Minute for Mission: Children’s Sabbath; Educate a Child, Transform the World

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A and D bible share (Photo provided by Alonzo Johnson)

At last year's Presbyterian Youth Triennium, one of my young participants — who was part of the Presbyterian Youth Triennium’s planning team — read Scripture in worship in front of a large audience of enthusiastic young people. Having known this incredible individual for over 20 years, I felt immense pride as I witnessed this. He had been one of the remarkable young people in the urban church I served many years ago. Since my departure from that church, I hadn’t seen him in what seemed to be years, and in that time, he had finished high school and was finishing college, so as one can imagine, I was excited to see him blossom into the amazing leader he is today. When he read Scripture at the lectern during Youth Triennium, my heart was both full and proud. After the service, he approached me and said, “Rev, I have something to show you.” He handed me a Bible and told me to open it. When I did, it contained my writing and words of encouragement to him from over 15 years ago on the first page. This was the Bible that our church had given him at his confirmation. As I held back tears reading my old words to him, he said, “I carry it with me.” This moved me deeply and made me reflect on the important work the church does to care for, nurture and shape its young people. 

Our young people thrive when churches provide consistent care and support, including encouragement in their education. When I think of this remarkable young person now serving the church, I am reminded that our congregations can offer every young person hope, nurture and sustenance. In these ways, we carry them with us.

The Educate a Child, Transform the World covenant describes this supportive work of the church as the practice of Christian Disciplines. These disciplines prepare, propel, ground and sustain children for life, leadership and justice. Through confirmation and other spiritual practices — including worship, prayer and Bible study — the church communicates God’s grace and strengthens both the community and its young people in faithful witness. Practicing Christian Disciplines also means celebrating, honoring and supporting those who educate our children. Our baptismal vows unite us with the universal Church, a covenant community called to pursue justice for every child.

The following links offer ways to support young people and explore issues related to public education:

Educate a Child website: https://pcusa.org/about-pcusa/agencies-entities/interim-unified-agency/ministry-areas/self-development-people/educate-child-transform-world

PC(USA) Poverty Page: https://pcusa.org/how-we-serve/justice-peace/poverty

Rev. Dr. Alonzo T. Johnson, Convener of the Education Roundtable

Let us join in prayer for:

Zenia Baker, Administrative I, Operations, Presbyterian Foundation
Adriana Ballard, AVP, Director of Investment Management, Investments, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

Because we affirm that all children are a gift of God, created by God and
created good; all children are a gift to the whole of the human community;
all children have a real faith, and gifts for ministry; all children have the
right to be children; and all children are not just tomorrow, they are today.
Therefore, we covenant to act, with God’s grace, to help all children to learn,
to succeed and to fulfill their God-given potential. Amen.

This prayer was adapted from “A Protestant Worship Service,” in Wonderfully Made: Preparing Children to Learn and Succeed. National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths, Copyright 1999, Children’s Defense Fund, and A Vision for Children and the Church. It can be found in our PC(USA) Policy on education: pcusa.org/resource/loving-our-neighbors-equity-and-quality-public-education-k-12

Minute for Mission: Children’s Sabbath; Educate a Child, Transform the World

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Educate a Child - DREEAM House

During my first year as a pastor, there were certain milestones I knew to look forward to. I looked forward to the first time I stood at the Communion table and invited my congregation to share in the feast, and the first time I marked an infant with water and proclaimed how much God loved her in baptism. I looked forward to my first Christmas and first sunrise Easter service. But there were other firsts that I didn't know about that caught me off guard with their beauty.

One of these unexpected firsts was when the first day of school rolled around in my town. I was able to call or text each of my children and youth and hear about how their new school year started. I got text messages from high school freshman with concerns about how far they have to get between classes. I talked to a brand-new second grader about how much she already loved her new teacher and how her class gets to go to the library twice each week. 

These check-ins felt as sacred as the regular rituals of worship. I was letting these young people know that the love their church family has for them extends beyond the walls of the church.

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Educate a Child Daycare at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church

Our love for our school children extends into their education. It extends into collecting supplies so that all the children in their school have what they need. It extends into attending school board meetings to make sure schools are safe and equitable places. Our love for these children may even send us all the way to the statehouses, to the Senate, to the U.N. advocating for children to be safe and be able to learn and grow everywhere.

And if our love for these children can extend so far and reach out in so many directions, it is amazing to imagine how much wider, deeper, stronger and more powerful God's love for them extends.

As a pastor and an advocate for education, most of the ways I serve our denomination is on the Educate a Child Roundtable. In this group, we gather to equip, educate and empower churches to support education on the local and national level through direct support and advocacy. For more information, you can reach out to the Rev. Dr. Alonzo Johnson in the Interium Unified Agency.

Rev. Beth Olker, Pastor, Macedonia Presbyterian Church, Field Staff, Interim Unified Agency, Educate a Child Roundtable

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff:

Stacy Davis, Senior Academic Editor, Publishing & Editorial, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
John DePaul, Director, Enterprise Reporting & Analytics, Information Technology, Board of Pensions  

Let us pray:

Holy God, since the moment you placed people into your world, you have taught us lessons of compassion, justice, mercy and hope. We pray that the schools in this nation and around the world would be safe places where children of all ages can grow and learn and thrive. Keep helping us extend our love and our hope into the lives of the children we call beloved and the schools we call neighbors. Bless the teachers and staff, the students and parents, and make us all partners in your kingdom work. Amen.