Sandy Gerber

CFNA Volunteer of the Month

Sandy Gerber

My time as a volunteer for Christian Friends of New Americans began one year after retiring from 33 years of teaching mathematics in the St. Louis Public Schools. My recently retired pastor, Rev. Gary Dehnke, invited me to visit the children’s After School Tutoring (AST) Program at the Peace Center on a Tuesday evening in the fall of 2010. I had no idea that 14 years later I would still be spending my Tuesday evenings there as a volunteer in the program! 

It has been a blessing to have the opportunity to meet and work with school-age children from many different countries and cultures. Each week as we help them learn, we have an opportunity to share Jesus. What a joy it is to see these young people grow in their understanding of who Jesus is, what He has done for them, and how much He loves and cares for them. I love to hear them sing their favorite Bible verse song (based on Joshua 1:9) with great enthusiasm, trusting that God will be with them wherever they go. The children are so happy to come each week. The relationships they have developed with their friends and their volunteer tutors are so important to them. 

As you can well imagine, the AST Program is not without its challenges. Communication can be difficult when new children come and have had very little experience with English, but they do learn very quickly and a smile is the same in any language. This past school year our student population on Tuesday and Thursday evenings has grown by leaps and bounds. Having enough volunteers to give these youngsters the individualized attention they need is an on-going challenge. God always provides a way for us to get the job done. 

So, what about YOU? Have you ever thought about getting involved as a volunteer? If so, then please consider joining us at CFNA. We would love to have you work with us in the After School Tutoring Program on a Tuesday or Thursday evening. But if working with children isn’t your “thing”, CFNA has a lot of other volunteer opportunities, and I’m sure that there is something that would be a perfect fit for you. You may go to hmcdermott@cfna-stl.org for more information. 

Pray for God’s guidance and be open to the opportunities that He presents to you. 

By Sandy Gerber
St Johns Lutheran Church