25:40

THE REES-JONES FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER

As we head into fall, we are still thinking about summer over here…especially because of the photos we are seeing from camps held May-August! In 2023, The Rees-Jones Foundation granted scholarships to ten Christian camps, three of which were overnight camps and seven which were camps for children with disabilities: Kids Across America, Presbyterian Camps at Gilmont, Sky Ranch, Camp Oasis, Camp Reynal, Camp Summit, Camp Sweeney, Camp Tesoro de la Vida, Lighthouse for the Blind Fort Worth, and Joni and Friends Texas.

Why camps? Before we answer that, we first have to ask a few other questions of our own: What do you enjoy doing when you’re outside? Is it playing games with friends? Is it taking in the fresh air or the beautiful scenery? Or is it slowing down to spend time with loved ones? No matter what you enjoy outside, nature can provide us with the chance to connect with the character of God. Through the vastness of a forest and the creatures that call it home, we get to know an awesome God who is a provider. In the delicate details of a leaf, we can tangibly see a thoughtful God who shows us the seasonality of life. Furthermore, multiple Bible stories and Jesus’ parables reference nature: the burning bush, living waters, the care and provision of the birds of the field, and Jesus as a vine. This connection with nature is foundational to a Christian life, and can provide much needed perspective away from the hustle and bustle of life in the city environment. Many North Texas children have not had the opportunity to get away into nature and explore this reality.

The Rees-Jones Foundation believes that children thrive when they have the opportunity to enjoy formative and life changing experiences that broaden their horizons and help build character. Spending time in nature with a camping experience where they are growing closer to their Creator is one of those specific ways we most see children grow mentally, spiritually, and relationally. Since 2007, The Rees-Jones Foundation has provided funding to Christian camps to subsidize the cost of camping fees for children to attend camp who would not have been able to otherwise, due to lack of financial resources or developmental and physical disabilities.

By Liz Curfman, Program Associate

[The Rees-Jones Foundation staff have been reflecting on the joy and gratitude we have even in the midst of hard times. As we continue to invest in the flourishing of children and families, we wanted to take time to pause and comment on the hope we have in the face of suffering–in our own lives and in the lives of those in our communities. Program Associate Liz Curfman shares thoughts here surrounding her work in the Middle East and how she has learned to walk through suffering well. We hope you are encouraged.]

Suffering. A word so strong, that we instantly have a definition of what it looks like. For me, my definition comes from my time working in the Middle East.

In the spring of 2013, I worked for an evangelical humanitarian aid agency who was assigned to the Middle East as they were experiencing the humanitarian crisis at the beginning of the Syrian civil war. In the ongoing work of providing tangible comfort through humanitarian items, I also worked with local Christians on how to provide lay counseling to Syrian refugees. During my time there, I made a visit to a United Nations outpost where Syrians would register as refugees – a protected class that would provide them with support and resources as children and families worked to stabilize and find a new home, whether that new home was a neighboring country or elsewhere across the globe.

An image that I’ll never forget is a line so long of people, waiting to forgo their home country to become stateless, that I couldn’t see the end of it. Every single person, created in God’s image, was looking to survive a war they didn’t start, fleeing a country they called home, and hoping for a safe, new home where they could safely raise their families. A line of human suffering so long, you couldn’t see the end of it.

This is the reality of our world. Whether it’s from the ongoing crises in the Middle East, Ukraine or if it’s closer to home in our own country, or our own communities. Affliction, and evil committed against our fellow image bearers of God – it keeps us up at night, it brings tears to our eyes, or causes us to shut down to avoid it altogether. As we head into a season of giving thanks, and celebration of the birth of our Savior, it’s easy to feel robbed of joy. How can there be gratitude and joy when there is so much tragedy?

The Foundation awarded $19.6 million through 33 grants during Q3 (July, August, and September).

Below is a small representation of the nonprofit organizations that the Foundation humbly supported:

The Rees-Jones Foundation Youth Internship Program closed its 2023 summer program with a celebration dinner at the Park City Club, focused on the 28 interns who participated in the eight-week program. Through the summer, interns served with six different host nonprofits, including: Behind Every Door, Buckner, Cornerstone Christian Academy, Dallas Leadership Foundation, For the Nations, and Youth Believing in Change. Through the Foundation, nonprofits were able to offer paid internship experiences for youth ages 16-21. The internships not only provided work experience in a specific role at the nonprofit agencies, there were also opportunities to participate in Christian discipleship, job skills training, community service, and discussions on career and calling throughout the summer. The interns convened altogether through four different gatherings hosted and curated by The Rees-Jones Foundation to hear from guest speakers and spend time with Rees-Jones Foundation staff.

The 2023 program theme was Identity in Christ, with a focus on Jesus’ words in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask in My Name, He may give it to you.” Program coordinators agreed that the goal for interns this summer was to show every student that they have God-given potential and that each one of them can utilize their potential for the glory of God and the good of their communities.

The program originated five years ago with the intention of coming alongside nonprofit partners so they could provide high-quality, paid internships for youth they were serving in under-resourced communities. In a 2019 study, The National Association of Colleges and Employers surveyed over 3,900 graduating seniors and found that only 6% of paid interns represented were Black students and 10% were Hispanic students, compared to 74% of white students participating in a paid internship. Internships have proven to be “very or extremely important for all young adults who seek greater opportunities in education or job-seeking.” Lynn Gibson, Program Officer for The Rees-Jones Foundation has coordinated the program from the beginning and writes, “During the past five summers, interns have not only helped to support the work of the nonprofits of which they’ve been affiliated, they’ve also formed bonds with the other interns while learning more about their own giftedness.

25:40 is a quarterly newsletter from The Rees-Jones Foundation. This newsletter is specially designed for you – our wonderful grantees! We hope that you will find the information both useful and interesting. If you would like to be added to our newsletter email list, please contact Sara Meyers at smeyers@rees-jonesfoundation.org.

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”

– Matthew 25:40

ABOUT THE NAME | We decided to name this newsletter 25:40 after the scripture from Matthew 25, which we as a foundation, draw inspiration from in our work. Through our grant making, we seek to deliver hope, resources, and support to those in our community who are in need.