Those are the words used to describe a weekly religious program conducted in the Indianapolis Perry Township (southside) public schools, by which hundreds of elementary school children are taught a basic introduction to what the Bible is all about, focusing on its foundational truths.
Each week, 4th and 5th graders who volunteer to give up a recess or lunch period (with parental consent) are transported to a site where trained teachers give them part of an hour’s worth of instruction in Biblical matters. The hope is that each student will grow in faith, in knowledge of God’s Word, and in learning ways of holding to and practicing their faith in our world. (Some classes are conducted at the schools, either before or after school.)
Perry Township has cooperated for the past many decades in allowing the WRE (Weekly Religious Education) classes to function. Students who choose to attend these sessions do not miss any of their core classes. The emphasis is on “common aspects of the Christian faith, such as belief in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and learning how to worship God from the Bible.” It is hoped that the students will “learn, serve, grow in their Christian faith.”
The Bible-centered curriculum, produced by Pensacola Christian College, zeroes in on the following themes: God’s creation, God’s fallen world, God’s promises/rescue plan, God’s Messiah/Savior of the world, Jesus’ work on earth, Jesus’ finished work, and Jesus’ work continues through others.
A total of 37 lessons are planned and prepared by a dedicated staff of 15 to 20 teachers. Perry Township Religious Education Association (PTREA) is a non-profit organization made up of volunteers. No fee is charged, and all expenses are covered by contributions from individuals and churches.
In Perry Township, where our church—Thompson Road Baptist Church—is located, a substantial percentage of students are children of parents who have immigrated (for asylum) from Myanmar. Most are of the Chin community. The student population in our schools has been burgeoning the past couple of decades—calling for expanded school facilities and, in some cases, translators. In fact, the mission field has literally come to America! Right to our very own neighborhoods. How to reach this group—despite culture and language barriers—is challenging for schools and churches in our township.
Most evangelical churches in our neighborhoods have responded by allowing the Chin churches (most are of Baptist origin because of Hudson Taylor’s work as a missionary to Burma) to meet for worship in our facilities, during an agreed-on time when the founding assembly is not meeting. We have found that, for obvious reasons, the Chin people usually prefer to have their own churches rather than assimilating into our English congregations. Thus, PTREA has an opportunity to meet, love, and teach the Bible to many of the children who are Chin by nationality.
Here is the stated purpose of the PTREA: “To help each child become aware of God, grow in an understanding of God, and respond to Him in faith, love and service to others.” They hope to attain this goal by making available to the children of Perry Township the opportunity to “learn to use the Bible intelligently and independently; share discussions, worship, and learning with their peers at their weekly meetings; find ways to apply Christian principles to their everyday lives.”
A TRBC deacon, Bob Boone, is the PTREA director; he is assisted by another longtime TRBC member, Mrs. Shelli Grossman, retired head of special education for Indianapolis Public Schools. These two individuals work tirelessly to recruit and train teachers, prepare lesson plans, and organize class plans for the year. One of our long-time TRBC bus drivers has driven a bus for PTREA for many years, taking students from their school to their class sites and back. All 11 Perry Township elementary schools participate in PTREA, so that about 300 4th and 5th graders voluntarily attend these Bible-oriented classes. About 65 % of the Perry Township school population are of Asian, Hispanic or other racial descent (35% are Caucasian), as opposed to about 35% statewide. So, again, our neighborhood schools are literally multi-racial and multi-national. We are living in the midst of a “foreign” mission field that has been transported, transplanted, to the southside of Indianapolis. Thus, PTREA is a critical missionary endeavor—an unusual and unique opportunity. Any locals who are reading this should know that more volunteers are needed. Contact Bob Boone at bboone1025@aol.com if you are interested.
PTREA is, of course, deeply grateful for the cooperation and consideration given to this outreach by the superintendents, past and present, of our township schools. This ministry is “unique” in that most public schools do not encourage or endorse such endeavors in this day. The excellent relationship enjoyed by local churches, pastors and dedicated laymen—who are trying to reach our school children with Biblical truths—is not taken for granted. The relationship has been cultivated over many years, thanks be to God.
“That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them (“the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and His wonderful works that He hath done”) to their children.” (Ps. 78:4-7)
YOU and GOD 