Child Development, MCC Style

Our church recently celebrated our 46th Annual Strawberry Festival.

This event is a cornerstone event for our community, not only for the families and friends of the Monroe Congregational Church, but for the town of Monroe itself. Over 100 vendors pack the green, bringing handmade crafts to sell. Over 3,000 visitors spend time with us, in an amazing 17 hour shortcake extravaganza, complete with music, games and delicious food (strawberries and otherwise).

The Strawberry Festival is nothing less than a marathon faith formation - trust building - community strengthening - holy season. The welcome we provide to our guests defines who we are as a people of faith.  It's like a booster shot of vitality. And we can only pull it off because most of the 'people in the steeple' make it a priority. All of us are pulled in so many directions this time of year, but last weekend proves that together, we can work miracles.

Proceeds from the Strawberry Festival allow us to be bold and generous givers in our wider community. Meet Debra, who recently graduated a Bridgeport high school and received an academic award. What an amazing accomplishment. Who knows what lies ahead for her? Will she become a doctor, or a lawyer? Or perhaps she will train to be a teacher, or maybe an engineer.

According to a 2016 CT Post Article;
"Bridgeport’s 63.6 percent graduation rate for the Class of 2015 — a sharp drop from the 71.5 for the Class of 2014 — appears to give it the lowest four-year graduation rate among school districts in the state."

Poverty affects children under the age of 18 especially hard. Kids from poorer neighborhoods are more likely to struggle academically. Perhaps this is because their parents are out of the home working a couple of minimum wage jobs just to get by. Or their electricity was cut off. Or they have to move from cheap apartment to cheap apartment to make ends meet. Maybe one of their parents is incarcerated. Or they went to bed hungry and taking tests on an empty stomach is really distracting.

Our church has sponsored Debra's family over the years through our ties with Covenant to Care, a program that connects faith organizations with a social worker working in Bridgeport. The generosity of those who give their time and efforts to our Strawberry Festival, and give money to the church through their gifts and pledges of financial support, allows our community to directly impact children like Debra enough to curtail the obstacles that systemic poverty might place in their way.

So the next time you savor the sweet taste of a fresh picked strawberry, think of the sweetness of what can be done through your faith community, and give thanks.