since January, Nations Ministry Center has supported, on some level, the applications of eleven refugee families. For some families, it was getting the right paperwork to make their application packets complete. For others, it was a more involved process of shepherding them and encouraging them through the process.

We look forward to many more ribbon cuttings and commend all the families on their journey to genuine self-sufficiency!

Summer School and the Nashville Teaching Fellows

2010-06-24T21:17:00.003-05:00

Today we concluded our second week of summer school at Nations Ministry Center as we have partnered with the Nashville Teaching Fellows. Three fellows, who are preparing to enter classrooms in the fall with the mission of "closing the achievement gap," lead two hours of classes each morning for high school and middle school students. Twenty-two Burundi refugee students have benefited from the English instruction. Liz Klein has served as the coordinating teacher.

High school students have been learning to read bus schedules, important driving vocabulary, and have been improving their writing skills.

We are thankful to the Panera at The Mall at Green Hills for providing breakfast items for summer school.

Thank you, Westminster Youth!

2010-06-23T11:49:00.001-05:00

Monday night, June 21, the youth of Westminster Presbyterian Church invited 13 refugee children to attend a Nashville Sounds baseball game. The children had a great time, were introduced to America’s past time, and enjoyed a wonderful time at the ball park. Thanks to Westminster and the youth staff, and to our volunteer drivers.

Trinity Presbyterian Hosts Field Day!

2010-06-23T11:16:00.002-05:00

On June 8, the youth and leadership of Trinity Presbyterian Church visited Nations Ministry Center and were the volunteer team for our kindergarten readiness program. Everyone did a great job reading together, learning colors and numbers. As soon as the preschool ended, Trinity helped take 15 elementary school refugee children to Trinity's church for an exciting field day. The church provided lunch, the children were able to play on the playground, and there were many other exciting activities. The children even made cookies. Thanks to the Trinity pastor Rev. Heidi Hudnut-Beumler and Devan Stahl are commended for their leadership, and many thanks to them for this wonderful experience for the children, and the first time Trinity has partnered with Nations Ministry Center. We look forward to many more times of service.

Thank you, Nations Academy Tutors!

2010-05-22T12:38:00.002-05:00

To all those who have supported Nations Academy, thank you so much for your participation in our after-school tutoring this fall! Even though they don't always show it, the children very much value your commitment to them. And we have made some progress. The LEAD 5th graders visited Western Kentucky Univ. on Thursday and Steven went on a three-day trip to universities in Alabama. You've been a vital part of their success!

This Tuesday will be the last day of afternoon tutoring sessions (4:15-5:15) for this school year. We are excited to announce, though, that we will partner with the Nashville Teaching Fellows this summer to provide four weeks of tutoring for middle and high school students. They will place four Teaching Fellows with us, and this will help serve as a replacement for summer school Metro isn't offering this year.

If you would like to serve the children in some way this summer, we do have a few opportunities to help with transportation for Steven and Pascal who will be attending day camp for six weeks. We can still use help with morning transportation (and possibly afternoon transportation) June 28-July 2 and July 5-9.

Thank you for your commitment to the children's success!

Helping Out with Flood Recovery

2010-05-13T13:57:00.002-05:00

Several Burundi refugee high school students recently got involved in flood recovery. Thanks to Melissa Shirey and Heather Cain for facilitating their involvement.

NMC in Nashville Pix Magazine

2010-05-04T10:03:00.004-05:00

Nations Ministry Center was recently featured in a new online magazine, Nashville Pix. The article gives a great overview of the refugee situation around the world, and the challenges that refugees face when they arrive in the United States. It also discusses NMC's history and our continuing efforts to help refugees become self-sufficient. To see the article, go to http://www.nashvillepix.com/?p=406

The Nashville Flood

2010-05-03T21:54:00.002-05:00

Everyone in Nashville has been affected by the flood. (And I am sure that's how it will be called--"the flood"). Our refugee friends have been affected as well. One lost his taxi van. Four key employers for our clients are flooded, and those work places may be closed for days or even weeks. It's a difficult time for so many.

We are glad, though, that a refugee family was able to move into safer housing today, and others are well on their way in their Habitat for Humanity application process.

And we thank Katelyn Schindel for completing her social work placement with us. She did a great job! And we wish her the best at graduation. We also wish Katie McClung the best at graduation too; she just completed an ESL internship. Both did excellent work.

