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Participating agencies, who will have representatives at the information meeting to explain their programs and answer questions, include Project Friendship (Family & Children’s Agency), Norwalk Public Schools, N.E.O.N., Young Lives, and Young Life. Refreshments will be served. “The 1010Project responds to the message of Jesus in John 10:10: ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ We at Northeast Community Church are convinced that the kind of life Jesus had in mind is available here and now, and it comes with serving others,” observed Thomas Mahoney, Lead Pastor. “The people of NECC want to steward their human, spiritual, technical and financial resources into some time-bound, measurable goals. By working toward those objectives, we hope to really experience, demonstrate and share life to its fullest in Christ. While we know we can’t do everything, we believe we can do something,” he remarked. “As the 1010Project has grown organically within the church, we have felt called upon to pursue mentoring as our first major initiative on behalf of our Norwalk community,” he said. “Mentoring is an outflow of God’s love in us, and is one way we can answer the question of Jesus found in Luke 10 when He asks, ‘Who was a neighbor to this man?’ Our neighbors certainly include the marginalized in our community: at-risk single-parents and their children, as well as many others,” he noted. “A mentor has the amazing opportunity to look a child or young-person in the eye and say, ‘You can do it…you can make it…you can live the fullest life.’ This may be the first time that child or young person has heard those kinds of things,” Pastor Mahoney said. “As we looked at opportunities for service that exist in Norwalk, we were surprised to find out that there is a waiting list for children needing mentors at every level of every school in the Norwalk Public School System. We felt that this is not something that should be and decided we are called to respond to this pressing need through the 1010Project,” observed Kevin Mullins, Associate Pastor of Northeast Community Church. “We are coming alongside existing mentoring opportunities and saying, ‘How can we help?’ There are no strings attached to attending the information meeting; visitors can just listen and explore, or they can begin to sign up for specific opportunities if they are ready. A major launch of our mentoring project will be held in the fall, but there will be a number of opportunities for volunteers who are eager to begin reaching out to Norwalk’s youth during the summer months,” Pastor Mullins said. The “Mentoring Menu” includes opportunities with five organizations with which Northeast Community Church is collaborating: FCA’s Project Friendship: Established in 1974, Project Friendship matches adults with children age 6-14 who need positive role models. Family & Children's Agency is looking for volunteers willing to make a long-term commitment (minimum 1 year) to mentor a youth in need of positive attention from a trusting role model. Mentors commit to meeting one-on-one with a specific child each week (days and times are flexible and may vary week to week). Mentors are positive role models that provide the chance for children to experience various activities, understand others' perspectives and lifestyles, and explore new interests. Norwalk Public Schools: Established in 1986, the Norwalk Public School Mentor Program is one of the longest-running in the area. The Mentor Program model is based on a one-to-one relationship between a deserving student and a caring adult volunteer. Mentors meet with their students in the schools in designated mentor areas for one hour per week. This component of the 1010 Mentoring Project will begin in the fall. N.E.O.N.: N.E.O.N, which stands for Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now, seeks to eliminate poverty and assist those who are currently in poverty. N.E.O.N. started its after-school program in September 2007. Youth in these programs receive homework help and other assistance in a safe environment. Mentoring in this program is not one-on-one; rather, mentors would be invited to get to know as many students as possible. No other time commitment is required. Young Lives: Young Lives, a ministry to teen mothers and girls at risk for pregnancy, was launched in October of 2002 in Bridgeport and Norwalk, Connecticut. Mentors meet with the young women in a group setting, and relationships develop as the mentors attend regular meetings. Young Life: Young Life seeks to carry the message of Jesus Christ into that tumultuous tide and points teenagers toward life as they were created to live it. Since 1941, the dynamic that has characterized Young Life is its commitment to relationships – Young Life leaders meeting kids on their turf in the interest of friendship. As leaders get to know teenagers, they are able to share the love of Jesus Christ through platforms such as Young Life club, Campaigners and trips to camp. Mentor relationships develop organically throughout regular group meetings between volunteers and teens. “We are seeing people, even outside of our church congregation, who are buying into the 1010Project core idea of making a difference in two or three areas in time-bound measurable ways,” Pastor Mahoney stated. “The annual centerpiece of our 1010Project is 1010Day, which launched on the tenth day of the tenth month last October. For the inaugural 1010Day we sorted clothes at the Norwalk Emergency Shelter, cleaned up the grounds at West Rocks Middle School, where we hold Sunday worship services and children’s programs, and sponsored a Gas Buy Down, surprising patrons at a local service station for two hours by pumping their gas and covering part of their gasoline purchase while we were there collecting clothing and blankets for the Shelter. “For Earth Day this spring we gathered volunteers together to clean up Calf Pasture Beach. Our volunteers are already working on plans for 1010Day 2008, as well as additional 1010Project activities,” Pastor Mahoney said. Northeast Community Church holds weekly worship services at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays in the auditorium at West Rocks Middle School, 81 West Rocks Rd. in Norwalk. Children’s programs are offered beginning at 10:30 a.m. “Our pastoral team is committed to making our gathering times relevant to everyday life. This means teaching, music – and a website – that meet people where they are. We believe that understanding the message of Christ in a practical way increases the ability to incorporate spirituality into everyday life,” Pastor Mahoney said. “My approach is to share practical and inspiring messages, based on biblical principles, that focus on the real life issues people in our community deal with on a day to day basis. Our worship services feature energizing and enjoyable music with high-impact media presentations, the atmosphere is casual and comfortable, and the people of NECC are warm and welcoming,” he added. “We believe that the fullest life that Christ offers us is not one that leaves us holed up in our churches on Sunday morning, but instead propels us into action, responding to the pressing needs of our community and beyond. When you have God’s love inside of you, it will naturally flow out of you and through you toward others. That’s where the 1010Project is taking us,” Pastor Mullins added. Northeast Community Church is a nondenominational Christian church. Its offices are located at 18 Knight Street in Norwalk. For more information, call the church office at 203-838-4708 or visit www.NECCLife.org. © Copyright by NorwalkPlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of NorwalkPlus.com, Norwalk Plus magazine, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. 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