    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [October 29, 2003]
    [Pages 1414-1419]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Dedication of the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Youth
    Education Center in Dallas, Texas
    October 29, 2003

        The President. Thank you all.
        Audience members. USA! USA! USA!
        The President. Thank you all.
        Audience members. USA! USA! USA!
        The President. Zip it. [Laughter] Thank you all for coming. It's
    great to be home. I'm glad to be with people who are transforming a
    community one heart and one soul at a time. That's what's taking place
    here, and that's why I'm here.
        I want to thank you all for supporting Project Turn Around. I want
    to thank you for supporting with your resources, with your time, and
    with your prayers. I want to thank my friend Tony Evans for his leadership. He's what I like to call a social
    entrepreneur. We've got business entrepreneurs, and this country has got
    social entrepreneurs--those are people who use their wits and their
    talents as change agents, as positive change agents.
        You can hear Tony on 500 radio
    stations. You can read 20 of his books. You can listen to his powerful
    sermons on Sunday. He is a busy man, and one of the advantages of being
    President is he'll take my phone call. [Laughter] And I'm glad he does.
    I appreciate his advice, and he's got good, sound advice. I appreciate
    his friendship; he is a loyal friend. And I appreciate his prayers. The
    greatest gift American people can give a President and his family is
    prayer, and I want to thank you for that.

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        Tony and I married well. [Laughter] I'm
    so honored to be with Lois Evans. Thank you very
    much for your hospitality. And the Evans family, Chrystal and Priscilla as well as
    Anthony, Jr. Anthony, Jr., was telling
    me--actually, he's a modest guy, so his dad was telling me--[laughter]--
    that he just got back from cutting a record with Michael W.
    Smith. I think that's what he said, kind of
    like that. Well, he was with Michael W. Smith. [Laughter] We'll see if
    the record happens or not. [Laughter]
        Some of my greatest memories was living in Austin, Texas, and
    showing up for work at the Capitol. Two members of the legislative
    branch are here, people who I remember fondly, people who I miss.
    Senator Royce West and Representative Helen
    Giddings are with us.
        I want you to know that I'm aware that Reverend E.K. Bailey passed,
    and I send our deepest sympathies to his family and to his congregation.
    He was a great leader here in the great State of Texas.
        I bring up a preacher because I want to thank all the preachers who
    are here, the pastors, those who shepherd. One pastor who is not here is
    my friend Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist.
    I bring that up because social entrepreneurs find out ways to leverage
    resources in a proper way. And what Tony Evans has done with Pastor Jack Graham is to start an urban-
    suburban partnership. It's an opportunity for suburban churches to
    participate in salvaging lives and making lives better in neighborhoods
    where most members of the congregation will never go. It's a chance for
    urban and suburban churches to work on racial reconciliation. Social
    entrepreneurs think about ways to make societies a better place. And I
    want to thank Tony, and I appreciate Jack for having a vision about how
    to--about how to make America a better place, one neighborhood at a
    time.
        A President must set great goals worthy of a great nation. We're a
    great nation. Therefore, a President must set big goals. I set a goal
    for this country to make the world more peaceful by spreading freedom.
    Freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is God's gift to
    each and every individual in the world.
        I set a great goal here at home. I want the American Dream, the
    great hope of our country, to extend in every neighborhood in our
    country. I want every single person in this land to feel welcome and
    wanted and hopeful. It's a great domestic goal. And of course, when you
    think about setting goals, you've got to think about the tactics and
    strategies to achieve a goal. It's one thing to set a goal; it's another
    thing to actually meet the goal.
        And one of the reasons I'm so thrilled to be here with Tony
    Evans is because he helped me understand
    how to best meet that goal. He probably didn't realize it at the time,
    but there's something about ``mysterious ways.'' [Laughter] We were
    together in Greenville, Texas, in 1996. It's an unusual place for, you
    know, a Governor and a famous pastor to meet. But we were there because
    we were worried about racial reconciliation as a result of some fires
    that had destroyed church.
        And I'll never forget his speech. It's stuck with me to this day. As
    a matter of fact, what I'm telling you is it's helped formulate policy,
    first at State level, now the Federal level, because he got up and he
    said, in speaking about programs meant to help people, welfare
    programs--he said, you know, get rid of
    your welfare programs; think differently. He said the best welfare
    programs are on every corner in America. They're open 24 hours a day.
    They've got a workforce that is guided by an ancient guidebook whose
    tenets have stood the test of time. They've got a motto over the door
    that says, ``Love your neighbor like you would like to be loved
    yourself.''
        Tony went on to explain why faith-based
    programs, programs that emanate out of faith institutions work so well.
    He told the story; maybe he has told it to you. If he has, I've got to
    repeat it because the TV cameras are here. [Laughter] He said he's

