Building Leaders, Influencing Change

For His Glory mentoring programs teach children the value of leadership and love

By Katrina Tauchen • Photos by Rebecca Rademan

It’s a chilly Sunday evening, unseasonably cold for early December, and adults and children bundled in winter coats hurry across Fourth Street into the side entrance of Second Missionary Baptist Church. Upon entering the church, the smell of a home-cooked meal wafts through the hall and erases the chill from outside. Laughter and conversation fill the room as everyone gathers to eat. Tonight is a special evening, and spirits are high.

On this particular night, the parents, children and volunteers involved in For His Glory Incorporated, a youth mentoring program led by the Rev. Dr. Janice Dawson-Threat, gathered together for the first time to celebrate 10 years of service in the local community.

“This is the first time we have all of them together,” Rev. Threat says. “The program is so one-to-one, they (the kids) could be at the grocery store and not know the person next to them was in the program, too. That’s why it’s so important to get them all together — to show them they’re a part of something bigger.”

It takes a village

Founded in 1999 by Rev. Threat and the late Rev. Wesley G. Threat, For His Glory Incorporated is a charitable organization whose mission is “working together in the community with youth and their families.” For His Glory Incorporated provides one-to-one tutoring, mentoring, leadership and dance training opportunities for children enrolled in its programs, regardless of economic status, church involvement or family history. The program has four divisions of service: after-school tutoring, mentoring, a worship arts academy and dance outreach training. The mentoring program for boys is called Boyz 2 Godly Men, a name the youth came up with three years ago.

“We know it takes a village to raise a child,” Rev. Threat says, “and we want to be that village.”

In the case of For His Glory Incorporated, the village includes program parents, local volunteers and high-school and college students who give their time to help teach groups of energetic youths to become leaders in the community. The program runs background checks on volunteers and provides training on interacting with youths. “For His Glory Incorporated tries to provide as many of these opportunities within the framework of our programs as we can,” Rev. Threat says in an e-mail. “We have seen behavior and use of language change within semesters. We have changed youth who do not like school into people who enjoy thinking and problem solving… We have changed shy, low-confidence youth into public speakers, teachers…”

Brittany Arnold, a University of Missouri sophomore who volunteers every Tuesday afternoon with the after-school program, says the benefits of For His Glory Incorporated go beyond the kids.

“Children are the future, and what we invest in them is what we get back,” Arnold says. “Someday we’re going to be old, and they’re going to be the ones taking care of the world.”

Because the after-school program is one-to-one, student volunteers such as Arnold are assigned to specific children. This session, Arnold was paired with 3-year-old Da’Nya Edwards, whose mom, Nygia Edwards, is the after-school program coordinator. Before the evening meal, Da’Nya gave Arnold a handmade thank-you card.

“When you get something, you pay it forward,” Arnold says. “That’s what the kids are learning.”

Learning to love

After the meal, the crowd filters into the church sanctuary for the evening’s program, which includes performances by girls in the worship arts academy and dance outreach groups and a boys’ step routine.

Before the performances begin, the most-improved youth awards are given to two young men to acknowledge their growth in the program. “These boys are leaders,” says the Rev. Demetrius Davis, program coordinator for Boyz 2 Godly Men. “They might not think they are, but they are.” When 11-year-old brothers Malik and Michael Jackson hear their names called, proud smiles spread across their faces. Rev. Davis talks about how much the boys have changed since they started with the program at the beginning of the year, and as he recounts the young boys who used to run around the church without discipline or focus, laughter comes from the audience. Everyone remembers how the boys used to behave, but what’s important is how they’ve grown.

For His Glory Incorporated also teaches children the importance of positive attitudes. The worship arts academy, led by Rev. Threat and high-school and college volunteers, emphasizes self-esteem, discipline, poise and a variety of dance techniques. “We’re learning how to have fun, how to cheer each other on, how to value each other,” Rev. Threat says. “It’s about pouring in something positive, about learning to love. We don’t allow ugly talk.”

Mentoring is the overarching theme of For His Glory Incorporated, and it touches every aspect from the ground up. As the children grow in the program through the mentorship of volunteers, they are prepared to become mentors themselves. Sixteen-year-old Minnie Briscoe, who’s been a consistent member of the program since she was 13, has transitioned from a member of the dance outreach program to a leader in the worship arts academy, where she now mentors younger dancers who are starting where she did years before.

“We’ve given them a message they can take of from here,” Rev. Threat says. “They go out in the world, and they are good ambassadors of Columbia, Mo.”

For His Glory Incorporated holds it programs at available sites willing to partner with them for the benefit of the youth. Currently, program facilities are provided by Second Missionary Baptist Church, First Assembly of God Church and the Blind Boone Center. The group itself is a civic service organization, open to anyone who wants to participate (church affiliation is not necessary for participation). Rev. Threat says the group is driven by a desire to show love, and the ministry of the program comes out of the people who volunteer their time because they love God.

Giving back, giving thanks

As the celebration comes to a close, Rev. Clyde L. Ruffin, senior pastor of Second Missionary Baptist Church, where Rev. Threat is an associate minister and member of the ministerial leadership team, takes a moment to recognize Rev. Threat for her work. Soon after, an impromptu succession of people come forward to share their appreciation for For His Glory Incorporated, Rev. Threat and the numerous volunteers. There’s a passion in the speeches that shows the sincerity behind them. One after another, parents, grandparents and community members stand to share how their children and families are better because of what the program has done.

“We rely on volunteers to make all of these programs happen,” Rev. Threat says later by e-mail. “All we ask is for people to care about children, to be faithful and dependable and to walk with love and kindness in their voice and actions. … If I had to raise the funds to cover rent and utilities and salaries, we could never operate, and the kids would never grow and develop. We don’t have enough of these programs, and they should be scattered throughout neighborhoods where the kids actually live.”

For more information about For His Glory Incorporated, visit www.forhisgloryinc.com.