Kindergarten Readiness Update

2010-04-28T13:24:00.001-05:00

Last week was an exciting week at preschool. Intezar’s birthday was on Monday, and she was decked out in her finest birthday attire, in a fancy white dress with lots of gold jewelry. Her mother and grandmother brought a cake, cookies, juice and pop for everyone! Jacqueline’s birthday is coming up soon, so we will celebrate that next week.

After a week’s absence, Hieder has re-joined us. In case you missed it on Wednesday and Thursday, Vincent got to play teacher and was very successful. Vincent held up flashcards and said a word, and got Hieder to say it back to him. Hieder also apparently knows his numbers, because he was playing with the kitchen toys and was pressing the numbers on the microwave and saying numbers. So keep up the good work – the English he has absorbed so far is finally coming out!

We also had 100% attendance this week. All 13 kids (including Crispin, Jacqueline’s little brother) were here every day.

Thank you, Predators Foundation!

2010-04-17T00:34:00.002-05:00

Nations Ministry Center thanks the Predators Foundation for a community grant to support our Summer Academy! We are very thankful for their generous support!

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

2010-04-15T14:23:00.003-05:00

One of the Burundi refugee families we serve has recently been approved by the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity to receive a new home! Kenedi Kabavamwo, his wife Juliana Mukandoli, and their six school-age children will be receiving a new home, which will be built in May and June in the Timberwood Development. They are one of several refugee families who are partnering with Habitat.

Another exciting element to this story is that their house will be built by members of their own church, First Presbyterian. First Presbyterian has a longtime partnership with Habitat for Humanity, and is also a major supporter of Nations Ministry Center. The family's full story is told in the most recent church newletter, First Edition, which can be found here: http://www.fpcnashville.org/images/uploads/1st%20Edition%2025.07.pdf
It starts on page 6. Congratulations to Kenedi, Juliana, Emmanuel, Francoise, Beatrice, Eric, Damasi, and Marceline!

Burundi refugees in Tanzania

2010-04-13T15:53:00.004-05:00

The United Nations High Committee on Refugees, which is responsible for identifying refugees who are eligible for resettlment, has many informative videos on its YouTube page (http://www.youtube.com/user/unhcr) about refugees. This one is about Burundi refugees living in Tanzania. Many of the families we serve at Nations Ministry Center were Burundi refugees who spent their entire lives in refugee camps in Tanzania before becoming eligible for resettlement in the United States. This video details the decision to make Burundis eligible for naturalization as Tanzanian citizens.

In the words of Mawazo Pardon, the man profiled in the video, "I was born in Tanzania and I felt Tanzanian but afterwards I was told I was a refugee. So I was very happy to hear that I had the chance to become a citizen of this country that I was born in. This made me feel whole again."

New Friends

2010-04-07T12:55:00.004-05:00

Apuk at first resists the hand-holding advances of Hieder, the newest addition to our Kindergarten Readiness program...

But eventually gives in to his friendly smile and lets him hold her hand.

It is so rewarding to help refugee preschoolers develop their social skills and make new friends! We are now serving 12 refugee children, ages 2-4, in our kindergarten readiness program.

Easter egg hunt

2010-03-31T13:47:00.002-05:00

On Monday, we had an Easter egg hunt during Kindergarten Readiness. The kids had a great time looking for their eggs and discovering what was inside them! Thanks to Rene Fields for bringing the eggs!

Habitat house

2010-03-24T13:22:00.002-05:00

Some of you may know Viateur Sibomana, his wife Marceline, and their son Lucky, who used to be in our preschool program. They are getting a house through Habitat for Humanity, and need assistance with the build. A local church (St. Stephen) is helping provide funding and many of the volunteers for the project, but they will be needing extra help this Sunday, March 28th. Habitat requires that volunteers work from 6:45 AM to 3:30 PM. Viateur’s house is located in the Timberwood complex, which is in North Nashville off Brick Church Pike and Briley Parkway. Here is a link to the directions: http://www.habitatnashville.org/pdf/builds/2008_Volunteer_Parking_Directions.pdf

Please contact Emily Chadwick, Community Resources Coordinator, by Friday morning if you are interested so she can give the number of volunteers to Habitat. Her phone number is 977-5712 and her email address is volunteer@nationsministrycenter.org.

