In our Pastoral Letter of April 2014, we made a commitment as Bishops to work together to support “the full flourishing of public education in South Carolina.” We have also made the following request:
We ask our congregations—as well as all people of good will—to offer what we can to lift up our schools and those students who face hurdles to reach the best they can achieve in their education… We pledge ourselves and the resources we are able to engage through our congregations to address concrete ways to support public education in an intentional way over the next five years and beyond.
The dream of this “SC Bishops’ Public Education Initiative” is that every congregation participate and make a difference for the good of the young people of South Carolina. When that participation is also done in ecumenical partnership, the dream is enhanced even further. Many of you are already giving a witness to the Gospel’s call to be mindful of God’s children by taking up action on behalf of public schools. Whether your congregation has already established or has yet to embark upon such an outreach, we believe this work is important and that it offers a witness to our faith in Jesus Christ.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of The Reverend Susan Heath as Coordinator of the Public Education Initiative. Her work is to assess how SC parishes are presently supporting public education and to facilitate connecting our congregations with existing programs. With a goal of expanding parishes’ involvement in public education needs, she will use the initial research as a benchmark. Last year, we asked our congregations to report on the activities that are being done in support of public education through a survey that can be accessed at https://uppersc.wufoo.com/forms/w7x0r3/. If you have not done so already, or if you need to update your response of a year ago, please complete the survey. It will enable us to know of the good work that is happening, and it can be a way to share best practices.
We invite you to find support for your local initiatives by our annual LARCUM Bishops’ Dialogue, Church Support of Public Education: Strategies That Matter, which will take place on Monday, October 13 at Our Lady of the Hills Catholic Church from 9:30am-2:30pm in Columbia. The speaker, Tammy Pawloski, Ph.D, will offer concrete strategies that congregations can embrace in support of public education in our state. Send also a delegation of your congregants who are involved in your parish’s outreach or can assist with
September 2014
implementing a new initiative. The program will include interaction and discussion among participants, speaker, the Rev. Heath, and us, your bishops.
A flyer with information and a registration form is attached. Please return your registration by the deadline of October 6. You can also access an online registration form at www.larcumsc.org.
Thank you for the good work you do on behalf of the Gospel. We look forward to hearing more at the conference about the good things happening in your communities.
Faithfully yours,
The Rev. Dr. Herman R. Yoos, III
Bishop
South Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Rt. Rev. W. Andrew Waldo
Bishop
The Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina
The Rt. Rev. Charles Glenn vonRosenberg Provisional Bishop
The Episcopal Church in South Carolina
The Most Rev. Robert E. Guglielmone Bishop
The Catholic Diocese of Charleston
The Rev. L. Jonathan Holston
Resident Bishop
South Carolina United Methodist Conference
