Patrick Ervin
patrickervin@ddtonline.com
Rumbling from beneath the pavilion at Harty Park and defrosting the nippy air on the first day of spring were words of prayer on behalf of every constituency of the Greenville Public School District.
Leading the gathering early Monday morning of community members and representatives from each school was the Rev. Hattie Young of Word of God Ministries.
Her prayers and scriptures covered each school board member by name, each principal, Superintendent Dr. Glen Dideaux , each teacher and student. Various school personnel and community members linked arms in a semicircle and called each school by name for prayer as well.
Young’s message highlighted a need for a spiritual order in education beginning with leadership. “We pray for our school board because Romans 13:1 says, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that which God has established,” Young explained. “And the authorities are appointed by God.”
With both state testing and the close of another school year looming, prayers for students centered around not only academic success but also having the youngsters in nurturing protective environments away from bullying, abuse, harassment and neglect.
Dideaux underscored the importance of having a prayer for the school district originating from the community. “There is a clear separation of church and state but it is critical that school districts have support from the community,” he explained. “One of the prayers that was especially needed was for teachers. We need more highly qualified fully certified teachers in our classrooms so that we can gain the consistency that we need to improve the district. When we see consistency in the classroom then the entire system moves forward.”
The superintendent also explained that the gathering stemmed from his community advisory committee which is one of three groups ( the teacher and student advisory groups being the other two) that provide him grassroots counsel on the various constituencies in and around the Greenville Public School District.
Perhaps the prayer in the park, a 20-minute gathering bookended by an opening and closing hymns is indicative of things to come.
When the meeting began, darkness still covered the morning sky. But by the time everyone made their ways to their vehicles, light began to emerge.
“We’ve started something here,” Young said. “And people are going to see it.”
