DEATH IS NOT EXTINGUISHING THE LIGHT FROM THE CHRISTIAN; IT IS PUTTING OUT THE LAMP BECAUSE THE DAWN HAS COME.
-ANONYMOUS

I received this e-mail from Andy Joshua, our Streetleader director, and thought to post it so that we could get the people of God praying:


One of our Streetleaders, Tyison Sisco, unexpectedly passed away early Sunday morning. He has been in the hospital for about a week and a half with some serious medical problems but was improving and I think everyone expected him to make a full recovery. He was fully conscious in the hospital and had a lot of friends and family visit with him while he was there. Hid doctors are not sure why he died.

Tyison worked as a Streetleader since June of 2003. This school year he was working at the North Camden Afterschool program and during the summer in East at Camp Faith. When he was younger, he had attended the Eastside Afterschool Program. Tyison was just a really nice guy. He made people laugh and got along with everyone. He was an especially close friend to several other StreetLeaders. He did a great job at work and really cared about the kids he worked with and they liked him. He often participated in STOMP and he will really be missed.

His funeral services will be help at Urban Promise on Monday, November 28th. A viewing will be held from 9 to 11 am. The funeral service will then start at 11am. Bruce will be giving the main eulogy.

Not all of you knew Tyison, but I know this news will sadden all of you. I also know you all care about the children, Streetleaders and staff who have worked with him. You know how much of a difference each Streetleader can make in the lives of the kids he invests in and how difficult this will be for them and especially for Tyison's friends here. Wherever you are, please be praying for Tyison and his family. Please pray for the kids, Streetleaders, and staff in these difficult times. And please pray for God's comfort and love to be evident all around.

Finally, please pass this e-mail on to other UP alumni that knew Tyison or that you know will pray for us.

God Bless,
Andy Joshua

PONY RIDES!!



Six very lucky kids from the Downtown Afterschool program were given a chance to visit stables out in Philly!! When they first got there, they walked through the stalls, peering in to catch glimpses of whatever was in there.



They then were led out back where there were two corrals of horses, which was a great opportunity for the kids to get used to being around them. Getting bolder, they would reach into the fences and pet the horses' noses or try to feed them hay--a very cute sight!!



The big excitement of the day was actually being able to ride a couple of the horses!! BUT they had to work for their rides by brushing the horses first. The kids worked hard, using the three different brushes needed to properly brush down a horse. And if they even thought about slacking off on their job (as Richard can attest to), someone was there to remind them that if they're not working, they're not riding either. When the horses were all brushed down, they were led to a corral where the kids took turns riding.




At first the kids started off with someone else leading the horse around the corral, but were then able to move onto leading and directing the horse themselves!!




So if you ever want to know how to guide a horse, just follow the advice of our new experts!
As Jalissa (grade 4) puts it:
"If you want the horse to go left, you pull on the left side. If you want it to go right, you pull on the right side. If you want it to stop, you pull up with both hands. AND if it gets lazy, you give it a good kick!"

HARVEST CARNIVAL!!

Our annual Harvest Carnival took place on Nov. 7, 2005. Once again it was a great success!!
Kids from all 5 of our afterschool programs and from the Fellowship House all piled into the Eastside Gym where they were greeted with lots and lots of game booths!! There was face painting, cupcake decorating, an obstacle course, football and basketball throw, and one of our new booths, the marshmallow shooter!! What exactly is a mashmallow shooter?? It's a bunch of pipes put together to form a "blower". You stick a marshmallow in, aim it at a pyramid of cans, and blow to see if you can make your marshmallow hit the cans!! It may sound a bit weird, but it's fun!! At the end, all the kids came together for a raffle. We had some great prizes this year, including some personal cd players and the grand prize...A BIKE!!!

URBAN PROMISE KIDS INVADE MESSIAH COLLEGE

On Oct. 28th, fifty 3rd-5th graders invaded the campus of Messiah College! This is an annual event for us. The goal of the trip is to not only have a fun a weekend, but also to get the kids started thinking about college and how it can be a reality for the kids.
As always, this was a great trip! The college students at Messiah were great and open with the kids, the kids stayed up WAY past their bedtimes, and many of the kids left saying, "I want to go to Messiah College!". Granted, we might have to tweak that last thought a little bit when they get older because there are lots of colleges out there, but it's great just to have them say that they want to go to college!

Highlights fromt the weekend include:

A scavenger hunt around campus that included a walk across a slightly shaky bridge!!





A talk by three college students who talked about thier college life and answered questions that the kids had for them. One of these students was a phenomenal dancer who taught the kids a couple of dance steps and had them "battle".




A trip to Hershey Park where the kids got to ride roller coasters, drive bumper cars, and just have some good old fashion fun!!



We also got to visit with two alumni who helped us out that weekend, Mary Clemmer (Summer 2005) and Kim Schock (Summer 2004)

Thanks Messiah for letting us invade!!

