R.E.A.C.H.

Reaching Excellence at Church and at HomeBeginning September 2004, we began challenging our children (ages 4 through 5th grade) to meet certain spiritual objectives appropriate for their age through a program we refer to as R.E.A.C.H. As the mnemonic implies, we encourage the children to strive or reach for excellence relating to spiritual matters in the areas of memory and scholarship, service and outreach, and worship and creativity.

This program runs during the school year, and each age group has its own set of challenges.

How Does the Program Work?

For a few minutes at church during Bible class and throughout the week at home, the children work on one objective at a time. When they master an objective, they are called out of Bible class during Sunday morning or Wednesday night and present it to the R.E.A.C.H. Council.
The R.E.A.C.H. Council is made up of two adults who hear and acknowledge the children as they accomplish each objective. The Council keeps a log of the children’s progress throughout the semester. Once a child has completed all of the objectives of the semester satisfactorily for his/her age, he/she is acknowledged before the congregation during Sunday morning worship and presented with a gift from the church.

The R.E.A.C.H. Council

Mary Ellen Adams

Mary Ellen was born near Leavenworth, Indiana. She was 10 when the family moved to Palmyra, Indiana. In Palmyra, the family worshipped with the Palmyra Church of Christ where she was baptized at age 11. She taught business courses in high school at Jasper and Scottsburg, Indiana, and at Michigan Christian College (now Rochester College). Mary Ellen served on the Board of Trustees of MCC/RC for 24 years. She came to Terre Haute to teach in the School of Business at Indiana State University in the fall of 1969 and retired from ISU in 2002.

Norma Shaw

Norma was born in Greencastle, IN, but grew up in a small town Browns Valley, where she was baptized at age 12. She came to Terre Haute in 1957, when she entered the Union Hospital School of Nursing. She obtained a job as a nurse at Union Hospital and has remained here since. She married Lowell in 1969. They have two grown children Mary and Glen, who are married and each have 2 children. Norma enjoys baking, sewing and volunteering.