Iliteracy is a leading cause of poverty, hopelessness, despair and joblessness. It is an epidemic in Detroit and the surrounding communities. Calvin Church began a reading program in October 2007. We need more tutors for this program. Tutoring is currently being provided for children from Kindergarten through 8th grades who want to become better readers. Tutoring takes place weekly at the church on Wednesdays from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm, October through May following the Detroit Public Schools’ calendar. Students and tutors are asked to arrive at 5:15 pm; a light snack is provided. We currently have 12 trained reading tutors servicing 22 children from at least five area urban and suburban schools; however we have a wait-list. All of the children are not being served. We can double the number of children served with more tutors.
Persons interested in tutoring reading at Calvin Church must be mature, dedicated, Christian adults, at least 21 years of age, be willing to complete a 16-hour training program through Pro-Literacy Detroit (at a fee of $35) and undergo a police clearance check ($10).
Calvin Presbyterian Church, 6125 Cadieux (1/2 block south of Harper), Detroit, Michigan 48224, (313) 885-4184, Pastor Mark Tippin. For more information, please leave a message at the church for Andrée Tarrant, Coordinator.
Calvin Reading Program flyer - Word
Calvin Reading Program flyer - PDF
Mark your calendar for March 21-29, 2009. The Presbytery of Detroit will be going back to the PDA camp in Pearlington, MS to help rebuild lives and homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Plan on attending the pre-trip orientation meeting at 4:00 Sunday March 1 at First Presbyterian Church, 99 Wayne St., Pontiac, 48342
Click here for our trip website (including online application).
Katrina 8 Trip Application - PDF
Katrina 8 Trip Application - Word
Katrina 8 Trip Flyer - PDF
Katrina 8 Trip Flyer - Word
Check back to see the report of the second Iowa flood relief trip just completed.
In the early morning of August 27th, members of the Iowa I Mission Trip left Detroit for Iowa City, IA. The group consisted of 14 volunteers: 4 adults and 3 adults with 7 male youth (14 to 16 years). We traveled in two vehicles: car and van. Both vehicles arrived in Iowa City, IA. Between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. By Mapquest, it was an 8 hour drive. We arrived safely.
Our host church was Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church, three blocks from the University of Iowa. Dinner was served at 6:00 p.m. followed by orientation, project review with needs assessment, evening worship and unpacking. For the next two days we worked on debris removal, cutting trees and clearing river property and removing a refrigerator from a mobile home. Projects were assigned by the county United Way with whom we had direct contact. We departed for Detroit on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. Everyone was home by 7:00 p.m.
The mission group represented five congregations. The youth are members of the Youth Mission Group of the Presbytery of Detroit and Southfield Presbyterian Church. The adults are members of First Farmington, Grosse Pointe Memorial, Lake Shore and South Lyon churches. We went to Iowa City to help others, grow in faith, be the blessing and have fun. This mission was accomplished.
Calvin East’s reading program starts back up at Calvin soon. They need back-to-school supplies so that each child can be given a bookbag full of supplies to start them off on the right foot. Calvin has purchased some supplies with money donated to the program, but their funds are very limited and are mostly for paying for new tutors to be trained. There are about 20 boys and girls ages 8-13. The type of supplies needed are: book bags or at least sturdy nylon book sacks, pens, pencils, erasers (that go on the tips of pencils), spiral notebooks, rulers, etc.
For more information, contact Elder Andree Tarrant, Coordinator, Calvin Church WORD reading program: work: (313) 833-4292 or cell: (313) 320-4944
Calvin Presbyterian Church, 6125 Cadieux (1/2 block south of Harper), Detroit, Michigan 48224, (313) 885-4184, Pastor Mark Tippin.
Kate Voskeritchian & Edwin Fabré: Summer Interns – June to August, 2008
Gone are the two students hired as Summer Interns by Hands On Mission Work Group for the DPSI, Festivals of Health and BlitzBuild projects. Kate Voskeritchian from the Allen Park church left for Louisville Seminary on August 2, 2008. Edwin Fabré from Calvary church is finishing the Master of Divinity program at ETS and preparing for Presbytery examinations: Exegesis and Church Polity. Both were enthusiastic and energetic in handling assignments: DPSI, Festivals of Health and Habitat for Humanity® Detroit. They conducted Vacation Bible Schools: Jefferson Avenue, Lincoln Park, Second Mile and Calvary; worked with mission teams from Barrington and Normal, Il.; served the hungry at Fort Street, Park United, E.T.S. and the Capuchin’s; and worked at Gleaners, Forgotten Harvest, Motor City Blight Busters, Habitat Restore. More than implementation, the interns participated in event and project planning: Katrina VII, VBSs and health fairs.
Detroit Presbytery Service Initiative (DPSI) provides opportunities for groups from outside the Detroit region to partner with us in mission opportunities. Generally a church will volunteer to host an out-of-town group for a week or so while that group works with partner organizations to achieve their end-goals.