With a statement of purpose and prayer, Central California Conference President Jerry Page welcomed the nearly 200 participants to the education summit on March 8.
“This is a conference initiative,” Page said. "Our administration and departmental directors are determined to meet the challenges facing Adventist education today. We plan to establish a major commission to gather information and to work toward solutions so we stay ahead of the curve in our strategic planning."
Pastors, school principals, teachers, school board members and church officers joined conference administrators at the Fresno Westside church for a day of prayer, information and dialogue.
Vern Biloff, vice president for education, spoke about current challenges facing the operation of conference schools, including declining enrollment, changing demographics and finances. Kelly Bock, director of education for the Pacific Union, noted the positives of the school system as viewed by other private school systems.
Bailey Gillespie, executive director of The John Hancock Center for Youth and Family Ministry and professor of religion at La Sierra University in Riverside, Calif., was the featured presenter.
In two presentations, Gillespie shared some of the 2000 Valuegenesis research for the North American Division and, specifically, for Central California Conference youth attending Adventist schools. The results from the 1990 Valuegenesis study were compared with the 2000 information with both areas of improvement and concerns reported.
The morning presentation focused on research statistics about the impact of the school on their faith maturity — a combination of faith, values and commitment. “The statistics are awesome!” said Sandra Manro, a parent from Auberry. “It was very encouraging. As a parent, I felt like my money [for Adventist education] was well spent.”
The afternoon presentation showed the impact of the church on the faith maturity of youth.
Action Plans
Divided into discussion tables of eight, participants spent two breakout sessions analyzing and prioritizing challenges and writing action plans for solutions. At the end of the day, each table reported to the whole group. All participants also gave suggestions on their individual survey forms.
“It was important for us to get together and talk about the challenges,” said Pastor Luis Rendon from Watsonville. While acknowledging that finances are tight, he said, “I don’t think it’s the money. I believe the problem is commitment.”
Looking to the future, Biloff said, “This was a wake-up call to move beyond the day. It was also a very informative time for all of us, a time that re-invigorated our confidence in our Adventist school system,” Biloff said. “The statistics were so supportive. This was a cool day.”
