DETROIT, Mich. – The Committee on Congregational Vitality agreed unanimously on the importance of educating children, although it took them several hours of discussion to agree on the language of the motion to be presented later in the week to the full body of commissioners.
The “Educate a Child – Transform the World” overture sent by the Presbyterian Mission agency received passionate support for both international and national efforts to provide quality education for children.
“The idea of the church supporting public education is central to our identity,” said presenter David Brown. “One of the ways we love our neighbor is by providing quality public schools. Unfortunately, there are issues that need to be examined.”
Brown supports activities within the church that will support public education, and suggested that churches should adopt a school and help with tutoring and mentoring. To aid in these efforts, he suggested that the separation of church and state should be honored with a focus on academics and hospitality.
As the committee deliberations drew close to the dinner hour, there was a sense of frustration with the wording of the motion and some concern that the proposal was unclear in its goals and strategic planning – particularly at the national level. The lack of clarity nearly resulted in the overture being referred back to the committee for further consideration in 2016 after Commissioner Alice Tondura of Redstone Presbytery suggested that “this is too important not to be prepared. In the midst of the other initiatives, I am afraid this will get lost and not be as powerful as it could be.”
Roger Dermody forthrightly explained that the international portion of the proposal was funded and more developed than the national segment. This acknowledgment led to further discussion at the end of the evening and resulted in an amended motion for clarification of expectations and implementation strategies.
Financing the initiative was also a topic of discussion, although in the end it was determined that the proposals presented to the General Assembly were already reflected in the budget.
Some of the commissioners, including Judy Jaggard of Milwaukee Presbytery, believed the implementation at the national level could be done with little money. “You don’t have to spend money,” said Jaggard. “Everyone has a Bible, and you can teach a child or adult to read using the Bible. It might not be the best way, but it works.”
As the evening unfolded, Frank Dimmock, poverty alleviation catalyst for the Presbyterian Mission Agency, spoke about the ability of education to alleviate poverty and stressed that education is the gateway out of poverty. Specifically, the goal of the World Mission Poverty Campaign will be “quality education for 1 million children by the year 2020.”
After lengthy discussion, the committee agreed to acknowledge and celebrate the deep and rich history of the Presbyterian church’s role in transforming society by providing access to quality education for children. The final proposal clearly separated aspirations and expectations for the international programming from national strategy and implementation.
“I’m thrilled with the spirit in the room,” said Dermody. “We’ve always known the international plans were more fully developed. This cleans it up, and I’m fine with that.”