BETHANY TO HOST HEARING ON CHURCH SOCIAL STATEMENT

LINDSBORG, Kan. -- August 7 Bethany College will host a hearing on a draft statement regarding the church and education.

The hearing will be held at 4 p.m. in Lindquist Hall of the Wallerstedt Library on the Bethany campus.

The hearing is an opportunity for all interested to comment on the draft statement, which, if approved, will become a guiding principle for decision-making within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, or ELCA.

All members of ELCA congregations and those affiliated with ELCA schools and colleges are encouraged to attend. The public is welcome.

Anne Fretwell Schmidt of Kent, Wash., will be at the hearing to represent the ELCA Task Force on Education. Schmidt is a public-school educator and member of the task force. She will collect comments and report them to the task force.

"This statement needs to be the church's statement, not the task force's. It is critical that church members read and comment on the document," Schmidt said.

"Bethany College is very pleased to be a host site for a hearing on the draft statement, and we are glad that the church is addressing this issue. Lutherans have a special historical and theological relationship to education at every age level. Few public issues are as pressing and vital to our society's future," said Bethany College President Paul Formo.

The draft social statement, "Our Calling in Education," is the result of action taken by the 2001 Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA, which called for a social statement on education. The first draft of the statement was created by the task force and released last year.

The task force is gathering comments on the draft through Oct. 15. The task force will consider comments as it prepares a second draft of the statement. It is expected that the 2007 Churchwide Assembly will give the statement final consideration.

Comments may be submitted via email, in writing or at a task-force hearing.

The draft statement is available online at http://www.elca.org/socialstatements/education/. Copies also will be available at the hearing.

Social statements are social policy documents, adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, addressing significant social issues. Since 1991 the ELCA has adopted eight social statements on issues including abortion, health care, economics and economic life, peace, and race and ethnic relations.

In addition to the Aug. 7 hearing, Bethany College will host open forums on the draft statement Sept. 5 and Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. in Lindquist Hall.

The education social statement will: 

• Present a Lutheran vision of education for our time;
• Address issues of education and schooling for children and young people in our society, with attention to purpose and quality, equity and access for all, responsibilities, and religion’s role in public schooling;
• Set forth an understanding of our church’s own educational institutions (pre-school, primary and secondary schools, and colleges and universities); and
• Consider our church’s ministries in relation to public schools and universities and the vocation of those involved in education in different roles.

Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service.

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