Iranian General Threatens Israel with Surprise Reprisal Attack

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Iranian General Threatens Israel with Surprise Reprisal Attack

Iranian military leaders on Tuesday vowed that Tehran would take military action against Israel in response to an alleged Israeli drone that was shot down in Iran on Sunday.

Iran “will not give a diplomatic response,” but will air its grievances with Israel on the “battlefield,” senior Iranian generals were quoted as saying on Tuesday.

“Our response to this aggression will not be diplomatic, we will retaliate in the battlefield, but will not necessarily announce it,” Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the Lieutenant Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) was quoted as saying during a ceremony on Tuesday meant to commemorate “martyred” Iranian military personnel.

“The enemy will see and understand it,” Salami was quoted as saying by the semi official Fars News Agency. “We never step back (in the confrontation) against the enemy. The Islamic Republic is powerful and is capable of confronting any power at any level and we never bring down the level of our goals.”

The threat of a surprise attack against Israel for its apparent attempts to send a spy drone into Tehran came just a day after Iranian government officials threatened to sue Israel in the International Criminal Court.

Iranian military leaders announced over the weekend that they had used a surface-to-air missile to shoot down a drone that it claimed was an Israeli-made Hermes 450 unmanned plane. The drone was allegedly on its way to the Natanz nuclear enrichment site, which is believed to be part of Iran’s clandestine attempts to build a nuclear weapon.

“This hostile action is a violation of Iran’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham was quoted as saying Monday by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Afkham also hinted that military action is being considered by Tehran.

“Iran has the right to take the necessary defensive action and pursue the case in international legal courts,” IRNA reported Afkham as saying.

Other IRGC officials also have adopted the rhetoric of war and slammed Israel in vitriolic terms following the incident.

“This mischievous attempt once again made the adventurous nature of the Zionist regime more evident and added another black page to the dark record of this fake and warmongering regime, which is full of crimes and wickedness,” the IRGC said in a statement reported by Al-Manar News.

The IRGC claimed that it “reserves the right of response and retaliation for itself,” according to the statement.

IRGC leader Salami claimed that Tehran has definitive proof the drone was made by Israel and claimed that it had not originated from the Jewish state, but another nearby country.

“What some people say that the drone had started its flight from Israel is not correct and we are almost certain about its origin, yet we would like to reserve judgment at present,” Salami was quoted as saying during a press conference on Tuesday.

Iranian military leaders apparently spotted the drone on its border but permitted it to “enter the country to see the intention (of the hostile forces operating it) and then we targeted and hit it at the right time,” Salami said, according to Fars.

Salami further claimed that the technology in the drone is not unfamiliar to Iran, which has itself built several indigenous models of drones, some of which are believed to be based off of a downed U.S. drone reportedly captured in 2013.

The U.S. State Department has remained quiet thus far when confronted with questions about the incident.

When asked on Monday if she could confirm that an Israeli drone was downed by Iran, State Department Spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki demurred.

“I don’t have anything to update you on that front,” Psaki said. “My apologies.”

Original Content by The Washington Free Beacon

Pentagon refuses to heed to China’s Demands to Reduce Spy Flights

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Pentagon refuses to heed to China’s Demands to Reduce Spy Flights

The Pentagon on Tuesday rejected demands by China that the United States end all surveillance flights along China’s borders.

“We’re going to continue to fly in international airspace the way we’ve been, just like we’re going to continue to sail our ships in international waters the way we’ve been,” Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Chinese military commentators stepped up criticism of the U.S. military for the encounter Aug. 19 between a Navy P-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft and a Chinese Su-27 interceptor jet and said more aggressive intercepts could be expected in the future.

The Pentagon said the jet flew within 20 feet of the P-8 in dangerous aerial maneuvers.

Kirby said the United States would not reduce its posture in the Pacific.

“The United States is a Pacific power; we have responsibilities—five of seven treaty alliances in the Pacific region,” he said. “We’re going to meet those security commitments. We want to do this in an open and transparent way. We want to share as much information with our allies and partners and with China as we can, and we want to do that. But none of that cooperation is aided along by that kind of reckless behavior by that particular pilot.”

One Chinese admiral said Chinese interceptors should fly closer to U.S. surveillance aircraft in future intercepts.

