Since the courts have officially frowned on posting copies of the Ten Commandments anywhere on public school property, many Christians wonder how to reach more children with " ... the basis of moral law for human beings ... (and) ...the more kids that know them, the more they’ll know how to live ..."
George Kelley of Nashville, Tennessee (a retired flower shop owner) has found something he thinks can "do the job." In fact, he believes it has the potential of helping millions of young people. It involves paying $10 to any eligible boy or girl who can memorize and recite the Ten Commandments.
Kelley and his wife, Marion (both Presbyterians), started the "Ten Commandments Project" in 1997 after hearing about a series of seven murders that terrorized the Nashville area. They saw the crimes as an additional indication that young people today do not understand right from wrong. The Kelleys believe that if a child commits all ten commandments to memory they might think about them if they are tempted to lie, steal, or be involved in other wrongdoing.
An early concern was how to fund the project; but when word of the Kelleys’ project got around, supporters started sending donations. He has received amounts from $15 to as much as $10,000. So far, the money has always come in when needed.
So far, 7,000 youngsters have learned all ten commandments to earn the $10. That averages out to 1,400 per year. There are no "strings" on how the money can be spent, of course (checks are written to individuals); but two groups of students deserve special mention on the commendable ways they used the money.
At St. Marks Lutheran School in Houston, 100 pupils took part. Many donated their reward to needy children in Zimbabwe. Students at a Church of Christ school in Nashville (500 participated) all gave their money to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital in Memphis.
Kelley’s rules for the "Ten Commandments Project" are: (1) Participants must be 16 or younger; (2) They must live in the United States; (3) They must recite the commandments to an "authorized adult witness" (minister, rabbi, priest, teacher, adult leader of a youth group, etc.–no relatives); (4) Witnesses must sign an affidavit form pledging they heard the child’s recitation. These forms can be downloaded from a Web site (tencommandmentsproject.org).
Some of the children may participate just for the excitement of getting $10 to spend for themselves. The Kelley’s realize this, but it’s their hope the lesson will remain long after the money is gone.
Marion Kelley said, "We hope someday that it won’t be the $10 that’s important, but that they’ll have God’s word in their heart."