SILLY POEMS FROM THE MINDS OF 3RD GRADERS

There once was a dog
Who lived in a log
He wanted a treat
So he went to meet
A fish who was cute
And also mute
He had some fish food
But he wasn't in the mood
So he went to meet a dude
The dude wasn't there
So he went to a fair
To eat some pears
And some gummy bears!

written by Ngan Trien, 3rd Grade, Rosedale Afterschool Program


Ngan Trien


There once was a bear
Who lived in somebody's hair
He ate a couple of pears
The pears didn't taste good with the hairs
So he smacked the hair
Without a care
It didn't make sense
And instead he had a fair in the hair.

written by Amanda Rodriguez, Marco Cubero, & Ngan Trien all 3rd Graders from the Rosedale Afterschool Program


Marco Cubero

THE 2005 URBAN PROMISE BANQUET

October 27, 2005-What a night!! It was long and everyone worked very hard, but it was all SOOO worth it! With over 600 guests coming to this event at the Scottish Rite in Collingswood, NJ, there was plenty to do. In the beautiful ballroom alone, 60+ tables needed to be set, dishes needed to be washed and counted, salads needed to be made, and of course cheese for the hors d'ouerves needed to be cut! Thanks to the grace of God, the amazing team He put together here at Urban Promise, and to some special friends (Mark Smith, owner of The Tortilla Press and Michael Georgetti, from Georgetti's Pasta & Sauce Market) who provided the delicious meal, it all got done!
Of course the best part of the night was the actual program. This year we were able to have various young people from Urban Promise share their stories and talents with all our guests!
Highlights from the night include:

*Co-hosts that were not only fun and entertaining, but also young adults who had been involved with Urban Promise for a number of years. Tony Vega spent many years in our afterschool programs, went on to be a street leader, then was in leadership in the street leader program, was an intern this past summer, and is currently attending Eastern College. Jeaneen Jenkins has also spent many years with us in our street leader program, taking over the directing of one of our summer camps, working as our work group coordinator, and being willing to fill in whenever the need arises. She is a graduate from Virginia State University and is currently pursuing a masters degree.


*A group of young people who blessed the guests by showing them how to praise the Lord through the gift of stepping. The Urban Promise Step Team, led by Monique Smalls, is made up of students from the Academy, teens in our street leader program, and college students who grew up in our programs and continue to stay involved.


*A charismatic 6th grader from our North afterschool program who stole the show! Starting off with a shy smile that instantly warmed the crowd, Josh Williams shared an honest and heartfelt glimpse of his life and his experiences with Urban Promise. He was able to interact well with the crowd, using an amazing sense of timing that drew out laughter and applause from his audience.


*Our executive director, Bruce Main, wrapped up this amazing night by thanking all our guests for standing by Urban Promise and the young people in our programs and by sharing inspiring words that encouraged everyone to continue with us and come alongside the next generation of "Dreamers".


"Every great dream begins with a DREAMER. Always remember, you have withing you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
-Harriet Tubman

OUR '05-'06 URBAN PROMISE INTERNS





Are you wondering who these fine looking people are? Well wonder no more! These six individuals make up our 2005-2006 intern group. They have chosen to give up 9 months of their lives to come and live in the city of Camden, NJ, to live in Christian community with one another, to love the kids of Camden, and to learn from all this city has to teach.

OK, so who are they?




Name: Gray Kawamba (left)
Age: 25
Home: Malawi, Africa
Placement: Rosedale Afterschool Program working with 3rd graders
Gray spent this past summer working in a tennis camp for kids in California.


Name: Phillip Jomba Arunga (right)
Age: 25
Home: Kenya, Africa
Placement: Eastside Afterschool Program working with 5th-8th graders
This is Phillip's second year working with the Eastside Program.




Name: Ruth Hanford
Age: 27
Home: Washington State
Placement: Rosedale Afterschool Program working with 1st & 2nd graders
Ruth spent this past summer on our Camp Peace summer team.





Name: Priscilla Mante
Age: 23
Home: Glasgow, Scotland
Placement: South Afterschool Program working with 7th & 8th graders
Priscilla was born and raised in Scotland but her parents are from Ghana.







Name: Eui Hwang
Age: 25
Home: California
Placement: Downtown Afterschool Program working with 3rd & 4th graders
Eui was also with us back in the summer of 2001.





Name: Sullivan Kandulu
Age: 25
Home: Malawi, Africa
Placement: South Afterschool Program with 5th & 6th graders
Sullivan spent this past summer with us on our Camp Freedom summer team.



We've only been together since mid September, but already we've done some amazing things! Thanks to some very generous people who were willing to share thier place with us, we were able to go on an intern retreat and stay only two blocks from the beach!! It was a great time to get to know each other better and just be able to prepare for all that God had in store for us!



Phillip having some fun in the sun!!


We were also blessed with some great music! We were able to attend two concerts, Da'Truth who played with The Ambassador, and Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin. They were both awesome worship experiences!



Eui, Gray, and Sullivan with Chris Tomlin!!


Please keep these amazing people in your prayers!!