Churches Supporting Public Schools
Filed Under: Church Leadership, Ethics, General
Many churches are involved in offering private schools, and they do a terrific job in educating children, but United Methodists have historically had a commitment to public education. In Kansas City the first public schools were started by Methodist missionaries and churches. Our church is partnering with Saint James United Methodist Church - the largest predominantly African American church in Kansas City, to offer support to Troost Elementary School this year. Troost is a school where 75 to 80% of the children live in
poverty. I met with the principal of the school this week and offered our support to her as she seeks to strengthen this school. Among the projects we’ll work on when it comes to the property itself will be wo
rk to make the gym safe and usable (it is currently closed for safety reasons), to create a playground for the children (there is currently only a field of asphalt) and to repaint the school. There are a host of other ways we’ll be involved with the school. Our Christmas Eve offering we’ll be designated to providing seed money for these projects at Troost and at an inner city school in Kansas City, Kansas.
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xuxagirl87 | Dec 21, 2007 | Reply
That’s wonderful!! I’m currently going to college to be a teacher (most likely at the high-school level). I’ve spent my whole life either being told or knowing how vital education, and a decent and safe environment, are to today’s kids. I think it’s absolutely great what the church is doing for KCK’s youth!!
jhlowrey | Dec 22, 2007 | Reply
Over 30 years ago I did my student teaching and then taught the first couple of years of my teaching at Troost Elementary School. The school neighborhood was changing even then. I am very much interested in helping in any way that I can to rejuvenate this school for today’s children.
jvoorhees | Dec 22, 2007 | Reply
The church that I serve is likewise involved in supporting public education here in Nashville. The harder task for us in ministry is to model our support by having our own kids be a part of the public school system. Luckily for us, the public schools that our kids are a part of have been great, but we recognize that we have some advantages in accessing system wide resources. What is your story in regards to your own kid’s educations?
Chuck Russell | Dec 22, 2007 | Reply
Having lived in both Nashville and now Kansas - the culture around education seems to be different. There are not nearly as many private schools and most people seem to be in the public schools in Johnson County were we are. Previously I was in Franklin Tn, and even though the public schools were excellent - there were still a ton of people who sent their kids to private schools. Across the line in Missouri - I think it may be a different story and certainly thats true downtown.