{"id":1375,"date":"2020-04-23T14:39:45","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T14:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/weekly-offerings\/?p=1375"},"modified":"2020-04-23T14:39:45","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T14:39:45","slug":"pentecost-educate-a-child-transform-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2020\/04\/23\/pentecost-educate-a-child-transform-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentecost: Educate a Child, Transform the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Making connections<\/h4>\n

The second grader that Susan Byrne tutors at Willow Brook Elementary holds her hand the whole time they are together, working on building his reading skills. Can you just imagine how wonderful that connection must feel for both of them?<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cMy little guy is just so delighted to have an adult paying extra attention to him. When I peek in his classroom window, his face lights up,\u201d Susan said. \u201cNo one is as glad to see me all week as that little boy. He\u2019s so bright, but just needed a little help with reading.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan, who attends First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, helps organize tutors for the elementary school, and nearly half come from First Presbyterian. Willow Brook Elementary sits in one of the lowest-income neighborhoods in Oak Ridge, and many of the students\u2019 parents are working multiple jobs to make ends meet, while\u00a0 others are incarcerated or absent. That means some of the children need a little extra help to further their learning.<\/p>\n

It was First Presbyterian member Rosalyn McKeown-Ice who made the connection between the church and the school.<\/p>\n

“Go home and try something”<\/h4>\n

\u201cI sit on an Educate a Child, Transform the World roundtable in Louisville. At the August 2017 roundtable meeting, we were challenged to \u2018go home and try something,\u2019\u201d said Rosalyn. \u201cWillow Brook\u2019s principal Sherrie Fairchild-Keyes also attends the church,\u00a0 so I asked her for some ideas on how to help out at the elementary school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The result has been so good for everyone involved. The church provides volunteer tutors and the school provides training\u2014teaching the volunteers how to work with the children in the most effective ways\u2014and matching each volunteer with a student. Principal Fairchild-Keyes says she\u2019s seen a transformation in the students who are\u00a0 part of the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe relationship built between a tutor and student is so important\u2014having another adult to count on and look up to. It makes the children more excited about learning and helps build their confidence and even correct behavioral issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supporting our young people<\/h4>\n

During the Pentecost season, Presbyterians around the country join in a churchwide effort to support young people and nurture their faith through the Pentecost Offering. A portion of this Offering supports the education of every child in this country, through the Educate a Child, Transform the World national initiative. Gifts to the Pentecost Offering also help youth and young adults build a life of faith.<\/p>\n

God\u2019s youngest family members need support for developing their full potential in both faith and life, and all of us have a role to play. \u201cOur immediate support of children is critical,\u201d says Susan Byrne. \u201cIf a person can get a good education, they have a chance to succeed in life, no matter where they come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please give generously.<\/p>\n

Let us pray<\/h4>\n

Jesus, you called all children to you and did not turn them away. Let this church support all children to develop in mind, body and spirit, so that the potential you gave each of them might be known and shared to your glory. Amen.<\/p>\n

Join us<\/h4>\n

For more information and resources related to the Pentecost offering, visit\u00a0presbyterianmission.org\/pentecost.<\/a>
\n<\/u> This post is based on the Minute for Mission script which can be found on our\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0as a\u00a0script<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please give generously to the Offering:<\/p>\n