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Adopt-a-School Update: 20/20 Vision for Schools (Part 1 of 4)
By Jeremy | January 2, 2008
Youth Pastor Edwin Pacheco is on a mission to save New York City’s public schools. But unlike some who prefer a more fire and brimstone approach, Pacheco’s primary concern isn’t escape from hell. It’s God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven,†and it responds in real time to the felt-needs of real youth in his community.Read the full article here.Corrective Lenses
As point person for the newly announced 20/20 Vision for Schools, an adopt-a-school initiative spearheaded by the inter-denominational Coalition of Urban Youth Workers, Pastor Edwin asks: “What kind of impact can New York City’s 7,100 evangelical and Pentecostal churches have on its 1,400 public schools, if we adopt those schools for meaningful prayer, advocacy, and service?†He strikes an urgent chord in noting that incoming first graders in September 2008 will be the graduating high school class of 2020. “Dare we expect God to answer our prayers within a single generation of students?†It’s a vital question as Pacheco ministers to teens that struggle with reading and math. Even after six years of Mayor Bloomberg’s education reform, nearly 60% of public school students still cannot read at grade level and nearly 70% still cannot perform basic math. In a system comprised of 1.2 million students (the 10th largest American city), populations larger than Seattle and Boston and Washington, DC, under-perform in our schools everyday. Pacheco describes the implications of such staggering failure: “If a child cannot read, he cannot complete a job application or engage an information economy (or study scripture). If she cannot do math, she cannot balance a checkbook or determine why last month’s fashions don’t have to be replaced (or calculate tithes). Our students are ill equipped to become who God created them to be.†Jose Dobles of Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice puts it this way: “Churches are not only responsible for the spiritual well being of the individual but also for the redemption of the larger society. As disciples of Jesus we must follow his call to action and realize that personal salvation must lead to an action beyond oneself.†Doing so is, “one way in which the faith community can follow the Biblical mandate to do justice and walk humbly with our God.â€Â
Topics: 2020 vision, adopt-a-school, coalition, education, youth ministry | No Comments »
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