Ministries >>Children's Christian Education

Kingdom Come Kids Count!

What is Kingdom Come Kids?
Kingdom Come Kids (KCK) is the Sunday-School program for children, aged 6 to 11, who attend Tokyo Union Church (TUC). KCK is a dynamic program that enables kids to learn and explore bible stories in depth. Every month, kids focus on one bible story through such activities as storytelling, art, cooking, science, games, and music. With a fun and informative format, members are able to strengthen their faith, knowledge of Christ, and the Word of the Lord.

Children are grouped according to color, based on their ages, under the banner of “LORD.” The Lavender group consists of first-graders; Orange is second grade; Red is third grade; and Dark is grades 4 to 6.

Practice what we preach
Recognizing that many kids today are service-minded and want to make a difference, it was decided that the oldest KCK group---the darks---should take the lead in determining where KCK weekly offerings go. After all, one of the lessons learned in the story of the Good Samaritan was that helping others takes time and money. And through thought, action, and reaching out to those in need, kids can actively serve God and weave Christian values into their daily lives.

KEY POINT: KCK’s dark group makes the decisions, which are reached through group discussion and the help of adult assistants.

Kids Helping Kids
Within Tokyo Union Church, there are many important outreach missions. For KCK, the focus had to be kids. The Philippine Self Help Foundation, which was founded by Richard Foster in 1987, was selected because it runs a school called The Lighthouse Learning Center (LLC), and, as a part of Asia, is within a geographic sphere KCK understands and can relate to. Also, the opportunity to participate in mission trips led by Mr. Foster to the Philippines exists for interested families.

The LLC was established eight years ago and has an enrollment of 175 children between the ages of 4 and 6. Tuition is $5.50 per month, with a slight adjustment made for fluctuations in the exchange rate. There is a scholarship program for children who come from poor families. Because many parents work in seasonal jobs, such as construction and harvesting, financial assistance is reviewed on a monthly basis. This policy has helped to make the school become financially sound. The school doesn’t make money, but it is no longer dependent on funds from PSHF to keep its doors open.

Who should we help?
KCK asked Mr. Foster for a list of the children most likely to need financial assistance throughout the year, and below was the response he got from the school’s administrator, Joy M. De leon. The list was drawn up by the school’s three teachers.

Children in Need

John Paul Sabarita---a very small boy who has been with the school for three years. The parents split up, leaving the nine children with the mother, who has a seasonal job.
Joan Gazelle Babiera---the father has no work and the mother makes fashion accessories for other people.
Renario Angelbelle---the parents have seasonal work, and no fixed monthly income.
Jason Bacalan---she is being taken care of by her grandmother, who is already very old and has no fixed income.
Christopher Cabanca---he has a disability and is looked after by a single parent. The mother helps her mother sell fruit in town everyday.
Marvin Candado---the father left the mother who works as a laundry woman.
Ezekiel Uyangurin---the father lost his job last July, and the family is struggling to keep him in school.
Hazel Antioqia---the parents abandoned the child, leaving her with an already old grandmother struggling to care for herself. A neighbor helps on occasion, but not daily.
Josue Villoces---the parents migrated to Cebu early this year and the father hasn’t yet found steady employment. The mother stays at home to care for the children, so they are struggling financially.

J The children in bold are those KCK selected to sponsor for the remainder of the academic year at their last meeting, Nov. 27, 2005.

Where do you draw the line?
“Why can’t we help them all?” asked one person. Indeed, we’d like to help them all; but, a critical part of stewardship is meeting the goals agreed to. Based on average monthly offerings, four was the number the children felt they could pledge to support month after month. If additional funds are raised, then we can increase the number, or do other things, such as set up a medical fund to pay bills for children who might not otherwise receive health care.

Still under discussion is how KCK can help Mary Ann and Rex Sebaste, ages 11 and 14, respectively, whose mother died of a heart attack in May 2005. Both children have yet to complete first grade. A major obstacle in keeping these kids in school is getting them there. KCK wants to know if bikes purchased locally would solve the problem. Is that a safe, viable option? At present, PSHF is seeking a grant for US$180 for the year to cover transportation and school supplies.

More about the Philippine Self Help Foundation
PSHF was founded by Richard Foster in January 1987, shortly after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship. The island of Negros, in the Southern Visayas region, was plunged into crisis when the price of sugar on the world market collapsed. The island’s sugar workers were laid off in the thousands and their children went hungry. Mr. Foster recalls walking through the pediatric wards of the provincial hospital and seeing the blank looks of the faces of children suffering from third-degree malnutrition. He met one mother carrying her six-year-old son. Of her six children, only he and his little sister survived. A wall chart in the ward painted a picture of tragedy. In 1985, 600 children in that hospital alone died from complications arising from malnutrition. Mr. Foster resolved at that time to do something more than just make a donation. His answer was the Philippine Self Help Foundation.

Seventeen years on, the feeding centers on the island of Negros are long gone. But PSHF remains with its mission to empower the poor with credit assistance. To date, PSHF has helped over 2,000 families and communities in five provinces of the Philippines.

With over 30% of Filipinos living in poverty, no welfare safety net, and a deteriorating environment, PSHF remains a lifeline of hope for numerous poor families. It was set up to provide micro-loans to poor families, as an alternative to loan-sharks. Because banks will not lend to the poor because they have no collateral, they are trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty. Those who try to improve their circumstances must often turn to loan-sharks. Through a loan-shark, they are exploited by the so-called “5/6” system, which is short for borrow 5 and payback 6, after 28 days.

PSHF serves a critical need and is, most importantly, fair. In the current year, 150 individuals and small groups have borrowed funds from PSHF. There is a wide-range of livelihoods for which people seek loan assistance, such as handicrafts, raising of livestock, vending, furniture making, fishing, and farming. 85% of loans are repaid and recycled, i.e. the money repaid is lent out to other families. Grants for urgent medical care are sometimes given to families in extreme poverty.