Teachers Saving Children® Inc. - National
Newsletter
Volume 9, Number 5
June 1999
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"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen"
During the recent Lenten season, I claimed these verses as I spent time in prayer seeking the Lord for a very specific purpose. As I have continued to reflect and meditate on these verses, I am often convicted by their true meaning - do I really believe that the Lord is able to do immeasurably more than I ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within my life? Or do I limit God in my asking, my thinking, my praying, my expectations?
In a devotional thought by Bob Gass (Word for Today, April 13, 1999), Bob Gass states "No-limit people are not willing to accept the accepted, just because it's accepted. Their response to limiting conditions is why? Instead of okay. They have human frailties certainly, but the difference is, they're determined to walk by faith to the very edge of their potential. When they get there, they know that God will either put solid rock under them - or He'll teach them to fly! They've tapped into the unlimited power of God...You ask how did they ever do it. The answer is, they grew into it and they did it 'by faith.' Real faith that says, 'I am what God's Word says I am and I can do what God's Word says I can do.'"
And how do we grow into this faith of seeking the Lord for His limitless resources? This faith comes by spending time in God's Word and in prayer. In Acts 1:14 we read that "They all met together continually for prayer." In his devotional journal on prayer Andrew Murray discusses how that for ten days the disciples earnestly prayed together in one accord and their prayer was answered. The command to preach the gospel is absolute; the command to wait for the Father to send what He promised - that is the Holy Spirit - is just as vital. Yet too often we try to fulfill the first command without taking the time to wait before the Father to receive what He has promised.
The same is true for the various ministry opportunities that the Lord has laid before us. As irrevocable as the need to take a stand regarding the sanctity of life is the need to wait before the Father to seek His limitless resources of empowerment, wisdom, discernment, love, compassion, and strength as we reach out to those men and women who are hurting. Yet too often today we try in our own way and in our own strength to carry out the convictions of our hearts, the purpose of our ministries, and the need to save the lives of pre-born children. Too often we have forgotten to spend time waiting before the Father to receive His limitless resources through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit so that we might be vessels used of Him to fulfill His work and purpose in and through our lives.
The power of the early church in the book of Acts lay in the fact that the disciples, as one body, were prepared to forget themselves and to pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Today, we too must forget ourselves and pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit within our individual lives and within the various ministry opportunities that the Lord has laid before us.
God will make a way for the saving of pre-born children for generations to come and He will often work in ways we cannot see. Our responsibility is to be faithful in doing our part by first seeking Him. It is only as we wait upon the Lord and allow Him to empower us will we be able to see the victory of changed hearts, changed lives, and the saving of pre-born children for generations to come. Only then will we experience an absolute and glorious victory within the pro-life movement.
During the 1997 NEA Representative Assembly in Atlanta GA, delegates passed a budget that included several different strategic activities and their various components. One area of question was Strategic Activity 1.3 and its component #1 where it mentioned of "cooperative relationships with policy makers, businesses, education organizations, parent organizations, civic groups, governmental agencies, labor, women and civil rights, religious groups, etc., to co-create and collaboratively implement a vision for quality education for all students." Component #1 specifically mentioned to "develop and implement national partnerships and initiatives that advance quality education and establish NEA as a respected partner." $1,203,980 was allocated for this specific component. That is a lot of money and the question was what coalitions, organizations, and partnerships received money from the NEA under this specific Strategic Component.
In the fall of 1997, a NEA member took the time to write a letter requesting specific information regarding Strategic Activity 1.3 and its component #1. No response was received. A copy of the letter was then faxed to the NEA Office, a question was asked during the Budget Hearings at the 1998 NEA RA in New Orleans, and then a follow-up phone call in August 1998. Finally a letter with a response arrived in early September 1998. The response stated that only $589,682 went toward contributions; however, nothing was mentioned as to where the remaining funds were expended. Of the amount that went toward contributions, 79 different organizations received money. The top eight are listed below:
| People for the American Way | $115,000 | ||
| Economic Policy Institute | 50,000 | ||
| Rebuild America's Schools | 50,000 | ||
| National Committee on Pay Equity - subsidy | 35,000 | ||
| Martin Luther King Center | 26,875 | ||
| NAACP Legal Defense Fund | 25,000 | ||
| Education Excellence Partnership | 20,000 | ||
| National Democratic Institute | 20,000 |
A more specific area of concern is whether or not dues monies are used to support abortion. Delegates are told through debate on the floor of the RA's that no monies are expended in regards to I-13 - The Civil Rights Resolution that refers to "reproductive freedom". However, most recently information became available regarding the NEA's involvement in the new "Pro-Choice Public Education Project." This project is designed to win young women back to the pro-abortion side of the debate. Anyone can check out the project's website at www.protectchoice.org. One will find the National Education Association listed under the Project Partners list.
