School Days, School Days

As children and teachers have been returning to classrooms this fall, education sure has been in the news. Last night, I watched an ongoing segment on NBC Nightly News called “Education Nation,” during which they highlight the state of education in the United States and what can be done to improve it. Here in Chicago, there are daily headlines about a dispute between the mayor’s office and the Chicago Public School teacher’s union over the length of the school day. Perhaps you’ve seen the award-winning documentary Waiting for Superman that describes the challenges facing public schools in Washington, D.C. I saw a similar documentary on public television the other day about the Detroit public schools. While all schools seem to have significant challenges these days, those facing our urban schools seem the most daunting.

Not as widely publicized, but certainly no less important for those of us who believe in the importance of quality Christian education, is the plight of Lutheran and other faith-based schools in urban areas. For a variety of reasons, these schools, which complement as well as provide an alternative to our public schools, are disappearing from our cities. In some cities, such as Detroit and Los Angeles, Lutheran schools are on the verge of extinction.

The challenges facing Lutheran education in our cities is not limited to day schools. Christian education is a hallmark of Lutheran congregational life. Congregations provide a variety of Christian education opportunities including Sunday schools, vacation Bible schools, pre-schools, after-school and adult education programs. When urban congregations decline or lose touch with the people in their neighborhood, opportunities to touch the lives of children and families in the name of Christ are lost.

Ironically, even as many of our urban Christian education programs struggle to exist, quality Christian education continues to be highly valued by families seeking educational excellence in a safe, caring and value-rich environment. Stories abound of the great sacrifices parents are willing to make in order to place their children in such environments.

In this midst of all of this, it has been heartening to see examples of urban Lutheran congregations and agencies making a huge impact by creating innovative Christian education programs that address the needs of students and families. Consistently, the leaders of these new ministries understand that their programs are much more than educational programs. They are ministries that involve caring relationships and address the needs of body, mind and spirit in children and families. Wheat Ridge Ministries is privileged to have helped seed a variety of these new ministries over the years. Descriptions of those we are currently seeding are available on our website.

I remain very excited about our efforts to encourage and support innovative models of Christian education in our cities. Several years ago, Wheat Ridge established a Center for Urban Education Ministries. The Center is helping us provide focus to this aspect of our support for new health and human care ventures. Under the leadership of Executive Director Marlene Lund, the Center helps encourage new urban education ministries by discovering and sharing new models, connecting and convening leaders in congregations and schools who have a vision for Christian service in the city, and providing resources to assist these inspired leaders.

It is also good news that our Center is not alone. There are a variety of efforts through the Lutheran church-wide offices and other agencies and organizations to support and encourage quality Lutheran education in our cities. In Chicago, the Chicagoland Lutheran Education Foundation provides great support for Lutheran schools in the city. The Lutheran Foundations in St. Louis and Ft. Wayne also invest heavily in urban Lutheran education. Innovative new models for urban Christian schools are emerging through Lutheran leaders like Kole Knueppel (www.schoolsthatcan.org/) and Andrew Newman (http://www.hopeschools.org/ and http://www.educationalenterprises.org/).

If you’re seeing innovative and effective Christian education efforts in the city being accomplished by congregations or church agencies near you, I’d love to hear from you! In the meantime, please keep all of our Christian educators, including those who witness their faith as they serve in public school settings, in your prayers, so that through their efforts, children and families may experience the touch of the healing Christ!