"I am a son of a loving Father." One week at our Real Men group at Village Oaks, that sentence was the curriculum. We went around the circle with each man or boy declaring it. Then we went around the circle again. And again. And again. And again. For about 20 minutes we went round and round...and as we did we saw a certain joy and confidence emerge in the countenance of each one of us.
"I am a son of a loving Father." "I am a daughter of a loving Father." If you hang around the Community Center at Village Oaks very long, you'll hear kids repeat it. We want them to say it over and over again. We want this truth to sink deep into their lives. Our prayer for them is that they will discover and walk in their true identity. Not as orphans...but as Sons and daughters of a loving Father. Thank you Jesus.
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It's been a great summer! A few highlights:
*The painting has begun at Village Oaks! The first few buildings have been painted and the residents have been very excited about the change.
*The Willow Pond kids enjoyed the first Behind Every Door Cooking Camp (complete with a nice sit-down dinner on the final night--where they could bring a guest). Rickey Fanning's stick-on mustache was one of the highlights of the occasion.
*Cub Scouts is coming to Village Oaks! One of our Dallas Police Officers, Officer Paulo Bettancourt, has rallied the leadership and support to begin a group for boys grades 1-5. Thank you Officer Bettancourt for blessing these boys.
*Several of our Kids Club girls from Willow Pond were able to go to Kids Across America Summer Camp! Thank you to the John and Suzanne Wallace as well as Rickey and Jim Fanning for making the long drives. It was a week the kids won't soon forget.
*Max Fincher and Ben Leonard (with help from friends at Park Cities Presbyterian Church)...hosted Finish Strong Basketball Camps at Willow Pond and Village Oaks.
*Faith Church of Allen, Texas partnered with Suzanne and Rickey at Willow Pond to host Vacation Bible School! It was a huge hit and many were blessed and encouraged.
*The kids once again enjoyed "Math Champs" Camp at Willow Pond...which was fun and educational!
*We had over 500 friends join us for the Village Oaks Health & Life Fair! This event was in partnership with the wonderful people at Parkland Hospital as well as 12 vendors. It was a great time of food, fun, learning about health, and dancing!
*Fellowship Bible Church installed a basketball court viewing deck as well as a Community Garden at Willow Pond! Thank you so much for your partnership.
*DART restored a later bus service at the stop across from Village Oaks! We were so thankful for the community effort that came together to deal with the problems...a true partnership between Village Oaks residents, DART, the Dallas Police Department, other residents of the neighborhood, and our Village Oaks Residents Council.
*We were thrilled to partner with Favored with Hope in the Village Oaks Summer Lunch Program for kids. Volunteers served lunch to 60+ kids per day. What a blessing.
*The "Real Men" men's group at Village Oaks has taken off! We've had between 10 and 30 men attend on Friday mornings...learning about Jesus and discussing life. Thanks to Mike Downey for his leadership and many friends for their support. This week, we add a Discipleship Group (weekly meeting) for those who want to dive in even deeper. The Real Men Group for boys at Willow Pond has been discussing wisdom and the importance of keeping good company. Later this month, we'll add a Real Men Group for men at Willow Pond as well.
*Jayda Henderson is starting a "Sisters Circle" group for women at Village Oaks this month...in partnership with our friend Dr. Shirley King.
*Thank you to all of you who donated to purchase Back-to-School Supplies for our Kids Club kids. They'll go back to school next Monday with new backpacks and all the supplies they need!
-- Dean Wilson