Since 2003

2010-03-18T00:32:00.003-05:00

Nations Ministry Center has been serving refugees and immigrants since 2003. Here are a few pictures from the past.

Serving Iraqi Refugees

2010-03-16T16:30:00.002-05:00

This month, we began working with three Iraqi refugees who live in the Richland Hills Apartments. They are part of a group of Iraqi refugees who have been resettled in the United States, because they are in danger from their fellow countrymen due to the fact that they helped the United States by working as interpreters or employees for U.S. contractors in Iraq. We are pleased to be working with these refugees and helping them to be successful and self-sufficient in their new life here in America.

This video, from the TODAY show, tells the story of an organization in New York that is working to help these refugees:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Pics from Kindergarten Readiness

2010-03-01T15:32:00.002-06:00

2010-02-26T16:29:00.002-06:00

Some of our middle school girls with traditional Tanzanian skirts. Thanks to Leslie Grote for bringing these back from her recent trip to Tanzania!

A Great Week for Outreach

2010-02-19T21:36:00.002-06:00

We've had a great week for our outreach to refugees in Nashville. We welcomed a new family to the United States. They traveled from Tanzania after 5 years in a refugee camp after fleeing from war in Congo. They have two lovely preschoolers who have already joined our kindergarten readiness program. The father is a trained teacher, fluent in French. Now, a new challenge of not only learning a new culture but also a new language before he can use his talents in their new home. We look forward to joining hands with this new family as they begin their journey to genuine self-sufficiency.

We also began a new tutoring program for elementary school refugee youth. Each Friday children are tutored in reading and math through funding through Metro schools and No Child Left Behind. The program will run through the end of the school year but we hope we will be able to continue it through volunteer support.

Thank you for working with us and supporting refugees in Nashville!

2010-02-01T14:18:00.002-06:00

It was a perfect week at preschool as we learned about the letter “P”. The kids definitely expanded their repertoire of foods with pickles, pink cookies, pretzels, pineapple, popcorn, etc. Some of these went over better than the others. :-) We learned about pink and purple, painted, counted peanuts, and read some books.

Pieline and Apuk, our preschool newcomers, are doing well. On Thursday, Pieline correctly pointed out which color buckets the bears went in, although I couldn’t quite get her to say the names of the colors. I still haven’t heard Apuk say anything yet, although she is very cute when she taps on my shoulder and points when she wants something.

For our middle school tutoring, we are in the process of changing a few things up to make sure that the kids are learning as much as possible while they’re with us. We are coming up with some new activities for the kids to do when they don’t have homework, and some incentives for doing their work. Hopefully this will make the tutoring experience a little less painful for everyone involved!

Our English mentoring program is growing week by week with the help of Katie, our Lipscomb intern. She and Liz, our Young Adult Volunteer, are working with several new students on English, and are helping others study for the GED and explore job training programs.

Lots of exciting things are happening at Nations Ministry Center!
-Emily Chadwick
Community Resources Coordinator

Harpeth Hall Visits Nations Ministry Center

2010-01-24T23:33:00.000-06:00

2010-01-19T15:39:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone! We started Kindergarten Readiness again last week. The kids were a little wild, but I’m sure they will settle down once they get back into the routine.

We had two new little girls join us this week: Pieline and Apuk. Pieline [pronounced Pee-uh-leen] is Burundi and lives with her parents and younger brother at Richland Hills. She is 2 and a half. On Thursday, we had a Sudanese child named Apuk join us. She lives with her mother, grandmother and uncle and just turned two. She knows Intezar (one of our other preschoolers), as their mothers are friends. She was pretty shy the first day, but I’m sure she will come out of her shell once she gets used to all the strange people.

This Thursday, we will be having a group of students from Harpeth Hall help out with preschool as part of a class they are taking on immigrant and refugee issues. We are excited to be able to give them some hands-on experience!

You may see several new faces around the refugee center this semester. We have two interns from Lipscomb who are joining us four days a week. Katie is an English major who will be working with adults on improving their English skills and advancing their education. She will also be helping out with tutoring as needed. Our other intern is Katelyn, a social work major who is helping families with social service needs, such as increasing access to health care and education. Welcome to Katie and Katelyn!

Programs are Growing!

