Ministry partnerships
Novo Ministries brought its partners together to affirm an ongoing mission to aid metro-area children.
A ministry that helps connect children to Christ recently celebrated its growth and a long list of community partnerships that have been nurtured over the years.
Novo Ministries’ recent celebratory gathering — its first — was a dinner and partnership expo on Sept. 13 at the Oklahoma History Center.
Valerie Sherrer, the ministry’s founder and chief executive officer, said she wanted to bring Novo’s faithful volunteers, staff, donors and partners together to recognize their collaborative achievements.
Sherrer started Novo in 2005 with neighborhood Bible clubs where young people could learn Scripture through Bible stories and songs as they participated in youth-oriented activities.
Novo’s targeted demographic group of youths live in neighborhoods and communities struggling with a high percentage of poverty, drug abuse, gang violence, unemployment, teenage pregnancy and academic challenges.
“Novo is a bridge. We are reaching communities, children and families that are often overlooked and forgotten,” she told the crowd that gathered recently.
Sherrer challenged those in attendance to think about how they could do more to build relationships with people who are “ignored” in their communities and who need the hope and help that people of faith can provide. She said the ministry and its partners need more financial resources and more volunteers to continue to change lives for the better.
“When I see the realities of the communities they come from, my heart is broken,” she said. “I believe the church can be involved in the reparation and reconciliation of broken systems. God uses willing people. We are ambassadors for Christ.”
Sherrer said she felt it was time to take the ministry to another level and hoped to help jump start that by bringing all of the partners together for a night of dinner and celebration.
Several ministry partners had booths where they shared brochures and other information with attendees interested in learning more about their organization.
Sherrer said Novo currently has 55 church and organizational partners and more than 2,500 volunteers that affect the lives more than 4,000 children through mentoring relationships and more than 65 programs. The ministry has partnerships with local churches, City Care, Whiz Kids Oklahoma, Shiloh Camp, OKCity Center, Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children, Peppers Ranch and Hope for Generations, among others.
“We started with Bible clubs, but we have expanded to do so many other things over the years. We’ve created a custom partnership for each of our partners,” Sherrer said. “We work with after-school programs, tutoring programs and campus and just piloted a partnership with six inner-city schools in Iowa.”
The ministry leader said she hopes people were encouraged by the recent event. She said long term, she would like to see more people give financially so that Novo may take advantage of the Jasco Giving Hope Foundation’s program that will match those donations. Also, she said the organization hopes to raise enough money for a permanent headquarters.
“You know, this is God’s work. We always just want to figure out where is He going and how can we be a part of that,” Sherrer said.