Rear Adm. Zhang Zhaozhong from the People’s Liberation Army National Defense University called for closer intimidating intercepts of U.S. aircraft. In the past, PLA jets lacked the technical capabilities were unable to put “enough pressure” on U.S. aircraft, he said, but now must apply more.

Zhang, quoted in the Party newspaper Global Times, also said China should begin surveillance flights of the United States in retaliation.

Other current and former Chinese military officials denounced U.S. surveillance flights in state-run media reports over the past several days.

Sr. Col. Li Li, also of the defense university, stated that China could not accept the Pentagon’s description of the flights as a routine mission and said intercepts would continue.

Retired PLA Rear Adm. Yin Zhuo said that the U.S. flights were legal under international law but characterized them as “dangerous and provocative.”

Chinese military efforts to thwart the surveillance flights were “reasonable,” he said.

Kirby said the incident was a setback for Obama administration efforts to develop closer military ties with the PLA, a goal outlined during a summit last year between President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“It’s important that we continue to work at this relationship, absolutely,” Kirby said. “That is not made easier by incidents like we saw with the intercept of our P-8 patrol aircraft, which was on a routine mission in international airspace, and under no circumstances and under no rubric of military relations is it acceptable to fly a jet fighter around a reconnaissance airplane the way that was done.”

The Pentagon will continue to “look for avenues to try to increase the dialogue and the cooperation and the understanding and the transparency between our two countries, but again, that incident did nothing to help that along,” he said.

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said in a statement Sunday that the Chinese J-11, Beijing’s designation for the Su-27, reacted to the flight of two Navy aircraft flying east of Hainan Island. Yang said the Chinese jet stayed a “safe distance.”

Yang said the United States should reduce the flights and eventually halt them.

Kirby on Friday, in harsh comments, called the Chinese pilot’s threatening aerial encounter “dangerous” and “unprofessional.” He called the Chinese jet’s maneuvers, including a barrel roll over the P-8, as posing a risk to the crew and violating international law.

The Chinese action was “very, very close; very dangerous,” Kirby said.

In response to the criticism, Yang said in the Defense Ministry statement that the U.S. charges were “totally groundless” and described U.S. military flights as “large-scale and high-frequency surveillance” that poses a threat to air and maritime safety.

At the Pentagon yesterday, Kirby rejected the spokesman’s comments. “We obviously take deep issue with that characterization of the incident,” he said.

Kirby said Navy officials will meet later this week with Chinese counterparts and he said he did not know “the degree to which this incident will come up” in the talk and referred questions to the Navy.

Last week, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jeff Pool said in a statement that the Su-27 intercepted the P-8 135 miles east of Hainan Island.

“The intercept was aggressive and demonstrated a lack of due regard for the safety and well being of the U.S. and Chinese aircrews and aircraft,” Pool said.

“On three different occasions, the Chinese J-11 crossed directly under the U.S. aircraft with one pass having only 50 to 100 feet separation between the two aircraft,” Pool said. “The Chinese jet also passed the nose of the P-8 at 90 degrees with its belly toward the P-8 to show its weapons loadout.”

Pool said the pilot who conducted the intercept is based at the same Hainan Island unit that was linked to other aggressive aerial intercepts in March, April, and May.

“We are concerned that the intercepting crews from that unit are acting aggressively and demonstrating a lack of regard for the safety of our aircrews,” Pool said. “We have raised our concerns over this unsafe behavior to the PRC.”

Original Post by The Washington Free Beacon

Washington gears up,plans to attack specific ISIS targets in Syria

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Washington gears up,plans to attack specific ISIS targets in Syria

The US government has stepped up its efforts to increase its knowledge of Islamic State activities and assets in and around Raqqa, the group’s nominal capital…report by The Jerusalem Post

The United States intelligence and defense communities are preparing a long list of possible military targets in Syria for President Barack Obama belonging to the Islamic State, a terrorist organization holding ground throughout eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

The US government has stepped up its efforts to increase its knowledge of Islamic State activities and assets in and around Raqqa, the group’s nominal capital, after it finished taking over the region from the Assad government last week.

The US understanding of the reality in the portion of Syria under Islamic State control – what the intelligence community calls “visibility” – has been poor, as evidenced most publicly by a covert rescue operation in July that incorrectly identified the whereabouts of several Americans held captive by the group.