No matter what one's personal philosophy and convictions are regarding these various issues and organizations, one might question this use of our dues monies. We each have our own convictions and should be able to have the choice to support and/or partner with those organizations that support our personal beliefs.
The National Education Association claims that it represents its members and that it is an advocate for the education of our children. However, a checkbook reveals the true philosophy behind any individual or organization. If you have specific questions regarding the financial expenditures of the NEA, contact Dennis Van Roekel, NEA Secretary-Treasurer, NEA Headquarters, 1201 16th St NW, Washington DC 20036.
Get involved by contacting your NEA delegates! Remind them to vote according to the wishes of the membership they represent! And then hold them accountable! They are your representatives!
John, who is single, is very active in a variety of ministries. He has been heavily involved in local church ministry including interim pastor, Adult Bible Studies, Sunday School teacher, pianist, worship leader, and has served on a variety of church committees. In 1990, John did voluntary missionary service in Kenya, East Africa.
The Board of Trustee members are excited about the valuable asset John will be to the Board and are looking forward to his involvement.
We are currently accepting new memberships for the 1999-2000 membership year. Any new memberships received after June 1st are good until August 31, 2000. Renewal membership information will be sent to all current members in early July.
We, like all ministry organizations, are preparing and updating our database systems for the year 2000. Please help the TSC office by making sure your membership forms are accurate, complete, signed, and dated. Thank you!
Ohio: The Ohio TSC Board of Trustees met on February 20, 1999 at which time they elected their officers for the 1999-2000 fiscal year: Connie Bancroft, Executive Director; Gary Winney, Assistant Executive Director; Lisa Rudloff, Secretary; and David Kaiser, Treasurer. The Ohio Affiliate State Chapter currently has 142 members. (TSC Inc. of Ohio, PO Box 125, Damascus OH 44619-0125).
Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania TSC Board of Trustees met on April 10, 1999 at which time they elected their officers for the 1999-2000 fiscal year: Michael Grella, Executive Director; Scott Moyer, Assistant Executive Director; Barbara Purcell, Secretary; and Linda Burroughs, Treasurer. The Pennsylvania State Chapter currently has 58 members. (TSC of PA, Inc., PO Box 214, Pen Argyl PA 18072).
A special thanks to those individuals who have contacted TSC over the past several years for multiple copies of the brochure. Thanks for your help in spreading the word and encouraging teachers and other concerned citizens to join. The success of this organization depends on each of us doing our part in taking a stand for life. Your continued help is needed in recruiting the troops as we work together in this battle for life.
As educators, we do our best to express ourselves clearly and concisely when communicating with students, whether it be in giving directions or explaining an important concept; we know the importance of using grammar and terminology which will best be understood by our students. When Life Issues Caucus went to Columbus for the Ohio Education Association's (OEA) annual Spring Representative Assembly on April 30-May 1, 1999, our hope was that we could move the organization to seek ways of better communicating with its members; we sought the clarification of some terms which have, over the years, had a divisive effect among members because of the controversial nature of those terms. Reproductive freedom is one such term. Using the results of legal research, we came up with the official definition of this term and found its meaning to be what we have understood it to be all along: practices in family planning which includes all forms of birth control, including abortion. An attempt was made to amend Resolution I-3 (Civil Rights) in such a way as to clarify this meaning, and it was met with the argument that such a "laundry list" would simply confuse the issue at hand; as irrational an argument as this was, it became evident that the delegates had neither the resolve nor the courage to stand against it.
Later in the same session, a New Business item was presented for consideration, which, at no additional expense to the already financially-strapped organization, would provide a glossary of specific terms deemed to be vague and/or of a controversial nature, for the purpose of better communication with delegates and members of the OEA. An object to consideration was made to stifle and kill debate on the item, and it died prematurely on the floor.
Every effort has been made to assist the OEA in getting itself out of the corner it has boxed itself into, without any apparent effort by the organization to respond in a positive way; members have met with President Michael Billirakis and Vice-President Gary Allen, as well as the Resolutions Commission/Subcommittee on I-3 and will continue to reach out to these and other influential individuals within the leadership of the OEA. We will continue to be heard and will seek new ways to make our presence-and our ideas-known, understood, and, by God's grace, embraced. Our hope is that, one day, soon, the game-playing will stop and we will once again be able to communicate honestly and openly within the free marketplace of ideas. What will it take to awaken our colleagues? Perhaps, it will take what any revival takes: a movement of God's Spirit, bringing much repentance and prayer-and the changing of the course of history.
Editor's Note: The NEA does have a definition of "reproductive freedom" which "refers to dual rights - the rights to abortion and to carry a pregnancy to term." (Deceptions by the Radical Right against the National Education Association, NEA Human and Civil Rights, 1994, page 9.)
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