The purpose of Christian Women's Job Corps, a ministry of WMU, is to provide a Christian context in which women in need are equipped for life and employment; and a missions context in which women help women.

No! We are an inter-denominational ministry, welcoming all Christians to come together to do the work that God calls us to do. Advisory Council members, mentors, instructors, and other key volunteers must affirm the Statement of Faith adopted by the CWJC National Advisory Council:

   "We believe in the Trinity, God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the Bible as the Word of God. Salvation comes through grace by believing
in Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, our Savior and Lord. Once saved, the Holy Spirit indwells, thereby instructing, guiding, and empowering the individual to follow the mandate of Jesus Christ in daily living".

Each CWJC site is laced in prayer, and must comply with the following 8 key elements:

• Advisory Council---to lead and guide the program

• Bible Study---each participant must participate in a weekly Bible Study

• Certification---Site Coordinators must be certified through national training sponsored by WMU

• Covenant---each participant signs a covenant with the program, as does each mentor. Additionally, each mentor/mentee pair work
    with covenants on a regular basis to help the woman achieve her goals

• Evaluation---each part of the program must be evaluated regularly to ensure the best service delivery possible

• Mentor---each woman who participates in CWJC will be paired with a trained mentor, and we covenant to provide that woman a mentor until she is "self-sufficient"

• Needs Assessment---the needs of the overall community must be known in order to create a program that makes sense; likewise, the needs of each individual woman we serve must be known in order to best equip her for life and employment

• Networking---for referral relationships within the community, for grants and other forms of support, and to avoid duplicating programs

CWJC was "born" through National Woman's Missionary Union (WMU) in 1997. There are currently over 120 sites in 32 states and overseas! In Alabama, we have sites in Mobile, Montgomery, Huntsville, Gadsden, and Birmingham. More information on national CWJC is available at www.wmu.com/getinvolved/ministry/cwjc. More information on our local program is accessible via www.alawoman.com/centralalabama.

5. Who does CWJC work with?

• Our participants are "stuck" in cycles of dependency, including

• Multi-generational poverty

• Substance Abuse
  

• Domestic Violence

• Many (but not all) are under-educated; many (but not all) are single parents

• Some are already Christians…some are "un-churched"… some are locked into a theology limited to rules and punishment.

• All of them (and all of us) have something to learn about unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness.

• Most of our participants are challenged with transportation and child care issues.

• Currently (Summer 2002) most of our participants are referred to us through PATH upon completion of their Employment Readiness program.

• Participants may be referred directly or indirectly to the program

• Each participant has an individual "intake interview" to determine her specific strengths, needs, and goals.

• Participants are paired with a mentor

• Participants are required to:

  • Meet with their mentor weekly

  • Develop covenants, achieve weekly goals, and regularly evaluate progress

  • Attend Bible Study weekly

• There are four goals for each participant:

  • to develop or enhance her relationship with Jesus Christ

  • to complete any necessary job or life skills training programs

  • to achieve self-sufficiency in a culturally appropriate manner

  • to give back to the program as a volunteer

• Participants review their progress with their Mentor and their Site Coordinator on a quarterly basis. If a participant is not in compliance with CWJC policy, she is given 90 days to improve before being asked to leave the program so their mentor can be paired with someone else. In these cases, the participant is invited to re-apply for the program when she feels she is ready to try again.

• About 3-4 hours per month: this includes calling the participant, meeting with her, communicating with the Site Coordinator, and attending reunion meetings every 6-8 weeks.

• It takes even less time if you recruit some friends to help you! Don't worry, we'll train them!

• Mentors walk along side each participant as they move toward self-sufficiency

• Mentors pray for the participant, pray with her, and recruit other pray-ers

• Mentors encourage and provide structure and accountability

• Mentors help develop covenants and help participants evaluate their progress

• Mentors help women connect with other community resources

• Mentors are NOT RESPONSIBLE for the success or failure of the mentee!!!!

Contact Information:
Christian Women's Job Corps of Central Alabama, Inc. ®  
1034 S. 23rd Street #102, Birmingham, AL 35205
(205) 335-1512
Anita Paprota, Executive Director
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