Islamic State has killed thousands of Christians and Muslims in the way of its march throughout Iraq, down the Euphrates and up the Tigris rivers, in an effort to form a caliphate that will extend from Baghdad to Tel Aviv.

The US lists the group as a terrorist organization, but its public beheading last week of James Foley, an American journalist, shook Washington and prompted Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey to call the group “beyond anything we’ve ever seen.”

Obama, too, called the group a “cancer” that poses a direct threat to the Muslims of Iraq, to US allies in Europe and to the American homeland.

“America does not forget,” Obama said on Tuesday. “Our reach is long. We are patient. Justice will be done.”

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki repeated on Tuesday that, despite sharing a common enemy in the Islamic State, the US would not coordinate with President Bashar Assad should it choose to strike within Syrian territory.

“Certainly we would not view it as being on the same side just because there is a common enemy,” she said. The US has repeatedly called for Assad to step down, and in recent days has blamed him for creating conditions that have allowed Islamic State to metastasize.

“When it comes to the interests of the American people, the interests of the United States, we’re not going to ask for permission from the Syrian regime,” Psaki continued, adding, “We would obviously have a legal justification for any action taken.”

Psaki said the political justification for striking Islamic State would be the protection of American lives. The threat is not restricted to borders, and thus US military options would not adhere to such restrictions, she said.

Nearly a year ago, Obama weighed striking Syria after Assad used sarin gas against a civilian town, killing 1,400 people.

Some 500 were children, and it was the deadliest attack in the three-year-old civil war to date.

During that debate, Obama took a consequential walk through the White House grounds with his chief of staff, Dennis McDonough, to discuss how to proceed. The president decided on that walk to seek authorization from Congress to use force, prompting a dramatic flurry of activity on Capitol Hill, rare during the August summer recess. Congress did not authorize force, and so the US did not act.

Obama took a similar walk on Monday with McDonough through those same grounds, though the White House did not provide a readout of the conversation. On Capitol Hill, no such flurry has matched what occurred last year.

Administration officials have not said whether the president would, once again, request authorization for the use of force from Congress.

Original Post by The Jerusalem Post

Photos of ISIS flag at Sacred Places in Israel via Social Media is worrisome

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Photos of ISIS flag at Sacred Places in Israel via Social Media is worrisome

The chilling black flag of the Islamic State is popping up on social media in Israel, including one image of the terror banner snapped against the backdrop of the nation’s holiest site — prompting fears the ultra-violent jihadist group could have sympathizers inside the Jewish state.

A photo that recently appeared on Twitter showed the flag held aloft on the Temple Mount, the most sensitive religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem, that includes the Golden ‘Dome of the Rock’ mausoleum and the ‘Al Aqsa’ Mosque, sacred to Muslims, adjacent to the Western Wall, the holiest place for Jews. Other online postings have shown the flag being flown in Nazareth, where the fast-growing Muslim community lives side-by-side with Christian Arabs in a sometimes tense environment, and also in Acre, the ancient port city close to Israel’s border with Lebanon in the north. The images have stirred fears the terror group previously known as ISIS has sympathizers in Israel

“If you look at ISIS as a code, a brand name, or a symbol to identify with, then you can find people in the area [who identify with it] not just in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, but around the region, because it symbolizes some kind of victorious pro-active Islam — a compensation sometimes for a sense of disappointment, failure, or marginalization,” Yoram Schweizer, head of the Program on Terrorism and Low Intensity Conflict at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, told FoxNews.com.

The black flag predates Islamic State, but the terrorist army has co-opted it as a battle banner. The words inscribed on it, known in Islam as the Shahada, translate to “There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”

In another disturbing development that raised the specter of the Islamic State in Israel, a YouTube clip aired on an evening news program showing a young girl believed to be from the Israeli Arab village of Taibe. In the video, the girl is encouraged by an adult off-camera to decapitate a doll with a long knife to the cries of ‘Allah Hu’Akbar,’ The video ends with a photo of the moment immediately prior to the recent execution by ISIS of U.S. journalist James Foley, leaving the viewer in no doubt where the inspiration for the macabre indoctrination of the vulnerable child comes from.

