Sign up for our Newsletter! Go

TBRI

At the Treehouse, we are learning to Stick Together, Do No Hurts, and Have Fun! We have three simple rules that make a big difference! They are part of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI). As a team, we are learning how trauma affects our children and how we can best work with them.

It starts with changing ourselves, our expectations, and recognizing our pet peeves. We start identifying our own emotions and what makes us angry or sad. We learn how to process our emotions and regulate ourselves so we can help our kids regulate when they may be frustrated or upset.

We have the privilege of acknowledging our kids struggles, feelings, and stories. We can listen to their triumphs and their hurts. We can celebrate with them, play with them, and learn with them.

We are making relationships! And isn’t that exactly what Jesus did?

IMG_5851.JPG

So, things may look different around the Tree House from other kid's ministries. We may seem very positive in negative circumstances, because we know that playful re-engagement allows kids to “try again” and be successful in positive behaviors. You may see a lot of verbal affirmations and a ton of silliness. We know these help to quickly form great relationships that lead to long term learning. You may see us use a “magic mustache” or “blow soup” when a child is angry instead of time-out because we know that once a child is regulated, then they can have a real conversation about their choices and truly learn. We say “I love you” a lot, even when kids are making poor choices, because isn’t that what our gracious Lord said to us when we were at our worst?

So, come join us in the silly, goofy, fun relationship building that gives us the opportunity to share Jesus with our kids!

And if you want to learn more about TBRI check out this short video or read The Connected Child by Cross and Purvis. 

Kinder Kamp

IMG_20180801_105617544.jpg

Kinder Kamp was the perfect way to finish our last week of summer! We had so much fun together! Our rising kindergarteners had a very big week ahead of them starting school for the very first time! We wanted them to be excited and confident with a few new skills, like walking in a line and sitting criss-cross applesauce. Of course, we sang songs, played with stickers, practiced our numbers and letters, and made many delicious meals in our pretend kitchen! My favorite part of the week was when one of our sweet kids was sitting at the table pulling one sticker after another off her sheet and plopping them expertly onto her paper (a difficult task the beginning of the week) all while singing Jesus loves me!

Salt and Light

fullsizeoutput_204e.jpeg

This was my 6th year Rocking the Village in Gate City and easily takes gold medal for best year yet! Over 100 children came to the Treehouse and heard the Gospel. It doesn’t get any better than that! They heard the Gospel through God’s Word in Storytelling, they saw the Gospel in science experiments and games. They colored pieces of the Gospel in artwork now hanging on the walls. They experienced the Gospel in the love and attention of countless volunteers. They drew the Gospel in their small groups and they sang the Gospel with songs and instruments.

Over 100 children have heard that while we live in a broken world, separated from God because of our sin, that God loves us. God wants to be with us and he sent his son Jesus who came to earth and died so that we could live with him. They have heard that all we need to do is turn from our sin and trust in Jesus and we get a new and wonderful relationship with God our creator!

They heard it and they are listening! They are processing, and they are responding to the Gospel! I had the great privilege to tell the Gospel each day through the stories Jesus told in his Message on the Mountain. And while the children diligently colored their coloring pages, they were listening.

On Tuesday, I taught about God calling us to be the Salt and Light in the broken world. We are salt and light when we love people the way Jesus loved us. We turn from ourselves and trust in Jesus and he gives us the Holy Spirit, making us little salt shakers and light bulbs, bringing flavor and light. Oh, I wish you could have heard us sing it!

One third grader said, “There ain’t no love here Ms. Halie.” Do you know what that means? He took the Gospel and he connected it to his small piece of this broken world. He saw that there are places with love and places without love and in his home, he doesn’t see love.

fullsizeoutput_1ea9.jpeg

This isn’t meant to be sad or discouraging, this is meant to be exciting! We know there is love here. Jesus is here in Marks Village and he is moving. We know that his light, when seen in full, is blinding. So now, we pray. We pray that God opens the eyes of our neighbors to see the light that is already here, scattered in unlikely places. And we go. We go and we look for those that God is opening their eyes and we show them what God has shown us. He loves us. He’s here. And he’s sending us out.

Working with Teens is "Not My Thing"

IMG_4574.JPG

Our wonderful Teen HANG Time began just a few months ago and as an OTM staff member, I was drafted to help get the program off the ground. Now, understand me, I was not drafted because I have excellent skills in working with teens, because I am so patient with this transitioning age group, or because I already had great relationships with these teens. Nope. I have none of those, but I was drafted because I was willing to be drafted. That’s right, I was just an adult human being willing to spend my afternoon with teenagers.

