Learning Matters: Crossing the street between church and school

This past spring, for the first time in about 30 years, Glendale First United Methodist Church didn’t host its annual Educators Banquet following the school board presentation of the Masonic Awards.

The church, of which I’m a member, stands directly across the street from the school district headquarters. While the dinner may not rate in the big scheme of things, I’m writing about it because it’s an example of the ways in which our church and many other congregations have supported schools, arts and social service efforts throughout the community … and because it’s been one of my favorite events for a long time.

The Masonic Awards are a 44-year tradition sponsored by the Masons. The awards honor individual teachers and classified staff members from every school in the district, all selected by their school colleagues for outstanding service to students.

The banquet began as an initiative of a former pastor to recognize educators, in keeping with the Methodist tradition of support for public schools. With the assistance of school-involved church members (Blanch Greenwood was the church administrative secretary and a member of the school board; Vic Pallos was the district’s public information officer), the church dinner became a convenient venue for Masonic honorees to gather with their families and school colleagues for a very reasonably priced meal, served in time for the board’s return to its evening session.

As I learned from current school-involved church representatives (church administrator Gigi Schmutzer is a Crescenta Valley area parent; children’s ministries director Jennifer Freemon is a member of the school board), arrangements for the dinner didn’t quite fall into place this year.

With the new superintendent just arriving, and with key church volunteers unavailable for dinner preparations and table service, all parties agreed it was a year to let the event go.

I presume each school celebrated with its own honorees, and I hope they had a good time, but I want them to know I missed the chance to say “hello” while serving up dinner.

The program for the night usually moved pretty quickly, with a musical performance by a school ensemble, a short message from a representative of the church, and Don Galleher, community volunteer extraordinaire, serving for many years as master of ceremonies.

Twice the speaking part came to me, and I took it as an opportunity to celebrate the importance “of the street that separates church and school.” I reminded the audience of the school district policy on religious expression in the schools, inspired by a presentation given in that very hall by Baptist minister and ACLU attorney Oliver Thomas, co-author of “Finding Common Ground, A First Amendment Guide to Religion and Public Education.”

It was the 1996-98 PTA Council President and future board member Mary Boger, a member of a different Methodist congregation at the time, who invited Thomas to Glendale.

I don’t know if the Educators Banquet will return, but thinking of it makes me wonder where public schools would be without the congregations that have so long supported their communities and families.

Beyond the schools, what about the future of music and musicians? What would happen to the many professional musicians in and around Los Angeles who lead or support weekend worship services as part of their livelihood? Churches and temples have supported musicians since before Bach’s time, and they’ve been a big part of keeping his music alive.

Where would community-based choirs rehearse at the low rental fees churches charge? Our church has housed many choirs besides its own. Since the William Hall Chorale moved its rehearsals to Orange County in the 1980s, it has been the rehearsal home to the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Verdugo Hills Showtime Chorus, the CV Alumni Chorale and concerts by the Lark Music Society, among others. World-class organist Ladd Thomas teaches his USC students on the sanctuary organ.

Who would house the preschools and day-care centers currently serving young children? Our three children benefited from preschool programs at four area churches, and the Yellow Pages (YP, as it’s known now) lists at least 14 church-hosted programs in the area.

Without them, how many more young children would enter kindergarten unprepared?

Local nonprofits also rely on congregational facilities, volunteers and financial contributions to help reduce homelessness, feed the hungry, prevent or relieve poverty, provide healthcare or offer job-search and financial-planning assistance. Would those nonprofits survive without congregational support?

As I said to the honorees at the Educators Banquet in 2012, I want to thank all the faith communities that appreciate the importance of the street separating church from school, even as they work to support the common good.

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JOYLENE WAGNER served on the Glendale Board of Education from 2005-2013. Email her at jkate4400@aol.com.