Building Community

Heart of the City Church grants wishes of Winton Elementary teachers. By Jocelyn Stott. Photo courtesy of Heart of the City Church.

Members of Heart of the City Church on Emma Ave. took a look in their own backyard just south of Interstate 90 to look for ways to love their neighbors. The group identified little Winton Elementary School as a neighbor to whom they might be of service.

“We wanted to serve them in a way they actually needed,” recalls Generation Pastor Craig Brown, event organizer. “We didn’t want to just stop by and give them stuff they might not really need.” So the group met with school counselor Ronnie Semko.

During the initial meeting in Fall of 2013, it was discovered that some Winton teachers spent nearly $1,000 of their own money to equip their classrooms with items they needed for the school year. As Semko puts it, “Teachers invest in these supplies to deliver a higher quality lesson than they would have otherwise.”

Due to its location near lower income households, many of a transient nature, the school is among the highest in the district with students who are of single-parent families and who qualify for reduced-cost meals. As one of the smallest schools in the District, the school receives a lower share of the overall budget. While some schools can make up for a budget deficit with help from their Parent-Teacher Associations, Winton’s PTA has just five members.

“We have an excellent PTA,” says Semko, “but there’s only so much they can do with what they have.”

So Brown and Heart of the City Church Citi-Impact team took action.

The group asked each teacher (at least 15) to make a list of the things they’d like for their classrooms. The church group shared the list with the congregation during weekend services and were able to fulfill each list said Brown.

Semko recalls that this bold request for teachers’ wish list items made many of them uncomfortable at first, and they were tentative about asking for too much.

“As teachers, we make do,” says Semko, “We had one teacher with a broken chair, and they (HOCC) said that just wouldn’t do, so they got her a brand new office chair. A nice one!”

Semko added that some of the things on the lists were specialized, and the group still found out where and how to get them.

“Really, it was quite shocking. They didn’t just meet the need, they surpassed the need,” said Semko.

“Some of the donations were impressive – we saw young people in our congregation stepping up with some more expensive items. They seemed to have enjoyed participating,” says Brown.

Semko called the outreach, “Unbelievable. It is uncommon.”

The Church’s effort meant a great deal to the teachers, as Semko explains, “Somebody recognized our need. They recognized what we do. By valuing us as teachers, they show us that children in this city matter to them.”

This year, the Winton group told outreach organizers they had a need for 165 online study programs in math and 140 in reading. Again, the congregation stepped up with about $5,000 in study programs and full wish lists for four new teachers.

When the new teachers were asked for their wish lists, Semko laughs a bit and said, “Mr. Brown told them he knew someone who provides for everything.” This year, Winton teachers doubted the generosity a bit less, but appreciated it just as much.

Semko said when the church members came to present the check, the teachers looked at the number and became quiet. “There were tears,” she said, adding that the amount would have comprised the entire budget of the Winton PTA.

“We’re not doing this for any kind of recognition or media coverage or to boost our church population. We’re here to love on our city in the name of Jesus,” says Brown.

Or, as HOCC’s Lead Pastors Jonathan and Raydeane Owens often say, “We give because we love.”

The Winton outreach was part of Heart of the City Church’s, Citi-Impact in which the congregation collectively supports a project to benefit the city. Initiatives include events like the annual Fall Harvest Festival at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds on the evening of Oct. 31. Another is the annual Single Mom’s Outreach on Mother’s Day where single moms can get an oil change, car wash, hair cuts for the kids and a few bags of groceries and personal care items at no cost and no obligation.

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