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Faith-based Community Turns Out For Blue Ribbon Pastors’ Summit
With more than 200 pastors and others who work in the faith-based community in attendance August 9 at Temple of Deliverance C.O.G.I.C., the call to action went out from Memphis City Schools Superintendent Carol Johnson for greater community involvement in supporting the school district and its Blue Ribbon Plan.
“There is a tremendous need for additional mentors, tutors and school partners in the Memphis City Schools,” Dr. Johnson said. “The mission of preparing these students goes beyond the classroom -- they need to be loved and cared for at home and in their churches, and educated well in our schools. Caring congregations can play a major part in helping our students to achieve and succeed.”
The Summit, which was attended by local pastors, priests, rabbis and others who work with the city’s youth, provided an overview of ways churches and their congregations can have a positive influence on children and youth and work in concert with the goals of the district’s Blue Ribbon Plan. Participants heard from Superintendent Johnson, as well as from Congressman Harold Ford Jr., and representatives of the school district’s Community Development programs, the Adopt-A-School Partnerships program, Our Children – Our Future volunteer tutoring program and the district’s new volunteer mentoring program, Connect.
Nellie Powell, Connect mentoring program manager, pointed out that there is a need for more male volunteers to serve as mentors. Of the students already identified as needing mentors, the majority of them are male students. However, women traditionally out-number men in volunteer programs.
“We currently have 150 students ready to be matched with mentors. The majority of them are male, and the majority of the volunteers who have come forward so far are female,” she said. “We want to be able to match male students with male mentors, and I believe with the help of those here today, we can do that.”
Among the distinguished guests at the Pastors’ Summit were U.S. Congressman Harold Ford Jr.; School Board Vice President Sara L. Lewis; Commissioner Deni C. Hirsh; District Attorney General William L. Gibbons; and Bishop G. E. Patterson, presiding bishop of the Church of God in Christ (C.O.G.I.C.), who hosted the Summit and who serves as co-chair of the Summit Honorary Core Committee with Superintendent Johnson.
Other members of the Summit Honorary Core Committee are: Apostle William Adkins of the Greater Imani Church and Christian Center; Willie Brooks, former School Board Commissioner and a deacon of Temple of Deliverance C.O.G.I.C.; Rev. Coleman Crawford, president of the Baptist Ministerial Alliance and pastor of Grace Baptist Church; Bishop W. H. Graves, presiding bishop of the First Episcopal District of the C.M.E. Church; Rabbi Michael Greenstein, Temple Israel; Rev. Andrew Jackson, Faith Temple C.O.G.I.C.; Bishop Jerry Maynard, CEO for C.O.G.I.C., Inc.; Rev. Dwight Montgomery, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) and pastor of Annesdale Cherokee Baptist Church; Rev. Larry Moore, Blue Ribbon Community Board of Advisors; Rev. Kenneth Robinson, St. Andrews A.M.E. Church; Dr. Craig Strickland, pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church; Bishop Ed Stevens, Golden Gate Full Gospel Baptist Church, and Rev. Gina Stewart, Christ Missionary Baptist Church.
The program concluded with all in attendance reciting the Blue Ribbon Pledge:
- Remember the future is OUR responsibility
- Involve yourself in a child’s life
- Be a positive role model
- Build relationships
- Offer support
- Never expect mediocrity
Event sponsor was Scholastic.
More Blue Ribbon News
R-E-S-P-E-C-T…
Graceland Elementary School has chosen to do monthly school-wide presentations of character traits in connection with the Blue Ribbon Plan, beginning with Respect during the month of September. Every classroom will have a bulletin board presenting an aspect of Respect. Special incentives will be offered to the most impressive class presentation and the most impressive students during the morning opening announcements. The administration and the guidance counselor will also focus on respect or the current monthly character trait at every opportunity.
Blue Ribbon Nights + Chick-Fil-A =
$$$ for Individual City Schools
Starting September 6, 2005, parents, teachers and others can raise funds for their individual schools by patronizing one of several Chick-Fil-A restaurants the first Tuesday of every month for MCS Blue Ribbon Night. The school with the most attendance on MCS Blue Ribbon Night will receive 10 percent of that restaurant’s profits for that evening to support Blue Ribbon activities in that school.
To help promote the fund-raising efforts for MCS and the Blue Ribbon Plan, radio station K-97 will be doing live remotes on Tuesday, Sept. 6 from three Chick-Fil-A locations:
4465 Poplar, 2849 North Germantown Parkway, and from the Winchester Road location, 7072 Winchester.
Participating Chick-Fil-A stores are:
Oak Court Mall - 4465
Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38117
Poplar Avenue - 4916 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38117
Paragon Place - 6282 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38119
Southaven - 235 Goodman Road West, Southaven,MS 38671
Germantown Parkway - 1230 S. Germantown Parkway., Germantown, TN
38138
Winchester Road - 7072 Winchester Road, Memphis, TN 38125
Wolfchase Galleria - 2760 N. Germantown Parkway, Memphis, TN
38133
Wolfcreek - 2849 N. Germantown Parkway. Memphis, TN 38133-5103
Collierville - 1036 W. Poplar Avenue, Collierville, TN 38017
HELP RAISE MONEY FORYOUR SCHOOL!!! All you have to do is eat at Chick-Fil-A on the first Tuesday of each month, and turn in the form so your order will count for your school!!! Forms are available from your school principal or by downloading it from the Memphis City Schools web site, in the Blue Ribbon section (click link here to go to the Chick-Fil-A – Blue Ribbon form).
