JOY - Full Outreach in Lenox
J.O.Y. — FULL OUTREACH IN LENOX
During the Epiphany season, the church remembers that Jesus and his family were immigrants—actually, refugees to
J.O.Y. stands for “Jesus, Others, and You.” J.O.Y. Club teaches that message 5 days a week to children who gather in the church basement after school. It is a fairly standard after-school program in many ways, featuring snacks, recreation, songs, a Bible lesson, crafts and activities. But the J.O.Y. Club also provides tutoring and homework support for the students, 80% of whom are from Hispanic/Latino families who came to Lenox for employment in local industries. Besides enhancing academic success, J.O.Y. Club also provides important socialization and supports language-learning skills for these young people and their families.
Parents from the families served have expressed their gratitude and pleasure at the opportunity given their children to not be “immigrants” or “refugees”, but to take part in community in their new land. Thanks to apportionment giving, Carol Rogers and the crew at J.O.Y Club are able to sustain this venture in “radical hospitality.”