Daniel Herbster reporting
The American Association of Christian Schools is “the oldest national voice for Christian school education.” Their office in Washington, DC works to ensure that the rights of parents to choose how to educate their children are protected, and to keep Christian educators informed of important issues facing our nation. AdvanceUSA has worked closely with AACS on a number of occasions and it is a real pleasure to interview my colleague and good friend Maureen Wiebe who is the Legislative Director for AACS in Washington, DC.
DH: What is the mission of AACS in general, and specifically in Washington, DC?
MW: Hi Dan. Thanks for this opportunity to talk about AACS and what we do here in our DC office.
In general, AACS is a service organization, so our mission is to provide services to our Christian schools to aid them in the great work they are doing. These services include educational materials (journals, etc.), accreditation and certification for schools and teachers, competitions for students, and legislative oversight. I think many people are most familiar with AACS through our National Fine Arts Competition, but our scope of service is actually much larger than that.
Specifically in Washington, DC, we are responsible for the legislative oversight aspect of the AACS services. Our goal here is to be a liaison between our Christian schools and the federal government. While we don't seek federal funds for our ministries, we want those in the government to know we are here so our freedoms continue to be protected. In addition, we strive to participate in the process on other issues, particularly those social issues which we as Christians would take a strong stand – i.e. marriage, family values, the life issue.
DH: What is your position at AACS and what kind of projects and responsibilities does it involve?
MW: I serve as the Legislative Director for AACS. My job is to track legislation and keep our schools and ministries informed of what is happening on Capitol Hill that might affect our schools. I also work to keep those in the government aware of the issues that are important to the AACS ministries. This requires me to attend meetings, network with other conservatives and staffers on the Hill, meet with Congressmen, communicate with our schools through email letters and alerts, and do some speaking at teacher conventions. In addition, our office here sends out a weekly email newsletter called "The Washington Flyer" which keeps people informed of current events that affect our ministries.
DH: Why is it so important that Christian education have an advocate in our nation’s capital?
MW: That is an excellent question. While we certainly work to promote efforts that will help provide educational options for families, our main goal is to protect the ministries of our schools and churches from governmental intrusion. Having a presence in DC allows us to be at the table for discussions on educational policy and other issues which are important to our schools and ministries. More than once, we have had the opportunity to weigh in on topics which would affect private schools, particularly private religious schools.
DH: I know I’m grateful that AACS doesn’t always confine its efforts to just narrow Christian school issues (though that is justifiably your main focus), but also works on other issues facing our nation. I remember working side-by-side with you and other AACS staff on religious freedom, traditional marriage, Supreme Court judges, general school choice issues, and the crucial life issues. What are the other issues on which AACS gets involved and why do you think it is so important to do so?
MW: We track legislation in four areas: education, religious liberty, family values, and life issues. The religious liberty aspect is particularly important because anything that affects our religious liberties in this country will inevitably affect our schools. Our schools strive to be Christian throughout – not just in name only. So the freedom to teach Biblical truths and use a curriculum that is based on Biblical truths is very important to our ministries.
Issues regarding family values are important because these are generally moral issues, and we believe that as Christians we cannot ignore these. We also believe the pro-life issue is extremely important. Keith Wiebe, president of AACS, often says that we as an educational organization, we care about all children – the born and unborn. So it is vital that we are involved in the pro-life work.
As Christians, our faith in God should motivate us to stand for righteousness, and therefore, we believe it is important for us to be engaged on these issues in addition to the educational issue. If we were to neglect them, then I believe we would be missing an opportunity to make a difference for the families and churches which are connected with our schools.
DH: Tell our readers a little about the Youth Legislative Training Conference. What does it involve and how long has the program been operating? Are there any highlights or special memories from past conferences you’d like to share?
MW: Oh, the Youth Conference is one of my favorite weeks of the year! We bring 40 high school students from across the nation to DC for a week to give them the opportunity to "experience the workings of Washington" through a Biblical worldview. Throughout the week, the students role-play senators in a mock senate, they hear from Congressmen and Senators who share our values, and they get to tour some of the historical sites of the city. The week also includes a "Day on the Hill" when the students attend a Congressional briefing in the Capitol, visit their Representatives and Senators, and then enjoy a tour of the U.S. Capitol "after hours."
