Day 14 | Penny’s story

Reflection

Belview-on-Sea, with its harbour, bustling high street, and expensive houses, wasn’t the sort of place you might expect to find a challenging school. But, right enough, a junior school with all the problems you could imagine sat right in the middle of a nearby deprived area.

These were children enduring turbulent home lives, leading to a less-than-easy life for those who tried to teach them.

A local church had been prayerfully considering different ways to reach this community. Toddler groups, foodbanks, a Christians Against Poverty debt management group – they were all good, but it was unclear how much impact they were having.

Finally, it dawned on the church and its pastor – the school! Rather than adding more stuff to the church programme, maybe it was time to go to the school’s territory.

The school needed adults to be available for reading with children. Reading alone with an adult is proven to drastically aid a child’s educational attainment.

Eventually, six individuals from the local church volunteered themselves to read with the kids. 75-year-old Penny arrived for her first day to the sight of a child brandishing a chair at any teacher who dared to come near him. Just what had she got herself into?

As she sat waiting for her first child to come and read, she prayed:

‘Lord, lead me to be present in this school. Grant me the patience to sit with these children whom you love so dearly. And help me help them to read. Amen.’

Through listening, reading, and caring, Penny demonstrated the love of Christ to these children, whether or not they recognised it. And the kids got better at reading, too.

If the ancient world knew it took a community to raise a child, this church was learning it all over again.

Father, show me where in my community there is an opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ to young people. Amen.