48 June 2018 | parkcitiespeople.com
Faith
THE GOLDEN RULE OF DANCING
Baptist mom teaches children in Vickery Meadows By Bianca R. Montes People Newspapers
I
t’s easy to feel worthless – even in the fifth grade. That’s a lesson Park Cities Baptist Church mom Amy McKleroy is learning. Last year, McKleroy was looking for a way to share a biblical lesson of service with her 8-year-old daughter, Hanna. She found inspiration at a back-to-school event her church hosted at Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School in Vickery Meadows – Dallas’ most ethnically diverse neighborhood, and also its poorest. In the days following, McKleroy said the “there has to be more I can do” message continually played in her brain. With a passion for dance and a pang in her heart over the fact that while her daughter can afford to take dance classes there are many children who can’t, McKleroy’s “what can I do’s” turned into a plan. “The number one thing that’s important to me is to love others and treat others the way you want to be treated,” she said from a window-lined classroom at Jack Lowe. In the background, a handful of fifth grade girls moved their bodies to the slowly building anthem “Space Between” by Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson. Among the girls was Hanna. That message from Luke 6:31, to treat others the way you want to be treated, is important to McKleroy and one she wants to pass on to her daughter. “It’s how I want Hanna to treat others,” she said. “It’s the way I treat others, and that’s really it.” The dance the girls are perfecting is one meant to evoke the emotions one would
IMANII CHET LYTLE
Amy McKleroy helps Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary student Sadana Khadka perfect dance moves.
feel if bullied. In it, Hanna portrays a child being picked on. Through the stories, the other girls go from turning a blind eye to the mistreatment to banning together to
lift Hanna up. McKleroy said she picked the topic because bullying is something all children face. “The hope, though, is to tell the story of all the girls rallying around,” she said. Sandra Barrios, principal at Jack Lowe, said the dance team has given the girls something where they can blossom into young ladies. “The girls are constantly striving to pass classes and do their very best so they can participate in dance,” Barrios said. “We feel this class has transformed their way of thinking, given them a higher sense of
self-esteem and confidence, as well as keeping the girls off the streets and engaged in something positive. We are very grateful for Ms. McKleroy.” The students agree. Sadana Khadka, a student in the class said McKleroy makes her feel important. “Like I’m not invisible,” she said; words that took McKleroy by surprise. “They never said that to me, and it just blows my mind,” she said with tears welling in her eyes. “It’s huge. You don’t know what kind of impact you’re having when you do something like this, but to hear that, it makes it so worthwhile.”
People, Prayer, and Pooches in the Park By Bianca R. Montes People Newspapers
There are many excuses one might have for not going to church Sunday morning. Wanting to spend quality time with your dog can no longer be one of them. On a large wooden platform recently at Central Dog Park at Central Christian Church, a Great Dane had taken his place. Around him, other dogs ran back and forth – a squirrely terrier even attempted to join him – as a small group of people gathered for fellowship. They sang worship songs, such as “Surely the presence of the Lord,” and “They’ll know we are Christians,” and read about the clashing relationship between Paul and the Corinthians. Members of the North Dallas church see the dog park service as the perfect opportunity to meet neighbors exactly where they’re at.
“There are lots of people in this neighborhood who are not called to a traditional Sunday morning service.” Tyson Woods Long before the first and third Sunday became designated “church in the dog park” days, those living near the Oak Lawn adjacent house of worship often found themselves congregating at the dog park. To this day, there is still a group that meets every morning at 7:30 a.m. and again at 4 p.m. “We realized there is a lovely community out here that does church,” Tyson Woods, an arborist, and member of Central Christian
SHELIA HUFFMAN
A Great Dane mingles with the crowd at Central Dog Park Church. Church said. “It’s not quite your normal church, but they love and support and encourage each other in a really special way, and we wanted to become more of a part of that. That realization spurred the hour-long church service that
draws a range of participants from students at UT Southwestern Medical School to members of the community who didn’t have a home church, Woods said. Susie Summers, who is a regular member of Highland Park United Methodist Church, has also found
a home at the Central Dog Park church. In fact, it was her dog Biscuit that helped identify the space where the park now sits on one of his famous lone walks. “I just think it’s special to be out here in God’s creation with our dogs and be able to have church service too,” Summers said. Woods said that the church’s prayer is that people really live through God’s presence as they come into the park. “I run into people all the time that talk about, ‘Oh, that place is really peaceful,’ That’s what our hope is, that people who come here are lifted up and renewed,” he said. “There are lots of people in this neighborhood, younger people with dogs, who are not called to a traditional Sunday morning service. Our hope is that we might bring them closer to God through this experience.”