2010-01-14T23:57:00.002-06:00

2010 has brought substantial growth already to the outreach of Nations Ministry Center. Our new vehicle donation program donated another car to a wonderful refugee family and other vehicle donations are being processed. We are delighted that four vehicles are in process in the last 30 days. If you have interest in donating a roadworthy car, please let us know. We don't resell cars as a fundraising tool. We donate them refugee families we have screened.

We also welcome two new children to the preschool which brings us to maximum enrollment in that program.

Both Lipscomb interns have begun and are doing a great job. With their help, we are beginning a GED prep program.

And we very much thank all our financial donors who gave us a solid beginning for 2010! Thank you!

--Chris Lovingood, Executive Director

Welcome, Katie!

2010-01-11T23:19:00.002-06:00

Nations Ministry Center welcomes Katie McClung to her English Language Mentoring internship this semester. Katie is a graduating English major at Lipscomb University and hopes to pursue teaching English as a second language as a career. She will be joining us for our English class, will be providing individual English lessons, and working with our after-school program. Welcome, Katie!

2010-01-09T00:47:00.001-06:00

2010-01-09T00:45:00.001-06:00

Our Mission

2010-01-08T00:30:00.003-06:00

Nations Ministry Center welcomes 2010 with a re-commitment to our mission:

Nations Ministry Center, as an instrument of God's grace in welcoming refugees and immigrants to Middle Tennessee, promotes genuine self-sufficiency by serving the needs of the whole person. By engaging churches, other organizations, and individuals, Nations Ministry Center seeks to support awareness of cultural diversity for the mutual benefit of clients and the entire community.

2009-12-21T22:54:00.000-06:00

Holiday Giving Opportunities

2009-12-06T18:23:00.008-06:00

This holiday season, we want to let you know about how you can share the holiday spirit with the refugee families we serve. We are organizing two ways in which you can do this.

The first one is a basket of items for the families similar to something we have done in the past. These are baskets of useful household items that will help families with regular expenses.

Here is the list:

Pencils

Notebook Paper

Two-pocket folders with characters on them

Liquid hand soap

Hand sanitizer

Laundry detergent

Kleenex boxes

Deodorant

Toothpaste

Toothbrushes

Band-aids

Socks (navy/black)

Diapers (any size would be OK - we will make sure they get to the right family)

Large bin to put everything in

You can also add fresh fruit or candy if you would like.

We will be distributing these on December 19th. Please let us know by December 14th if you are interested, so we will know how many baskets we still need.

The other giving project we are doing is called Sack of Snacks. We are asking people to fill up a brown paper grocery sack with snacks and supplies we can use here at the Refugee Center, for kids in our regular programs. In addition to our regular middle school tutoring, in January we will be starting a tutoring program with elementary school kids two days a week, so we will have even more hungry mouths to feed! We will give you the paper sack if you are interested!

Here is the list of items for Sack of Snacks:

Large bottle of fruit juice

Jar of peanut butter (creamy)

Package of cookies

Box of animal crackers

Fruit rollups or dried fruit

2 rolls of paper towels

Disinfectant wipes

Box of tissues

Bottle of hand sanitizer

Bottle of hand soap

Please contact Emily Chadwick if you are interested in participating in either of these projects. She can be reached at (615) 977-5712 or volunteer@nationsministrycenter.org

Thanksgiving at Kids Academy

2009-11-24T22:46:00.003-06:00

The kids in the kindergarten readiness program enjoyed two days of Thanksgiving crafts as they learned their colors and a little about turkeys.

'Tis the Season singing

2009-11-23T13:26:00.003-06:00

Our elementary school kids were invited to sing this past Saturday at a Breakfast with Santa which was sponsored by the Junior League. Nations Ministry Center is one of the organizations that the Junior League is partnering with this year. Thank you to the Junior League for the invitation, and to Danica Booth and Heather Cain for transporting children to The Factory at Franklin.

Craft Day with the Junior League

2009-11-21T20:19:00.000-06:00

Kindergarten Readiness and Nations Academy update

2009-11-16T13:49:00.003-06:00

The highlight of this past week for our preschool was the zoo trip. We had seven kids, eight volunteers, and three parents who attended. Thank you to everyone who chaperoned and brought wagons/strollers/etc. I’m sure that the kids will remember this trip for a long time.

According to our records, Giselle, one of our preschoolers, is turning 5 on Thursday the 19th. Be sure to wish her happy birthday when you see her!