I could spin this story in a positive light and tell you the wonderful little moments where I connected with teens. Or, I could spin this in a negative light and explain my many mistakes and failures. But, I don’t plan on doing either of those. My point here is this: sometimes God calls us to do things that are not in our comfort zone and outside of our gifting. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus tells us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”. He did not allocate specific areas to each of the disciples, he simply said “go.”

Now, Jesus said “go”, but he also said, “and I will be with you to the end of the age”. What a promise! When we go, we are not alone. Every time I serve outside of my gifting, I am given the opportunity to really see that Jesus is with me. I’m not relying on my gifts, I’m relying on Him. As Paul said, I am learning to be “content with weaknesses…For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) How does that work, you may ask? Because God says, “my power is made perfect in weakness.”

So, what other conclusion can I draw, but that teen ministry is a perfect place for me right now? My weaknesses are abundantly clear with these teens, but that means that God’s power is perfect. And really, do I want my power or His?

20180329_133553 (2).jpg

Why I am an Oak Tree Intern...

blog pic.jpg

Hi y’all, I’m SK and you’ve probably seen me around the Treehouse. I’m a sophomore at Samford University majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications. How did I become involved in Oak Tree Ministries? Well, because of a program called Micah Fellows.

Micah Fellows is a service based honors program at Samford that revolves around Micah 6:8, which says “And what does the Lord require of you? To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God”. Freshman year, my cohort of Micah Fellows studied the meaning of justice. This year, we are focusing on mercy. Junior year we will focus on humility, then throughout senior year we will be learning about grant writing. Micah Fellows has already provided me with knowledge I wouldn’t have learned inside an ordinary classroom.

For example, I filed taxes for Birmingham citizens in low income areas through Impact Alabama. Numbers are not my strength, so I had multiple breakdowns before realizing it’s not about me or how well I can file taxes. It’s about providing a service to people who may not be shown this kind of love if it weren’t for volunteers. I also got to be a listening ear to those who just needed someone to talk to. I heard many stories that stick with me to this day. Because of this experience, I wanted to do something more to make even a small difference in low income communities.

At the end of freshman year, the Micah Fellows had the opportunity to interview with non-profits in Birmingham. Service is a central theme within the program, so each of us are required to intern at a non-profit for three years during our time at Samford. Most people wanted to find one that related to their major, but God was tugging at my heart, telling me I shouldn’t go down that path. I interviewed with multiple places. None of them felt quite right for me. Finally, I sat down and talked with Halie and Jesse and I learned about an organization whose mission is something I am passionate about.

They explained how Oak Tree Ministries focuses on reconciling people with God and people with other people in their community. How they work to provide relief to Marks Village, whether that’s in times of crisis over over a long period of time. How they work to rehabilitate the community and people, physically and spiritually. And how they build relationships with the people in Mark’s village in order to spread the news of the goodness of God.

After interning here for a little over a semester, it’s helped me confirm that community is so necessary and that everyone benefits from it. We are all broken, and sometimes the only way to rebuild ourselves is through connecting with others while connecting with God.

So what do I do here? I get to help out a little behind the scenes by helping to organize the newsletter and doing any kind of work needed to prepare for the day. I also volunteer at Reading Club on Thursdays and Bible Club on Sundays.

Recently, God has been telling me to work on vulnerability. I spent a lot of time suppressing that calling, until He broke me down and proved to me I needed to be vulnerable. So, I love getting to talk with my small group of second and third grade boys at Bible Club. Through this time, we all share struggles we face at school with our peers. Then we discuss little things we can change to reduce conflict and show love towards one another. At Oak Tree, God has showed me that vulnerability breeds vulnerability. Trust is gained as relationships are built, which is a pathway for sharing how loving God is and how we can share that love with others.

If you ever see me around, please stop me to say hi!

Peace.

IMG_4463.JPG

If we're honest, often times at Bible Club we feel like we are shouting the gospel over the chaos, wondering if anyone can hear us, wondering if it's making any difference at all... volunteers, can I get an "amen" that I'm not alone in that? 

As we've been teaching peace the last few weeks, I feel the tension. Peace probably wouldn't be the first word that came to mind if you asked someone to describe life in our community. Yet, here we are, proclaiming that peace is possible... right in the middle of breaking up fights & dodging rocks as they fly through the air.

Jesus offers us peace. He IS our peace.

I prayed that God would make the reality of His peace visible to me this Sunday. Please, just give me a glimpse to remind me that it is possible. He faithfully answered. He always does. 

