Come and See
By: Rev. Gad Mpoyo, Organizing Pastor, Shalom International Ministry
An article submitted to the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta’s January 2016 newsletter
Can anything good come out of a small and diverse community called Clarkston? You may guess the answer. It is a “YES”, but you need to come and see for yourself what the Lord has done, is doing, and will do in Clarkston through Shalom International Ministry.
In December 2015, while most people were celebrating Christmas and the New Year in their homes, here at Shalom, we had one more reason to celebrate. We came as a congregation both on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve to celebrate Shalom’s 4thanniversary since its start in 2011.
It feels like yesterday, but actually it was on December 11, 2011 when a group of eleven people, both immigrants and refugees, came to our house to worship, praise, pray and dream together about what the Lord was about to do in the Clarkston community through Shalom International Ministry. That day marked the beginning of a journey to seek the well-being of our Clarkston community through worship, learning, hospitality and healing.
Reflecting back from its humble beginnings up to where Shalomis now, it is right to say that we have come a long way. Who could have imagined that Shalom would have a lively children’s ministry that provides a safe space for children between the ages of three to fifteen? As Neehra Gorang, a nine-year-old girl from Nepal, once said, “I love Shalom because we play sport, eat good food, learn about Jesus and be kind to each other… and we go home with goody bags”. This is just one of many examples of how these children feel when they come every 1stand 3rdSaturday of the month here at Shalom.
Who could have thought that Shalom would have a vibrant youth ministry that gathers young people from different part of Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Togo, Sudan…) and impacts their lives as they learn what it means to be a Christian? These young people constitute the core group of Shalom. They do it all.
They drive to pick up their peers and other members of Shalomwhenever there are activities at church; they sing and lead worship; they reach out to the community by serving and inviting others. One of the youth, Elysee Fachet who is a first-year student at Georgia State, once told me that many people ask him, “How is it that you are different from other kids of your age? Where did you learn your leadership skills?” His response to them is, “Come to Shalom and see for yourselves”.
Who could have predicted that Shalom could successfully launch Inspire: Shalom After School Initiative a year ago that not only responds to the academic needs of our children, but also offers a safe environment where middle school students are offered healthy snacks, enrichment activities (sports, arts, engineering challenges, etc.), homework assistance, academic lessons, and team-building activities.
One of the unique features of Inspire is its home visitation program. Once a week, Program Coordinator Natalie Schmucker and Lead Teacher Haimi Haile go to the students’ homes and meet with their parents, helping the family get involved in the education of their children.
Recently, Shalom started a small group Bible Studies. Through small groups, we hope to continue to encourage Christian faith and discipleship for the church’s adult members as well as strengthen the church’s sense of community with one another.
All these ministries are geared toward the community to bring the community to us. This has been made possible by Shalom’s own members, leadership team and the incredible support from our partner churches (North Decatur Presbyterian Church, Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, Shallowford Presbyterian Church, Morningside Presbyterian Church, and the now closed Midway Presbyterian Church where the initial vision was given birth), generous individuals and the New Church Development Commission under the leadership of Rev. Lindsay Armstrong.
Just last month (and in answer to prayers for our new small group Bible Study ministry), Peachtree Presbyterian Church even bought hundreds of urgently needed Bibles in many languages for Shalom members and their friends to use at home and at church. Thanks to all the support we received and continue to receive, another piece of good news is that I am now working as a full time pastor since November 2015.
It is true that we have come a long way, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. As we move forward into 2016 and beyond, I see a lot of potentials to nurture and grow our existing ministries as we continue to seek the Shalom of the Clarkston Community. Our goal for this year is to reach out to the community and make disciples of Christ through small groups, strengthen collaboration with church partners and focus on leadership development within Shalom. We cannot do by ourselves, we need you all to come and see and participate in what God has already done and is still doing. Come and see! Yes, indeed, something good is happening here in Clarkston.
Gad Mpoyo, Organizing Pastor
Shalom International Ministry
shalominternationalministry.com
