The needs of children and youth have also shaped the mission of Highland. When Jesus healed the daughter of the Roman centurion, he demonstrated that the compassion of God was not to be restricted to members of the religious community but rather be responsive to the needs of all those within the larger community.
In 1955 Agnes David proposed the first weekday kindergarten to be held at Highland. In 1968 Bill Hammond and Fred Carter presented an extensive proposal for expanding the weekday program at the church and noted that some type of school had been part of Highland’s ministry from its inception. In their proposal was a provision for scholarships for the poor without regard to race, sex, creed or color. This was in addition to the work at the Lincoln Avenue Center which involved helping children outside of their immediate community.
In an imperfect community with the normal eratic commitments of faith, the signs of Christ’s concern for children continued to be evident.