(here is a letter sent to parents of students at Living Word, please feel free to pass on)
Dear Parent,
You and I are no stranger to the seemingly endless number of
challenges to raising and caring for the children of our church community. All it takes is 3 minutes of watching the
news or a glance at CNN.com to be reminded that we live in a broken world. There are too many problems to name and the
all-to-accessible list of temptations facing our children is growing. I truly believe that only the hope of the
Gospel can give us the strength to not only “survive” these times, but to
thrive. As a church community it is
important that we support one another and also be reaching out to the cultures and
communities outside of our local church. It is in that spirit that I want to encourage you to attend A Rockwood
Town Hall Meeting on Underage Drinking, Thursday April 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at
Crestview Middle School.
In 2004 students in Rockwood were surveyed, and the results
are less than encouraging:
*39 percent of Rockwood high school students report that
they binge drink regularly
*45 percent of Rockwood 8th-grade students say
they have been to a party where other kids their age have been drinking
*75 percent of our Rockwood 10th and 11th
grade students state they have been to parties where kids are drinking
Folks, we cannot sit passively while this taking place in
our own backyard. I have been involved
in this event’s sponsor; the Rockwood Drug-Free Schools Coalition, since
February of 2007. An article about the
coalition appeared in West Magazine, which piqued my interest; but it was being
approached at a local QuikTrip to buy alcohol for an underaged student that
motivated me to get involved. (I hope it goes without saying that I declined.)
I have seen the hard work of community leaders, teachers,
and Rockwood staff make some strides in under-age alcohol consumption and abuse. But for deep change to take place we need
much more than a coalition or even a meeting. Our schools are charged with teaching our children civic duty and
imparting information. It is our job as
Christians to instruct our children in what is right and wrong. Our students’ choices are guided by much more
than what a health class or school assembly can give them.
Students hearing statistics (not unlike the ones I’ve fed
you) or seeing crash reenactments might serve as a small deterrent from
destructive drinking behavior, but a lifestyle flows out of faith.
So won’t you join me in supporting the efforts of our
community? Will you take time out of
your busy life to stand up against what the world wants our teens to think, and
what too many of them are believing- that booze is what it takes to have
fun? Here is what you can expect from
the Town Hall Meeting:
- Meet
others in the Rockwood community who want to take a stand to prevent
underage drinking
- Find
out which businesses in your neighborhood have participated in and passed
local police department’s alcohol compliance checks
- Learn
from a panel of experts, including professionals in the area of alcohol
prevention in youth, as well as Rockwood teachers, parents and students.
- Participate
in a question-and-answer session and find out what you can do to help your
child make good choices for their future.
- Get involved on specific committees and be a part of the Rockwood solution to
stop alcohol abuse and underage drinking.
If you have any questions, concerns, or even better- want to
get more involved please contact me. I
thank you for your consideration and again, strongly encourage you to attend
this community wide event.
Much love,
Adam Mustoe
Director of Youth Ministries
Living Word United
Methodist
Church
www.lwyouth.org
www.mustoe.blogspot.com
adam.mustoe@gmail.com
636-821-2800