We sometimes say “opposites attract,” and that’s
true in some things. But in a
Minneapolis suburb, the opposite is also true. Teachers and Staff in the
Minnetonka Public Schools have school employment in common, as well as another
factor.
Heather Kohnen is a 21 year veteran teacher of
elementary school students in the Minnetonka Public Schools. She is a resident
of Chanhassen, and is currently working as a Teacher-Coach with teachers in the
district.
In March of 2013, Heather attended a Daniel Weekend
in nearby Chaska. Daniel Weekends introduce people to the leadership training
ministry of Tentmakers, a longstanding youth ministry organization based in the
Twin Cities. These seminars occur fairly often, however something unusual emerged
from this particular one. A number of teachers indicated that, although they
were around students all day at work, they felt isolated from meaningful adult
interaction.
They started speaking up, and a group of them took
action. They organized and announced a meeting for the purpose of fellowship
and community. They requested, and were given a room in the Media Center of
Minnetonka High School. News of the
planned meeting spread quickly by word-of-mouth. Teachers wanted to meet other
teachers and school staff who shared similar values and concerns. A surprisingly well attended meeting resulted.
Kohnen estimates that 40-50 people came.
Two and a half years later, Tonka Staff for Christ
is registered with Minnetonka Public Schools as an “outside group”, with access
to rooms for their meetings. The group states that its purpose is to “connect,
encourage, support, and inform”, and now has 150 members meeting in all the
buildings of the district. A need seems to have been discovered. Sometimes people who are already acquainted
see one another at meetings. They’re
heard to say things like, “O, my goodness, you’re a Christian too?!”
Tonka Staff for Christ did a survey. They wanted
learn about the needs of the various members. Bible Study materials were
mentioned. Respondents also wanted books for a district inspirational book
club, outreach opportunities, and a locally held National Day of Prayer Breakfast. The group is fulfilling its purpose. They’re connecting and supporting members, encouraging
and equipping them to do well the work they feel called to. It appears that
students will benefit from teachers and staff who help one another in their
calling to serve students who come with a wide variety of educational needs.
Has there been resistance? Yes, some. Calls were made to the
Administration, presumably by people concerned over the use of public buildings
by a “religious” group. The answer given
has simply been that TSFC is registered as an “outside group”. They’re
legitimate.
In the meantime, Tonka Staff for Christ continues to
meet monthly in the many separate buildings of the district. Twice a year they
hold a large group meeting in one location. It will be interesting to see
whether the idea will catch on in other districts in the country.
This kind of thing always gets some people riled up.
My sense, however, is that this group is legally and respectfully making use of
their rights. I suppose those are the key issues. They’re meeting off-hours.
They’re registered as an outside group, meaning that this is not an officially
sanctioned public school activity. And their purpose is simply to encourage one
another in something that is a time-honored activity in the Western world –
Christian growth and duty to the community. If somehow, in the process, there’s
a by-product of a person coming to trust Christ as Savior, well – I’m certainly
not going to apologize for that.
