Affordable Christian Education

[Dr. Shane]

As I was registering Alex for first grade at our local Adventist school there was a mother in front of me with her daughter about 9 years old. After making payment arrangements the mother told the young girl that she (the girl) was going to help her earn extra money to pay the tuition. The daughter seemed so excited and happy to be able to go to the church school, she cheerfully agreed. I certainly was happy for the girl but I also wondered if the girl hadn't had some bad experience in public school that made her so happy to be able to go to church school.

I went to church school most of my elementary years but when I was in seventh grade my mother was so poor she couldn't send me to church school. In that circumstance, the local church school even offered not to charge her tuition if she could only buy the books. But times were too hard for us and I went to a public school where a group of children would ridicule me on a daily basis. Lucky it only lasted half the year and we moved to another area where my mother made more money and was able to get us back in a church school.

Our local church is now asking that we each member contribute an additional 1% of their income to a "worthy student fund" and my wife and I are planning to do exactly that. I have long supported Adventist education but never made any specific commitment to it. Every Adventist child should be able to attend an Adventist school at least through high school.

[Dr. Shane]

Our schools are not perfect and some need more attention than others. I tend to believe more of our tithe should go to support our schools. Although that said, in the area I live in, our schools are cheaper than the other Christian schools of other denominations - so at least in our area - we are moving in the right direction.