Valiant Man +1 Brunch

Praise God, CTL hosted its 1st Valiant Men’s Brunch.  It was a great success.  Men and boys who love the Lord, who were from all walks of life, young and old, rich and poor, spent a couple of hours together just being men and enjoying each other’s company over a hearty and scrumptious meal. Each attendee received a t-shirt and a gift.  Many received a Valiant Man plaque by winning the raffle.  Pictures were taken, and our young men ended the day with a game of basketball. All in all, it was a great time.  Thanks to Joseph Rice, our coordinator, to all the ladies that worked so hard to serve the men, to Coach Hunter, Min Chelsea, and CJ Nichols.  Some of our guests and young men have already begun to plan for our next Valiant Man’s event, which may be a softball game and cookout, bowling, basketball tournament, or a night out at the white sox park.  Stay Tuned…

 

Graduation Celebration

CTL celebrated our 2022 Graduates.  Each young person was honored with a certificate, medals of distinction, and a bag loaded with gifts.  The message was brought forth by Apostle Kimberly Mead, and it was a great celebration.  If you graduated and did not receive your gift, please see Pastor Aldridge after service.

 

Back to School 2022

On Sunday, August 14, 2022, CTL hosted its annual Back to School Giveaway.  All youth, teens, and young adults planning to attend classes this upcoming school year received a nice backpack filled with school supplies.  Whether our youth were going to kindergarten for the 1st time, returning to elementary, high school, or going off to college, each left with all the necessary supplies to get them started for a successful school term. Everyone also enjoyed a meal and snacks.

 

Christmas Celebration

We Praise the Lord that our annual Christmas Care Celebration was a great success.   We were able to give away about 200 gifts to men, women, boys, and girls.  Also, and most importantly, 14 souls received Christ.  Hallelujah!  A special thank you to the CTL’s Christmas Care Team, Samantha Hill, Christina Hill, Tia Hill, Min Chelsea, and Hunter Beck who were instrumental in shopping, wrapping, setup, and distributing our gifts and a special thank you to Jada Rice who greatly assisted with helping with shopping and organizing this event.

 

iHoop4Christ Fall Thanksgiving Tournament

 

 

Congratulations to the CTL Royals. They did it again.  They are the winning Fall 2021 Champs.  The CTL Warriors are the 2nd Place winners.  Congratulations also to the CTL Eagles and Lions for great performances.  The Thanksgiving Tournament was a success.

 

Thanks to Deacon Jayvaughn Rice and Brother Davontay Hill who did an outstanding job organizing this event.  Thanks to our coaches Tony Brown, Hunter Beck and Chris Stevenson.  Also, a special thank you to our Administrator Min. Chelsea Beck and to Jeanette and Jada who took the videos and pictures and help to serve the food.  Thanks to all of you who participated and showed good restrains and played hard.

iHoop4Christ Summer Tournament

Congratulations to the CTL Royals!.  They are the winning Summer 2021 Champs.  They were undefeated coming in at 2 and 0.  The CTL Lions were the 2nd Place winners with a 1 and 1 record.  Congratulations Lions.  The Tournament was a great success and we thank all of our players for making it a fun time for everyone.

 

We would like to thank Deacon Jayvaughn for his leadership and rallying the players.  Also, thanks to Minister Chelsea, Coach Hunter, Coach Tony, and Coach Chris who coached the winning Royals.

Neighborhood Back To School Fest

CTL in collaboration with The West Englewood community was blessed to sponsor a neighborhood fest. There were pony rides, bouncy houses, a petting zoo, free food, activities, and free book bags with school supplies. The Jesse White Tumblers performed and did an outstanding job.

 

Lincoln College Tour

CTL was invited to tour Lincoln College in Lincoln IL.  They sent a luxury bus to pickup us up for the 3-hour trip.  After lunch, we toured the campus including various dormitories, lecture halls, the academic training center, book store, library, the cafeteria, as well as the gym, and the newly remodeled exercise and weight room. It was a delight to learn the school’s history and its’ relationship with President Abraham Lincoln.

 

We were honored to meet President Dave Gerlach as well as the school’s extraordinary staff.  Thank you again Lincoln College for your kind hospitality and the opportunity to visit your campus.

CTL 2021 Teen Summer Program

CTL sponsored its first 2021 Teen Summer Program for teens between the ages of 12 and 15.  There were five teens from Chicago and two from St. Louis.  The teens attended a Coding training program 3 days a week for 1 ½ hours each day.  For the remainder of the day the teens received biblical and life skills training.  They heard from various guest speakers who taught on the importance of making positive choices, keeping a written journal, preparing for high school, and entering the workforce.

The teens received a stipend of $75 per week for 6 weeks. The final week was a week of fun and fun indeed it was.  On day 1 of Fun Week, after eating a meal at Taco Bell, the teens spent hours at the Urban Air Trampoline Park.  Later that evening, the teens enjoyed dinner at Raising Cane.  Day 2 began at Round 1 and ended with dinner at the Olive Garden Restaurant, and finally, on Day Three, the teens were treated to gourmet popcorn at Nuts on Clark, lunch at McDonald’s, they figured out the Amazing Maze at Navy Pier, hung out at the lake and finally went to see the White Sox play the Kansas City Royals.

 

All in all, it was an eventful six weeks and an amazing fun week. Thanks to Pastor Aldridge, Dr. Paula Williams of Unstoppable Extended Hands, Code Crew of Memphis, TN, and all of our faithful contributors, who made this program possible for our teens.

2020 and 2021 Graduation Ceremony

CTL celebrates our 2020 and 2021 Graduates. Each graduate received a gift card and a gift bag from CTL. College Scholarships were awarded along with academic scholarships for outstanding grades to elementary school graduates.

Congratulations Taekala McCoy for receiving a gift certificate for being Salutatorian of her 8th-grade class.