Recently President Biden announced his plan to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making $125,000 or less annually, and an additional $10,000 for Pell Grant recipients. will be forgiven, but will that be enough, many ask.
Folks pursue higher education so they can get better jobs and pull their families out of poverty, but for that they first need to take out loans and then spend the rest of their lives paying off those student loans. Statistics tell us that a person takes about 20 years, on average, to repay their student loans. In our country, more than 40 million borrowers collectively owe over $1.7 trillion in student loan debt.
And it may not come as a surprise to anyone here that people of color struggle with this the most. Just four years after graduation, 48% of Black students owe more than they initially borrowed, and, having a degree has now become a requirement even for jobs that previously did not require one. If having higher education continues to be a prerequisite for getting a job, and affording basic necessities, then education needs to be affordable for all, and that means reforming the education system.
One step in that direction would be to sign this petition urging our President to Cancel Student Debt in order to close the wealth gap.
Another step would be to help others get the education everyone deserves, and this Sunday we will be taking one small step towards that by giving away school supplies to the kids in our neighborhood. I am grateful to everyone who generously donated supplies- as a result we have been able to pack 52 back packs filled with basic supplies!! Join us this Sunday to celebrate that and give the bags away!
And don’t forget to invite your family and friends to church and those who once worshipped at Broadway, to come back. We will worship in the yard, have lunch together, and have planned several activities for the kids- facepainting, art, music, chalk art etc. And, for the accompanying adults, we will have a small silent auction! WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS! Many hands make the work easy- if you can help us with anything, please sign up here.
And remember, to give yourself some extra commute time because the Lakeview Art Festival is also this weekend, so Broadway St will be closed by the church. Take public transport or walk to church this Sunday. We know it will be a full afternoon and we hope you will join us for most of the activities. Above all- hold the day in prayer so God maybe glorified in all we do.
And remember God loves you and so do I, and I look forward to seeing you in worship.
