Dear Beloved in Christ, 

If this season had a theme, it would be education. The school year is winding down, graduations are around the corner, and — I'll confess — there is very much a countdown happening in our household.

But education has been on my heart for more than personal reasons this month. 

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of joining faith leaders from across Philadelphia for the School District's very first Faith Leaders Summit. Superintendent Dr. Tony B. Watlington Sr. gathered us together with a clear and urgent invitation: let’s partner. The district serves over 200,000 students — and right now, one of their greatest challenges is simply getting kids to show up. Across the city, roughly 40% of students are missing more than 20% of the school year. The reasons are real and complex — transportation barriers, illness, parents working two and three jobs and running on empty by morning. Research is clear that showing up matters enormously for student outcomes. And Dr. Watlington's ask to our faith communities was equally clear: adopt our schools. 

I want to pass that invitation along to you. If your congregation is in or near Philadelphia and you haven't yet made a connection with your local school, I encourage you to do so. Principals are eager to partner with faith communities. We have the relationships, the volunteers, the space, and the love — and our schools need all of it. 

I'm also writing this from the Muhlenberg College Spring Board meeting, where I've been hearing about how students are being formed as bridge builders — learning to communicate across difference, to find common ground where they expected none. One thing that has surprised these students again and again? How much we actually hold in common. Muhlenberg is doing this work beautifully, surrounding students with resources not just to graduate, but to go out and lead. If you have a young person considering their next step — or if you're exploring advanced degrees yourself (they just launched a new MBA program) — I commend them to you. I'll be back on campus in a few weeks to celebrate their commencement. 

And speaking of commencement — I am so looking forward to celebrating with the graduating class of United Lutheran Seminary. Having our synod office on their campus means we get to watch these future leaders grow up right before our eyes. Many of you have supported that growth firsthand by hosting vicars in your congregations. Thank you. You are part of what it takes to raise up the next generation of pastors and deacons for this church. 

This is, of course, deeply Lutheran territory. Luther wrote the Small and Large Catechism for one reason: he believed people deserved to understand their faith. Education has always been part of who we are. Many of our congregations run preschools and learning centers, host tutoring programs, or sponsor after-school initiatives. Many of the people in our pews are educators — teachers, counselors, nurses, support staff, transportation workers — showing up every day for young people in ways that rarely get celebrated enough. 

I often hear in my congregation visits: "We wish we had more young families." If that resonates with you, I want to point you to a wonderful new resource from ELEA (the network of ELCA schools), the Nurturing Faith Study Series — developed in collaboration with the ELCA and grounded in Barna research. It's a practical, thoughtful guide for reaching new families, and I commend it to you whether you have a nursery school or no young people at all. It's a blueprint worth exploring together over the coming year. 

We are a people who believe that every child is made in the image of God — that they matter, that they are deeply loved, and that the church has a role in helping them discover that for themselves. 

If you have a graduate this year, please know I am cheering for them — and for you, for walking with them on the journey. 

I am looking forward to seeing many of you in a few weeks, so until then, my deepest gratitude for you.  

 

+The Rev. Bryan Penman 

Bishop, Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA