06/14/09 - by Chuck Monan, Preaching Minister

 Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.  
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.
~ Romans 12: 9-16

Paul reminds the church at Rome that they have a wonderful opportunity to impact their city by being the light, salt and leaven that Jesus calls his disciples to be (Matthew 5:14-16).  When Christians let their lights shine before men, others see that we care and praise our Father in heaven.

This is done in Little Rock on a daily basis as PV reaches out to minister to those in need.  Several are involved in mentoring children who need help, attention, time, and love.  They are truly making a difference in many lives.  One of our elders who has experienced this firsthand explains:

For several years our church family has had a presence in the Silver City mentoring program.  As a volunteer for this program, I have come to know and love the children that we are blessed to work with.

The children attending Silver City have experienced many blessings in their lives.  They are blessed to be surrounded by a loving church family; they are blessed with ministers who genuinely care for them; they are blessed with leadership opportunities; but most importantly, they are blessed because, like us, they are children of God.      Many of the children who attend the Silver City church are either currently enrolled or are alumni of Boone Park Elementary school.  This school lays the early educational building blocks for almost 350 children a year, and it is a school in need of our help.  According to the principal, 99% of the children attending Boone Park receive free or reduced prices on their lunches.  Because of Pleasant Valley’s involvement with the Silver City church, the eldership encourages our association as a “Partner in Education” with Boone Park Elementary.

Our purpose in this partnership is to form relationships with the children and faculty at Boone Park.  After successfully forming these relationships, we are confident that God will use these relationships to grow His kingdom.

Last year Pleasant Valley hosted a “Back to School Bash” for the children of Boone Park.  This event gave us the opportunity to show God’s love to the children attending Boone Park by providing them with a backpack and all of their school supplies for the 2008/2009 school year.  We are excited to be sponsoring the “Back to School Bash” again this August.

My fellow elders and I believe that God can use Pleasant Valley to bless the children attending Boone Park Elementary and further their education.  There will be many opportunities for service, and we ask that you prayerfully consider becoming involved in these efforts.

~ Jimmy Cone

Please be prayerful about ways the Lord might use you in this great ministry.  Only eternity will reveal the extent of these blessings for these young children.  To find out more about how to get involved, contact Jarred Crow at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .