There are those who believe that education is key to the development of any community and I am one of them. What shape that education takes is important but the fact that there is some sort of basic education made available for the young as they grow and develop is crucial. I personally believe it is the responsibility of the church community to make sure that a quality education provision is made available for children everywhere and across the developing world in particular. The Jewish community have maintained a basis of education in their communities around the world. This was established at the direction of God who intended that His people would be special and that meant that no matter what they were doing or where they were, who was in charge of them or what conditions they were in, education needed to be maintained. This has paid dividends for them and any nation of community who sees education as a priority will reap the benefits of that very quickly yes but certainly in the long run.
Scottish Education:
As far as I understand Scottish history, the church in Scotland was the initiator and maintainer of education for the masses i.e. the poor. As a member of St Peter's Free Church in Dundee, Scotland I am aware that this was the church in which Rev Robert Murray McCheyne preached. He was a great proponent of education for the poor. During his ministry the halls of this church were built partly to accommodate classes for young mill workers who wanted to break out of their poverty trap and make progress for themselves and their prospective heirs. During his sermons McCheyne would use his considerable artistic skills to draw scenes for his stories to the children entertaining them and educating them at the same time.
We have let go of our heritage:
Today's church often has little interest in education, some would say to our great loss, since it is now the domain of the state. But we have an opportunity to take a very important interest in education today. Te Bible encourages us to "...lift up your eyes round about and see...." If we take this to heart we will see that there are millions of children and young people in our world who are clamoring for a quality education, just as the young mill children in Dundee once did. Their poverty trap is just as locked in and their desire to escape just as deep. If we take this opportunity to help them receive an education then our world may be a very different place in the years to come.
You can help:
To find out how you can help have a look at the following links. Star School in Rwanda is in need of desks and beds etc. http://star-school-rwanda.blogspot.com/ Henderson School in Uganda is trying hard to complete their building works http://henderson-school.blogspot.com/ and Mighty Meals in Bweyogerere Multi-purpose Primary School has a continuing need for food for their children on a daily basis. http://mighty-meals.blogspot.com/
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