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 CLC Summer Public Poicy Institute-
This July, the Austin staff of the CLC once again hosted our week long Public Policy Institute. The institute is open to high school students who have completed their sophomore through senior year. It is designed to teach the kids about the relevance of their faith to public policy. The students are given the opportunity to hear many speakers and learn about many careers in public policy.
This year we had eight students from all over Texas, seven girls and one brave boy. We stayed on the campus of St. Edward’s University in South Austin. Each day had a specific theme and began with sharing breakfast together followed with a devotional led by Coleman Fannin. This part of the day was designed to illustrate the relationship between our politically-charged themes and how God calls us as Christians to do His work here on Earth. Often, our speakers came on campus to talk to us and we hosted a myriad of experts ranging from politicians to lobbyists, nonprofits and religious figures. However, the schedule was not limited to a classroom format and the campers found themselves getting hands-on experience in many cases. We toured El Buen Samaritano, an Episcopal Mission that provides integrated health care, emergency food, advocacy, leadership, development, and basic education for working-poor families. The kids were able to get their hands dirty while helping to clean several classrooms. They were also able to volunteer on a local state representative race, on either the Democratic or Republican campaign. We toured the Capital, met with the director of a fantastic documentary, The Unforeseen, and swam at Barton Springs. It was an exciting, fulfilling and exhausting week.
We closed the week with an evening devoted to spiritual reflection. We talked about our role as Christians in politics and public service. We talked about all the issues and problems facing our state that we had become familiar with during the week. We talked about what frightened us, what excited us and what moved us. We had such a wonderful, bright group of kids this year. I could only listen in awe while these teenagers voiced their compassion for God’s creation; not just for our brothers and sisters in Christ, but for the poor, the unwell, animals and our environment. These kids had taken to heart Christ’s teachings about “the least of these” and I felt so blessed to be a part of their lives, if even for just this week. These are kids that I know God has big plans for. I can see Him in each of them and I know that they will continue to do His will wherever their lives may take them.
By Ann Garrigan, Southwestern University
CLC Summer Intern and former 2005 CLC PPI attendee
Volunteer Spotlight - Baptist General Convention of Texas
 An extraordinary group of members from the Baptist General Convention of Texas spent a day making of the classrooms in El Buen's Education Department and Child Learning Center a cleaner and refreshing learning environment.
As part of their week-long summer camp, 15 willing and energy-filled members of the Public Policy Institute of the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, ranging in age between 18 and 50 readily swept, organized, mopped and cleaned El Buen's Education classrooms, leaving them sparkling clean.
"Words cannot adequately express El Buen's profound gratitude for the work the volunteers undertook," said the Rev. Ed Gomez, executive director of El Buen Samaritano. "Their genuine concern and sense of community was contagious."
The volunteers from the Baptist General Convention of Texas saw no impediment in turning tables and chairs upside down to clean them from every angle. Their energetic, gracious-serving and compassion-filled attitude exemplified the spirit of Christian love and charity.
From the El Buen Samaritano Monthly Newsletter written by Ivan Davila (pictured is Katheryn Cansino of George West, Texas)
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