In after-school news, this past week we welcomed lots of new volunteer tutors. We had Meg and Taylor, two students at St. Cecilia Academy. We also had three new Lipscomb volunteers, Karis ,Katie, and Cameron, a new MBA volunteer, Ford, a new Vanderbilt volunteer, Tina, and a new Hume-Fogg volunteer, Alicia. We also had an adult volunteer, Pam, who was a big help as well. (And I may have missed a few names!) It’s wonderful to see all these new faces and we hope they continue to join us each week.

THIS SUNDAY! Join us at Ten Thousand Villages

2009-11-12T22:28:00.002-06:00

Join us this Sunday, November 15, from 12:00-5:00PM for Nonprofit Sunday at Ten Thousand Villages in Green Hills (3900 Hillsboro Pike). A portion of the sales on this day will benefit refugee clients of Nations Ministry Center. Ten Thousand Villages has a great selection of gifts made from craftsmen from all over the world. A special collection of Christmas items, fair trade coffee, chocolate, and wonderful gifts make a perfect opportunity for Christmas shopping!

Kindergarten Readiness and Nations Academy update

2009-11-11T11:55:00.005-06:00

Can you believe it’s November already? I have enjoyed seeing the assortment of winter items that the preschoolers have been wearing lately – they look so cute in their hats and coats!

This week we were excited that Vincent could join us on Monday. Vincent is one of our preschoolers whose family has moved to public housing in another part of town. A big thank you to Ann Manning, one of our Monday volunteers, for bringing him to preschool each week. Vincent seemed very happy to be back. It was great to see nine little faces sitting around the snack table once again.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to visit the apartments of several of our preschoolers, as I was getting permission slips signed for the zoo trip. I hadn’t met several of the parents before, as they are usually at work when preschool is going on. However, when I said I worked with their child at the preschool, they invited me in like I was family. It’s incredible to think how much these parents trust us with their children. What a great responsibility, and a great privilege to care for and teach these kids.

On a lighter note, when I went to Olestina’s apartment on Tuesday evening, she was still proudly wearing her crown that she had made at preschool that morning!

On the middle school tutoring front, we were blessed this week with two new volunteers from Lipscomb, Megan and Kyle. It’s great for our middle schoolers to have college-age students as role models. We hope that as many of our kids as possible will go to college, and having college students to talk to every week gives them something to aspire to.

It’s amazing how Wednesday has become one of our busiest afternoons now, with the new addition of students from Franklin Road Academy plus our other faithful Wednesday volunteers. This week we had an amazing turnout of 13 people who showed up to tutor on Wednesday! With those 13 plus 12 middle-schoolers plus 3 staff members, all in a 3-bedroom apartment, it was quite a party! (A party of learning, that is.) Hopefully no one felt claustrophobic!

-Emily Chadwick
Community Resources Coordinator

At the Zoo!

2009-11-09T22:01:00.002-06:00

The kindergarten readiness program made it to the zoo today thanks to Heather's perseverance and many volunteers in making the trip work! Enjoy these great pictures. And thanks to the Nashville Zoo for hosting the group!

2009-11-05T00:30:00.001-06:00

2009-11-05T00:25:00.001-06:00

Kids Academy and the Fire Truck!

2009-10-07T12:14:00.002-05:00

Kids Academy enjoyed this week a visit from some friendly firemen and their great big fire truck.

Welcome, Emily!

2009-09-28T23:23:00.004-05:00

Today Nations Ministry Center welcomes Emily Chadwick as our new Community Resources Coordinator. Welcome, Emily!

If you are interested in volunteering or in partnering with NMC, please let Emily know. She would be happy to work with you as we together encourage refugees on the path to genuine self-sufficiency.

Her email is volunteer[at]nationsministrycenter.org .

2009-09-26T01:12:00.000-05:00

LEAD Success!

2009-09-25T00:42:00.003-05:00

The six children Nations Ministry Center is supporting at LEAD Academy, a Nashville charter school, are doing well and the fifth graders recently participated in a science fair. Two parents were able to attend and Melissa Shirey helped bring it all together! Here is Germaine pictured with her teacher.

This Week

2009-09-18T23:59:00.002-05:00

Scenes from Nations Academy

2009-09-14T22:36:00.002-05:00

Over at the Junior League

2009-09-09T23:31:00.002-05:00

We are featured this month on the homepage of the Junior League of Nashville's website. Check it out!