As Jason began walking the boys through the gospel, I saw it. I had the privilege of popping in just in time to see part of the gospel, that good news we've shared countless times, finally click. The Spirit made a little lightbulb turn on above one of our boy's head. Eyes suddenly locked in on that gospel picture - fully in tune, listening & asking questions - 1 minute ago he was distracting the group, talking over Jason, mumbling rude things. How does that happen?

The power of the gospel. The power of Jesus offering us peace with God when it's the last thing we deserve. The power of peace standing strong in a war zone. 

"Wait, why would I have to die?! Why would you say that Jesus had to die for me?!" 

It just so happened I had a little incident with this child the day before. What I thought was a random encounter, where I was in the right place at the right time (or wrong time, depending on who you ask), turned out to be God's detailed attention to the child He is pursuing. He was making the gospel personal to him. I knew the specific sin that was fresh on this child's mind, I knew that peace was far from him in this moment, & I knew which real life example to give to explain the work of Christ on the cross for us in a context he would understand. The perfect moment. God had it rigged. Suddenly what completely confused me just a few hours ago all made sense. I knew why it all happened & I got to see a little bit of what God was up to. 

The rest of Bible Club, this child was calm & peaceful. The anger had somehow disappeared. 

It's not my job to make it "click." It's not my job to save. It's my job to keep showing up, carrying the gospel of peace, even on the days when I feel no one can hear it over the chaos. The Spirit does the rest. Just wait on His faithful timing. 

IMG_4464.JPG
Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, & is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, & those who hear will live.
John 5:25

Thank you, faithful Bible Club Volunteers! You continue to show up, speaking & living out the gospel, even on the hard days. We are thankful to wait on those moments with you, when the Spirit moves & we are reminded that nothing is wasted. 

IMG_4317.JPG
f280952be8bd.jpg
IMG_4364.JPG

We always need more friendly faces at Bible Club! If you're interested in joining the family & serving with us on Sunday afternoons, just contact Raquel to start the conversation. You can be a part of Bible Club twice a month or you may just love it so much that you'll have to come every Sunday! ;) 

I Lost All the Bibles!

IMG_20180118_161059.jpg

A few weeks ago I was getting ready for Reading Club and needed to gather up our collection of Jesus Storybook Bibles. I went to the library and couldn't find a single copy. I checked the office, the kindergarten room, and the teen room. No Jesus Storybook Bibles. Where did I put them all? I brought Bubba into the hunt and we continued our circuit around the building. I finally found them in the place I should have looked first: the kids' book bins! Every single Bible was "checked out" of the library. Our Reading Buddies are choosing to read the Word of God in their free reading time! 

The Jesus Storybook Bible is beautifully done and always reminds us who the Story is really about! We would love a few more copies for our library and to send home with the kids! If you would like to help us to keep "losing Bibles" into kids' hands, please click here to send us a copy through Amazon. 

IMG_20180118_161035.jpg

Happy New Year!

Some of the best moments are the little, seemingly insignificant ones that often fade from our minds by year's end. I took many pictures this year and as I scrolled through I found dozens  filled with little moments I had forgotten. As we reflect and look forward, I thought I would share a few with you!

We love Bible Club!.png
Jesus, Light of the World.png
When Mom is away, the kids will play!.png
PHOTO.png

Some pictures just speak for themselves! 

Why don't you join us this year?

Come learn more about our ministries and find a place to plug in this New Year! 

Training Graphic.png

The First Christmas in the Village

The Tree House transformed last weekend.

The large room usually filled with children running, playing, and learning became a calm and cozy living room filled with adults and volunteers, complete with fireplace and warm beverages. The kindergarten room changed into an overflowing toy store. The homework zone was a Christmas wonderland for children to explore while parents shopped. The stage where Bible lessons are taught became a photo studio to capture family memories. The teen room faded as a gift wrapping room appeared, with enough paper to wrap around the state of Alabama! 

This wasn't just another Christmas event. This was a community, coming together to say they want something more than the status quo. This was Birmingham saying we want more than Christmas charity, we want mutually transforming relationships that last all year long. We want to work together, as neighbors, to bring reconciliation and dignity. 

Christmas in the Village was Oak Tree's first large event specifically focused on adults. We didn't know how it would be received, we didn't know who would get behind the idea, but as we stepped into the unknown, you jumped on board with more enthusiasm and support than we could have imagined! You donated toys, you baked cookies, you offered your skills, you spread the word, you volunteered so much time, and together, we created something beautiful.

Moms, Dads, and Grandparents walked into the Tree House, many for the first time, with heads held high. Today they weren't receiving a hand out, they were shopping for a good deal and choosing unique toys for their own children.