In a written response to questions from FoxNews.com, Israel’s Justice Ministry confirmed that ISIS has been declared a terror organization, and that the ministry is “concluding the examination towards declaring ISIS an unlawful association”, a move that could render any support for the Islamic State illegal in the State of Israel.

Islamic State has vowed to expand its so-called caliphate into Israel and “liberate” Jerusalem.

“This is not the first border we will break, Inshallah [God willing]” an English-speaking Chilean recruit to ISIS, (who goes by the name of Abu Saffiya), states in a video allegedly filmed at an abandoned army post on the Iraq-Syria border earlier this summer and originally highlighted by the Jerusalem Post. “Abu Bakhr al-Baghdadi [leader of ISIS] says, ‘God will break all barriers… Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon…all of them until we reach Al Quds [Jerusalem].’”

Support for the bloodthirsty group is far more overt in the Palestinian-controlled territories of Gaza and the West Bank, where it may even be seen as an eventual threat to current Palestinian leadership. In June, Islamic State supporters held a rally in southern Gaza to celebrate the early successes of Islamic State in capturing key Iraqi cities such as Mosul and Tikrit,” according to the Tel Aviv-based Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.

“During the support rally, held on June 12, 2014, ISIS and Al Qaeda flags were waved, and slogans were heard in favor of establishing an Islamic caliphate (the Islamic State), and against the Jews,” stated a report by the center. “The support rally was dispersed by the Hamas police.”

For now, experts who spoke to FoxNews.com do not believe Islamic State poses a clear and present threat to Israel, but they acknowledge the group’s appeal and rapid growth in the region is worrisome.

“Up to now we haven’t seen ISIS infrastructure in Israel, in Gaza, or in the West Bank” Schweizer said. “You may find it in future, but right now they’re too busy [in Iraq and Syria] to invest in Israel itself, or in the West Bank.”

Original Content from Fox News

6.4 Earthquake in Chile

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A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the region around Valparaiso, Chile on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage from the strong quake that occurred at 22:32 GMT (7:32 p.m. EDT), but electricity and telephone service was interrupted in some areas. Three aftershocks were registered in the area shortly thereafter.

The seismological service initially reported the initial quake’s magnitude as 6.6, but later downgraded it to 6.4.

A preliminary report showed the quake was centered in the Valparaiso area about 18 kilometers (11 miles) west-northwest of a community called Hacienda La Calera, around 118 kilometers (73 miles) from the capital of Santiago. It had a depth of about 32 kilometers (19 miles.)

Original Report by Worthy News

Large 6.9 Earthquake in Central Peru

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A large 6.9-magnitude earthquake has struck a sparsely populated area of central Peru, the U.S. Geological Survey said Sunday.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, said Mario Casareto, spokesman for Peru’s fire agency. He said authorities were still surveying the region, including the Ayacucho area where the quake was centered.

The seismological service initially reported the magnitude as 7, but revised it downward to 6.9 in a subsequent report. According to the survey’s updated figures, the quake occurred at 2321GMT Sunday and was centered about 43 kilometers (27 miles) east-northeast of an area called Tambo, and about 467 kilometers (290 miles) southeast of the capital of Lima. It had a depth of 101 kilometers (62.8 miles), the survey said.

Local media said that the quake was felt in parts of Lima and in many major cities of southeastern Peru, including Cuzco and Arequipa.

Original Report by Worthy News

Iranian Pastor Charged with the “Crime” of ‘Waging War Against God’

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Iranian Pastor Charged with the “Crime” of ‘Waging War Against God’

An Iranian pastor has been charged with “waging war against God,” a crime punishable by death, according to BarnabasAid…as reported by Worthy News

Pastor Matthias Haghnejad was arrested in July when intelligence agents raided his home in Bandar-e-Anzali. The officers also arrested two other converts from Islam: Mohammad Roghangir and Suroush Saraie. The agents then confiscated Bibles, Christian literature and the pastor’s personal computer.

In August, Matthias was charged with “Moharebeh” or “waging war against God” after being interrogated for hours. Moharebeh is a capital offence that previously has only been prosecuted in cases of criminal activity, armed protests, oppositional political activism and separatism.

Suroush and Mohammad are charged with “actions against national security,” “evangelizing” and “disturbing public order”.

Although Iran is a signatory to the U.N. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, it continually denies religious rights to some minorities. Iranian authorities systematically charge Christians — notably Protestants and converts from Islam — with religious crimes that are often presented as political or criminal in nature.

