Covintree, George E.
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Covintree, George E.
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The A
ocate
ASKS
The Rev. George Covin trey
has served as director of Baldwin Church and Center in
Pontiac for six years . .Here, he
looks at what has changed in
that time.
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1
1o'V
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with self-help and · empowerment.
·
That takes time, and it is all
c9ming out of the strong base
we've had doing hands-on
social services.
.
There are about 28 different
programs we have run out of
Baldwin. We have a full range
of after-school and summer
programs for K through high
school.
MCA: What are some
new services at Baldwin?
Covintree: At the end of
August there were three graduations here that were exciting.
.we had 12 young people graduate from our Summer Tech · - MCA: Jiave you encountered any roadblocks in
comp.uter program. These
your time at Baldwin?
middle school students worked
Covintree: Funding is
with us for ten weeks, built
~----.always · an issue.
their own com put- r--...---~
The
counseling
ers. They got to
program
has been
keep them.
an idea · for a long
The second gradtime, but we had to
uation was threefind" the sources. of
year-old
children
from our day care.
funding.
They graduated into
There are only 57
· pre-school for four· members at Baldyear-olds. We had a
win UMC. Yet the
celebration in the
center has 26 staff
sanctuary with their
and over a $ 1.2
parents and teachmillion hu.dget.
We get a lot ·of
ers. The teachers
made them mortar
support from other
boards.
UMCs and other denomina-Twelve Americorps students
tions . The frustrations come
graduated at Oakland Univerwhen we're short on funding
sity. It's like the Peace Corps,
and short on staff and volunonly at · home. It's a federal
teers .t9 carry out a program.
assistance program for college
We have been blessed in this
. students. Baldwin Center is
program, though. We're still
one of the sites for them to
carrying o.q the soup kjtchen,
work.
the meals. We've started a
homeless shelter during the
winter months, which has spun
MCA: How has .the Baldoff to be its own 501 (C3) pro ..
win Center grown and
gram, Place of Hope.
changed
during
your
We do a lot of partnerships
tenure?
with other service agencies and
Covintree: We've developed a counseling program for · groups . in North Oaklancl
adults. We have a full-time
County. We have roughly 4,000
counselor on staff, working
volunteers. We do a lot of work
with Oakland/Livingston huwith adults and families.
man service agencies.·
We've added several programs for older kids, the midMCA: How is Jesus at
dle school and high s€hool stuwork in your ministry?
dents, particularly during the
Covintree: Jesus is at work
summer. We've initiated a Girls
Are Great program for young
when the people get fed; in the
women as they grow up.
kids who find encouragement
We'r.e trying. to start a Guys to k'eep in school and go to
Are Great group, but that has
summer camp. That's incarnabeen a little harder.
tional. John sent the disciples
A lot of the programs are
off to see if Jesus was the Mes·getting away from being just
siah. Jesus said, "Look around.
emergency services. We're tryThe hungry are fed. The' blind
ing to deal with some longerhave sight." I think that is what
term, larger problems dealing
Baldwin models.
t
Covintree, George E.