One mom shared her experience with a volunteer while chatting over cookies and coffee on the sofa. She was hesitant to come at first. She thought it would probably just be another charity event where she felt judged and different. But, after being greeted at the door by kind faces, finding a special gift for her son at a great price, and watching him enjoy the Christmas activities, she decided to come back on Saturday and get to know us more! She said she has never been to an event like this, where she felt loved and welcomed as a neighbor. These newfound neighbors continued to chat and get to know one another, sharing stories of Christmas and God's faithfulness in their lives. 

That is what Christmas in the Village was all about.

It is amazing to imagine what is possible when everyone comes together. One toy donated, one hour serving, one toy purchased, one conversation shared... it takes a Village to create change, and I think we're on our way! 

Christmas in the Village Stats.png

Fall Fun!

Friends of Oak Tree,


We had such a fun, colorful October that we want to make sure you never miss out on what's happening in the Village! If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for our monthly newsletter so that you never miss an update! 


fullsizeoutput_590.jpeg

Picking Out Pumpkins! 

The Reading Club went on a field trip to Old Baker Farm last month! We climbed a mountain of hay bales, held a baby goat, went on a hayride, and picked out a pumpkin a piece to take home! While the pictures are precious, insert the sound of giggles and the smell of hay for the full effect. 


e68b7a60-fc23-4420-9c38-f302c20939a2.jpeg

Welcome, Raquel!

We are excited that Raquel has joined our team at Oak Tree! Many of you already know Raquel, who has been serving in Marks Village for several years in her work with Serving You Ministries and Discovery Clubs at Oliver. Raquel will be working and coordinating across ministry areas with our women, teens, and children. She is clearly right at home with our neighbors! Please welcome Raquel to the family when you see her next!

e37a2d57-11a7-4705-a3da-8e3996b8e488.jpg

Teresa's Farewell

What a wonderful evening celebrating Teresa and her time in ministry with us! Neighbors, volunteers, and friends all gathered for a dinner and sweet speeches. Teresa helped to start the Bible Club at Ambassador for Christ Church almost five years ago and has been faithfully serving with both the children and women in Marks Village. We will miss her, but we know she has so many new opportunities ahead as she moves to live near her children and grandchildren.

f37f8fc9-d05a-4823-90fe-c3e12cd93f21.jpg

Women's Fellowship

This month we had the opportunity to hear from Forge, breast cancer survivor center, to find out what resources are available to the women in the Village who are facing the battle with cancer. Thank you, Forge!


Give Thanks!

Friends of Bible Club, you are invited to join us for a Thanksgiving meal! We want to celebrate with our neighbors & give thanks to God for all He is doing in the Village!

Click HERE to find out more & RSVP.

Christmas in the village-2.png

Volunteer Opportunities

There are many ways you can get involved serving with us! Check out the opportunities listed below and always feel free to contact us with any questions or ideas you may have.

THIS MONTH'S HIGHLIGHTED NEED:
We are in need of childcare assistance during our women's fellowship group on Monday afternoons & Thursday evenings.

7ba56d2d-0cc7-41b5-8c1b-1a0a43bc837d.jpg
  • Bible Club - We need more disciple-makers for K-12th graders on Sunday afternoons.
     
  • Reading Club - We need more volunteers to join us Tuesdays and Thursdays to make disciples who love to read with K-5th graders.
     
  • Meals - We need volunteers willing to make sack dinners for our Bible Club kids. Click HERE to find out more or to sign up.
     
  • Interested in working with kids or teenagers for the glory of God? Ask for more information here.

Look what we're reading!

09a37147-c042-46be-8a4f-3010c86a87a6.jpg

Join us for our monthly Book Club to discuss Cross-Cultural Servanthood on November 30th at 6:30 p.m.

Neighborhood Brew
5184 Caldwell Mill Rd. #206
Hoover, AL 35244

RSVP to halie.kawell@oaktreeministries.org


 

You Can Now Follow Us On Instagram!


Praises and Prayer Requests

  • We are so thankful God provided a new van through a generous donation! Bible Club pick up time has been cut in half and it makes field trips so much easier with two vehicles! 
     
  • God has sent so many new volunteers to serve with the Reading Club and we are so grateful.
     
  • Pray for more Reading Club volunteers so that the kids on our waiting list can join soon!
     
  • Join us in praying Psalm 37 this month: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him..."

The ministry we do each day is only made possible through your partnership! We could never say thank you enough for laboring alongside and loving our neighbors with us. We hope to see you in the Village soon!

With grateful hearts,
The Oak Tree Ministries Team