Convictions for converts are often a foregone conclusion and long prison sentences are not unusual.

Original Post by Worthy News

Georgia School Students Pray, Stand for Faith Despite Threat of Lawsuit from Humanist Group

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Georgia School Students Pray, Stand for Faith Despite Threat of Lawsuit from Humanist Group

Approximately 200 students at a Georgia high school and their parents gathered to pray on the football field Wednesday—with an even larger gathering on Thursday—in response to a letter from a national humanist organization that threatened possible legal action if the school’s coaches continue “promot[ing] Christianity.”

As previously reported, the American Humanist Association (AHA) sent a letter on Tuesday to the superintendent of Hall County Schools, the principal of Chestatee High School and the chairman of the Board of Education after it received any complaint from a local resident about practices at the school.

According to the letter, written by AHA attorney Monica Miller, coaches at Chestatee High School have allegedly been citing Bible verses on team documents and either leading or joining with the team in prayer.

“We have received reports that CHS coaches have joined players in prayer while standing in a circle, hands interlocked. At times, the head coach has led the prayers, which is an egregious violation of the Establishment Clause,” the correspondence reads. “Further violating the Constitution, a citation to Galatians 6:9 was placed at the bottom of workout log sheets given to players, and the citation and text of Proverbs 27:17 was written in giant letters on a banner used for a football team pregame entrance.”

“This type of religious activity, by government employees in the course of their duties as public school football coaches, is a clear violation of the Establishment Clause,” Miller asserted, demanding “that CHS coaching staff cease leading, participating in, or encouraging team prayer, and that the school remove all Bible verses and other religious messages from team documents and related materials.”

The organization threatened a possible lawsuit if the practices are not discontinued, requesting that a response be received in two weeks. District officials state that they are conducting an investigation into the matter.

“There certainly is no legal precedent that you can’t use a verse … that does not promote a particular religion,” Superintendent Will Schofield told the Gainesville Times. “Until I know exactly what text we’re talking about, we’ll have to investigate that. … [I]f some of our folks are doing what they shouldn’t, we’ll take care of it.”

But students at Chestatee High School decided to demonstrate their support for the football team on Wednesday by gathering together to pray on the field. According to reports, an estimated 200 students and their parents huddled on the field in solidarity, and a second gathering, which was said to have been even larger, was held on Thursday at another location on the campus.

“We choose to pray, they don’t make us pray,” Megan Ellis, a student at Chestatee High School told reporters.

“I think [the controversy is] really ridiculous. Every school does it,” added student Marlen Olvera. “Every school prays before football games and after football games. It’s not the coach’s decision; it’s the students decision.”

“I think it’s sad that you can be in a state prison, and you can have a Bible and read it all day long, and you can have a worship service inside that prison, but you can’t pray on a football field,” said parent Kevin Elrod.

Original Post by Christian News Network

Islamic State seizes Key Syrian(Tabqa) airbase

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Islamic State seizes Key Syrian(Tabqa) airbase

Fighters from Islamic State (IS) have taken control of a key Syrian government airbase, activists say.

The Tabqa airbase was the last remaining stronghold of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Raqqa province..

State TV confirmed that government forces had “evacuated” the airbase. Days of fighting there have reportedly killed hundreds on both sides.

More than 191,000 people have now been killed in the three-year-old Syrian conflict up to April, the UN says.

IS, formerly known as ISIS, has expanded its reach into large parts of eastern Syria and northern Iraq in recent months.

The US has launched limited airstrikes against the group in Iraq but has not targeted them in Syria.

‘Heavy fighting’

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group with opposition ties, said clashes around the airbase were ongoing but added that the base was under IS control.

Hundreds of soldiers and IS fighters had died in the past few days’ fighting around the base, the Observatory said.

Syrian state television confirmed that government troops had lost control of the base.

“After heavy fighting by the forces defending the Tabqa airbase, our forces implemented a regrouping operation after the evacuation of the airbase,” it said.

Government forces were conducting airstrikes on the base after the troops evacuated, it reported.

The base lies around 45km (30 miles) outside Raqqa city, the main powerbase of IS, and is believed to hold dozens of warplanes, helicopters, tanks and artillery.

