FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — “Bridges of Hope is truly an example of how sharing Christ’s love does not depend on one’s language skills but on the ability to love and show compassion for others,” said Sue Smith, executive director of LUCHA Ministries, a community-based outreach ministry for Latinos in the Fredericksburg, Va., area.
The program was started just over two years ago by LUCHA, an acronym for Latinos Unidos por Cristo en Hermandad y Apoyo (in English, Latinos United through Christ in Solidarity and Support). The ministry is funded in part by both the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
Study Buddies volunteer Betty Blaisdell from Fredericksburg Baptist Church helps student with reading.
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When Susan Snellings, a former teacher and a student at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, asked to do a ministry internship with LUCHA, Smith and her husband, Greg, began to dream of an after-school program for immigrant children.
“We had a relationship with Sylvania Heights Baptist Church [in Fredericksburg], a church with a significant Latino immigrant population in its neighborhood,” said Smith, “and we knew this was an ideal location.”
“I had helped Greg identify Hispanic households in our immediate area and our congregation had assisted LUCHA with its annual Easter egg hunt and Christmas program,” said Paul Harfst, pastor at Sylvania Heights. When approached with the vision of an after-school program, Harfst said it was a blessing and a program the church had never considered.
Bridges of Hope began with a Study Buddies program for students in kindergarten through sixth grades which meets on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. Volunteers wait for the children at the bus stop and walk them to the church. After providing a snack, the students are divided into grade-level groups where volunteers tutor them in reading, math and written language skills. Bible Buddies, a multi-age program using drama, music and storytelling to introduce children to Bible stories, is also offered.
“Since LUCHA is well known and respected in the Latino community, there was an immediate sense of trust between program personnel and the community, regardless of the language barrier,” said Smith. “Had the church initiated the program on its own, they would have had to get to know individuals in the community and develop trust — which takes awhile.”
Ken Blakeley (holding picture) and Sam Garcia lead English class for adults.
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The success of the after-school program prompted requests from parents for language classes, said Snellings, a member of Fredericksburg Baptist Church. So the following year Cathy Stribling, another BTSR student intern, joined her to coordinate ESOL classes for adults.
“It is difficult for parents with limited English skills to help their children with homework, to communicate with the local school and to feel engaged and a part of their children’s educational process,” said Smith. Through Bridges of Hope, the children receive homework assistance, parents build community and learn English, and the volunteers develop good relationships with Latino families, she said.
“Children are much more fluent in English than their parents,” said Stribling, a member of Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church in Fredericksburg. And parents working outside of the home are more fluent than stay-at-home moms, she added. For that reason the first year of the English language classes attracted mostly women. In the fall five or six men joined the class on a regular basis. As families do not have resources to pay for child care while attending ESOL classes, Bridges of Hope offers free activities for young children as well as a nursery staffed by two Latino women.
Studies Buddies had an enrollment of 28 students in the fall, said Snellings, and volunteers are key to the success of the program. Tutoring and child care volunteers come from Sylvania Heights, Hull’s Memorial and Fredericksburg Baptist churches, in addition to assistance from high school students and community volunteers.
Elsa Colt, a Bible Buddies volunteer, helps a student with homework.
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Bridges of Hope also takes students on field trips and holds summer camps. This past summer the group made a trip to the zoo and Snellings organized swimming lessons for children who would otherwise not have the opportunity to learn. Classes on women’s health, domestic violence and nutrition have been offered for adults.
“This ministry has made the biggest impact on families,” said Stribling. “Many would assume that people who speak the same language and whose children use the same bus stop would be connected with each other. But in actuality many of these families come from different Spanish-speaking countries and don’t interact with each other.”
“Over the past three years, I’ve seen families connect with us and with each other,” she said. “So now if they need child care or food assistance or just need to express their frustrations on how they are treated on the job or are perceived by other people, they don’t feel so isolated.”
And as the community has begun to connect and share with one another, Snellings said they are in turn seeking ways to give back to the world around them. Several women involved in ESOL classes recently held a tamale dinner which raised $200 for the program. And following Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged parts of New York and New Jersey, students in Bible Buddies have talked about ways they could assist the people there.
“Volunteers and staff share the love of Christ as they work with the children and families,” said Smith. “They model good, Christian values for the children and provide safe, healthy activities to keep them busy.” While few families actually attend the regular services of Sylvania Heights Baptist Church, Smith said many of them see it as “their” church and Pastor Paul as “their” pastor.
Harfst said one of his goals would be to have a Latino congregation with its own pastor that could meet at the church. He said the leadership and volunteers from other churches that LUCHA has provided for Bridges of Hope has helped church members to understand the unique needs of the immigrant population.
“It has been exciting to see how God has used Susan and Cathy with their unique gifts and skills to bless these children and their families. Bridges of Hope would not exist without these two wonderful, gifted women and their willingness to follow God’s call,” said Smith.
Barbara Francis ([email protected]) is on the staff of the Religious Herald.