November 15, 12:00-5:00PM

2009-09-07T22:43:00.001-05:00

Read about our Nonprofit Partner Sunday at 10,000 Villages here.

Fall Preschool has started!

2009-09-04T14:36:00.002-05:00

The fall programming for the preschool has started, and it's going great! Heather Cain has created amazing lesson plans and activities so that the 9 children who attend will be ready for Kindergarten! We have an amazing group of volunteers that continue to stay committed to this program, and some new volunteers we are excited to welcome. Nations Ministry Center is serving children in the preschool from Burundi, Sudan and Egypt all between the ages of 20 months to 4 years. The pictures posted are of the kids learning with Ms. Laura Hill, and look closely, you can see the baby dolls strapped to their backs!

Nations Academy is Back!

2009-09-04T00:00:00.003-05:00

Our after-school program, Nations Academy, is back and going strong! Special thanks to all those who have volunteered. We are especially privileged to have 12 middle school refugee youth who join us every afternoon for a snack, homework help, computer time, individualized tutoring, and a little fun. Each of the children we partner with has a special background and unique opportunities for service.

This I Believe

2009-08-27T22:54:00.003-05:00

Check out Rob Higham's "This I Believe" speech at a recent Montgomery Bell Academy assembly.

Just look for his name and a new window will open with the options for viewing the video.

NOVEMBER 15 -- 10,000 Villages Nonprofit Partner Sunday

2009-08-22T23:19:00.006-05:00

10,000 Villages in Green Hills and Nations Ministry Center will partner on Sunday, November 15, from 12:00-5:00PM. Proceeds from this shopping Sunday will benefit Nations Ministry Center refugee clients and the artisans and craftsmen in the developing world who partner with 10,000 Villages.

This event is a great opportunity to purchases some wonderful gifts and make a positive difference in Nashville and around the world.

2009-08-14T11:13:00.002-05:00

As part of their incentive for The Big Read, the middle school students went to The Red Caboose Park to enjoy some play time and good fun! Karen Richardson arranged for the transportation, provided yummy snacks and planned the outing for them. Despite the heat, the kids had a great time playing and enjoyed earning the trip based on their hard work at reading!

Westminster Youth AND the Big Read Continues!

2009-08-01T19:50:00.006-05:00

A big thank you to all the youth of Westminster Presbyterian Church who volunteered this week! Groups of 12-15 Westminster youth came four days this week and led the children in fun outdoor games, read one-on-one with the children and performed several entertaining and instructive puppet shows that the children loved! In addition, the youth came on Friday to help clean and to play and read with a smaller group of pre-school and middle-school kids. It was such a blessing!!

Also this week the Big Read continued with ten children earning a trip to Wendy's! These children had a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes or more of supervised reading since the start of the Big Read.

THE BIG READ

2009-07-23T23:55:00.002-05:00

THE BIG READ has begun. With school just around the corner, we are turning our attention to reading with our refugee friends. Children in grades 3-7 are engaged in reading every afternoon. Come read with us for an hour! The kids are earning stars for the time spent reading and as stars accumulate, so do the prizes!

Health and Hygiene Day!

2009-07-22T12:32:00.004-05:00

Last week our Wednesday volunteers, under the leadership of Shannon Beisel, had a health and hygiene day for our elementary kids. Fun was had by all, good habits were learned, and treats went around for everyone! The volunteers taught the children the importance of daily hygiene practice, and thanks to many generous donations each child received: soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, floss, tissue packs, hand sanitizers and wash clothes. Thanks so much to Shannon Beisel and this incredible group of volunteers!

Thank you, Kentucky Refugee Ministries!

2009-07-17T13:15:00.005-05:00

This week representatives from Nations Ministry Center visited Kentucky Refugee Ministries in Louisville. We received a warm welcome from their director and assistant director and learned much about how they receive and serve refugees. We are in an important strategic planning process, and this visit helps us better understand what we might become as an organization and how we can better serve Nashville's refugee community.

First Presbyterian Youth Making a Difference

2009-07-15T20:05:00.002-05:00

Every Monday morning youth from First Presbyterian Church-Nashville have served refugee youth at our west Nashville Refugee Center. Thanks to the many youth who have come so faithfully to work in our kindergarten readiness program and with middle school students.