Analysts say the fall of the base is a significant blow for the Syrian government’s ability to project air power into the north of the country.

The base was the last remaining government outpost in the province, the BBC’s Sebastian Usher reports.

The militants have celebrated previous victories over two other bases by displaying the severed heads of soldiers in the middle of the town, our correspondent adds.

IS fighters have steadily taken over several government military bases in Raqqa province in recent weeks, including the Division 17 base just outside Raqqa town.

In a separate incident, Syrian government forces killed 32 rebels in an ambush in Deraa in southern Syria, activists said.

State media confirmed the attack, and said tens of fighters had been killed.

Opposition groups in Syria have been fighting President Bashar al-Assad since 2011.

Original Post by BBC

Fulton County Public Schools Ask for Assistance from Faith Community

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ot1lsduSbM

More than 50 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court banned public school prayer. That decision is still stirring debate, but it doesn’t mean schools and churches can’t work together.

In one Georgia town, this partnership is helping students succeed. Francella Perryman believes in the Church’s calling to meet the needs of the community.

Perryman is especially passionate about kids and practices what she preaches as outreach director for Mount Pisgah United Method church in the Atlanta suburb of Johns Creek.

“Jesus did not just sit in the pews, he was out in the community. And if we are to seriously be light to the world, you have got to get out into the community and support these children,” she told CBN News.

Making the Connection

When the Fulton County public schools asked for help from the faith community, Perryman immediately reached out to Hillside Elementary school, where many low minority and income students attend.

“I just went to the principal and talked to her, found out what her needs were and our need to be a light,” she explained.

It is a part of a plan put in place by Fulton County School Superintendent Robert Avossa after realizing that public schools under his helm could not meet the needs of the students in his district alone.

“With the school system of nearly a 100,000 students and almost half of which live at or below the poverty level, it was clear early on that no matter how many resources we had, we weren’t going to be able to reach every one of our children,” Avossa said.

Faith to the Rescue

The response from the faith community was overwhelming. More than 100 houses of worship, including churches, synagogues, and others offered services to public school in Fulton County, ranging from feeding programs to after school athletic camp.

Avossa said he was impressed by the help.

“I began to talk with community members. It became very clear that there were a lot of people in the community and our faith community, in particular, that were interested in helping,” he said.

But Dr. Avossa knew that going from talking about the plan to making it happen would be not be easy.

Local media questioned if he was allowing churches in the schools to change the way people believe.

It’s an issue Avossa said Fulton County has been careful about before proceeding.

“We brought in an attorney to share early on with our faith community the importance of working with schools, that this is a place of volunteerism, a place for people to help,” he explained.

Being a Light

Meanwhile, Perryman said the goal of Mt. Pisgah’s involvement with the school is to demonstrate help for students in tangible ways.

“We’re not so much focused on only having them attend our church,” she said. “It’s again being a partner with them and allowing them to see the light of Christ and supporting the schools.”

Students at Hillside are reaping tremendous benefits from the partnership.

Volunteers from Mt. Pisgah provide tutoring and mentoring programs during the school’s lunchtime and the church recently hosted a back to school event, providing backpacks and free school supplies.

Hillside Principal Dr. Maisha Ottway said partnering with churches and other groups simply makes sense.

“I think the biggest take away is our schools are supported and don’t always have to be supported by us,” she said. “There are community faith-based organizations that benefit from supporting us so why do we not need to tap into that resource?”

Mt. Pisgah also provides shuttle service to the school for parents interested in attending parent conferences but who have no transportation.

Dr. Ottway said attendance at school events have increased as a result.

Perryman added that parents want to be involved in school events but that if transportation is an obstacle, loaning out church vans is the least the church can do to help.

A Simple Thing

Ottway said the partnership with the church is making her job as principal easier.

“I can’t do everything and I can’t provide everything for my kiddos. It doesn’t have to be grandiose, it just has to be sustainable and that’s what Mount Pisgah has done. And for me it’s just a simple, simple thing,” she added.

Both the school and the church said the partnership is working well and yielding benefits for all involved, especially the students.

“The better prepared kids are to be self-sufficient and to contribute to the community, the healthier the community,” Avossa said.

“And at the end of the day I think it’s a great place to focus,” she said. “It’s a win win for everybody.”

Original Content by CBN News

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