This summer will be the 14th year that AACS has held the YLTC, and many of the students who attend the youth conference go on to pursue education and careers that involve public and civic service – like yourself J (thank you for the work you do for AdvanceUSA!). However, our main goal is really to help students recognize and develop Christian character and integrity in leadership roles, and to understand the importance of civic involvement, regardless of their vocation.
One great memory I have is from last year's YLTC. Rep. Trent Franks from Arizona gave our group a tour of the U.S. Capitol "after hours," and pointed out several instances of our Christian heritage displayed in the Capitol. At the end of the tour, he took us out on to the Capitol steps for a picture, and suddenly said, "Let's sing the Doxology." So our entire group sang together "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. It was quite an experience and made me grateful for Christian men like him who stand daily for righteousness. And what a great example for the students!
DH: I had the privilege of attending a Youth Legislative Training Conference when I was in high school and I can attest that it was valuable experience that was both fun and informative. Where could our readers find out more about this program? I understand that AACS likes to be able to cover the costs of tuition so no eligible Christian school student who wants to participate would have to turn it down due to financial need. How could our readers help support this program?
MW: Information about the YTLC is on our website (http://www.aacs.org/), or they can Click Here to go directly to the page where there are YLTC forms. They can also call our Legislative Office in DC (202) 547-2991.
And yes, we do offer scholarships for our students to attend the YLTC. We don't want finances to be a roadblock for students coming to the conference. And we certainly welcome any support that people would like to give. The cost for the conference is $350 per student (most programs that are similar to ours run closer to $1000 per student), so we truly do work hard to be wise with the funds that are sent our way for this conference. A donation of any amount would definitely be appreciated and a worthwhile investment in our country's future.
Donations can be sent to our national office (AACS, 602 Belvoir Ave, East Ridge, TN, 37412), or people can also donate online through our website (this is very easy! J).
DH: Maureen, you were a successful English teacher at an AACS school in Indiana for a number of years. What pulled you away from the classroom and caused you to want to work in Washington, DC?
MW: A great question! I absolutely loved teaching high school, and often miss the time in the classroom with the students (maybe that's why I love the Youth Conference so much!). I have always been interested in the "issues" that the AACS DC office tracks, and I've always loved DC. So, when the position here opened up, I thought I would apply and see what the Lord would do. When I came to interview, it was very clear that the Lord was leading me to this new ministry.
Although my work now is completely different from teaching, my time in the classroom actually gave me a great background for what I do. The skills I used for teaching definitely are put to good use here in my office and meetings. And my background in a Christian school gives me a great advantage in representing Christian education on the Hill.
DH: What are the biggest concerns AACS has for the future? What legislation are you particularly concerned about?
MW: I believe our biggest concern here in the DC office would be issues that threaten our religious freedoms. Particularly, the marriage issue presents great concern to the religious liberty of our ministries. If the sanctity of marriage is not protected, not only will the foundation of our society erode, but the freedom to teach Biblical truths in our schools and churches will also be affected. There have been efforts to pass a federal marriage amendment and these will continue. However, the greatest opportunity for Christians right now is to get involved on the state level to get a state constitutional amendment passed which states that marriage is between a man and a woman, thereby protecting sanctity of marriage.
The most immediate threat to our religious liberty is the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Under auspices of granting "rights" and "protection" to homosexuals, this bill would do great damage to the religious freedoms enjoyed by all Americans in the workplace. This bill has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives, and is currently in the Senate. We are working hard to communicate the dangers of this bill to to Senators, and we are also urging our constituents to contact there Senators with concerns over this bill.
While we are an educational organization and our main issue is education, these two issues are our greatest concern right now as they present the biggest threat to our Christian schools.
DH: Thanks for taking the time to tell our readers about AACS. Keep up the great work defending Christian education and helping train servants for Christ. Say “hi” to our friends in DC for me if you get a chance.