It is no secret that many students in America’s schools test consistently below grade level. When this failure to succeed in school is combined with the broken families, drug availability, and gang presence that are ever present in our nation’s urban culture, it is not hard to understand why many children are making decisions that will ultimately handicap them the rest of their life.Situated in Highlandtown, Abbott Memorial Presbyterian Church is no stranger to the issues that confront the population in the area. Programs such as We Care have flourished for decades as a result of its members’ understanding of and commitment to their community and its people. Recently, under the suggestion of Pastor Paul Warren, young adults from Abbott brainstormed about ways in which they could reach the youth of their community. The end result of several months of planning and meetings was the development of the Abbott Tutoring Center.At the Abbott Tutoring Center, we aspire to empower the children of our community by offering academic assistance aimed at raising the child’s confidence in their educational aptitude. In the process, we provide another person in their life that values both them and their education. Ultimately, we hope to connect students with as many members of our community with a heart for our city’s children as possible. It is our hope that the tutors of Abbott Tutoring Center are not only a source of educational knowledge for our students but also one of life knowledge.The tutoring program currently takes place on Tuesday nights from 5:45-7:15 pm. After a light meal is served (we could always use some more volunteers to cook…) a one-on-one tutoring session commences for a little less than an hour. The night concludes with the tutors and students participating in a brief activity together.Tuesday, November 20, 2007 marked the first official meeting of the Abbott Tutoring Center. Three students and three tutors worked for an hour and got to know each other before playing a thrilling game of Scattergories. Since this time, the tutoring program has grown exponentially. At our first meeting of the new year, nine students and nine tutors were present, and we still have students to interview!It has been very exciting to see the tutoring center develop. I am continually encouraged by the attitudes of our tutors AND students. As a new attendee to Abbott, I must say that I am profoundly impressed by the member’s commitment to their community. It is my hope and prayer that this commitment will continue and that the love of Jesus Christ emanating from this church may be felt throughout Highlandtown in the years to come.

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