    [[Page 1416]]

    reminded of the time when a fellow had a house and he got a crack on the
    wall. And he went and got a painter or a plasterer, and a fellow came
    and covered it up. And 2 weeks later, the crack reappeared. And so he
    said, ``Well, I better get another painter.'' And he did. And he
    repainted the crack. But it reappeared again. He finally got a wise
    painter who said, ``Sir, you'll never fix the crack until you fix the
    foundation.'' Project Turn Around fixes the foundation.
        That's what we're here to herald, programs such as Project Turn
    Around. It's got such a wonderful sense of mission. It says, ``to
    rebuild lives from the inside out.'' It's a powerful statement, isn't
    it? Really think about it--``to rebuild lives;'' that's a hopeful goal
    for our country. We want people to realize the great potential of
    America. Some lives have to be rebuilt. And it didn't say ``from the
    outside in;'' it said ``from the inside out.'' It's a faith-based
    initiative built from the inside out, not from the outside in.
        Listen to what you do through this ministry. There's a thousand
    volunteers who provide shelter and food and clothing. There's marriage
    counseling. It's vital that we have strong families in America. And they
    provide marriage counseling. Job training--somebody walks in this
    building, and they want to work. They just--there's human dignity that
    comes from work, and they can find a chance to train for jobs right here
    in Project Turn Around. Advice on starting a small business--that warms
    my heart. If you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of
    our country. There's nothing better than somebody realizing their dreams
    by starting and owning their own business. It's uniquely--not
    ``uniquely,'' it's inherently American that people are able to do that
    right here. Who would think that in a church you would have a program to
    teach you how to start your own business? Social entrepreneurs think
    that way.
        Project Turn Around is a complete program. A woman can find help
    during a crisis pregnancy. There's a tenderness and a practicality to
    Project Turn Around. This program is a beacon for Dallas. And this
    program is a model for the Nation.
        We just came from the dedication of the Education and Youth Center.
    If you haven't been there yet, you need to go take a look. It's
    impressive. The brick and mortar is impressive. The architectural design
    is fantastic. What's more fantastic is what's going to take place inside
    the building.
        I'm appreciative of the idea of the Fellowship Christian Academy
    taking root and taking wing here. This is a program which challenges the
    soft bigotry of low expectations. It raises standards. It believes every
    child can learn. See, that's important in education. We must challenge
    the mediocrity of a system. We must not let people just get shuffled
    through because their skin happens to be black. You know, people can't
    quit on a child. No child should be left behind. This school and this
    building understands that.
        But the building across the street not only houses the school, it
    also houses a mentoring program that gathers children from 60 schools.
    Five thousand children a week are mentored. That's powerful; that is a
    powerful program.
        One of my passions--and I spoke to the Congress about this at my
    State of the Union--was to help the children whose mom or dad may be in
    prison. My hope is that--and I know that Tony understands this--the mentoring program for that child,
    those children are necessary for the country to be hopeful for every
    single citizen. What this program understands--and what I hope other
    programs around the Nation understand--is that by mentoring a child, you
    shape the character of a child. And it's a high calling in life, because
    that influence reaches to eternity.

    [[Page 1417]]

        As I said, Government can hand out money--and we will, and that's an
    important aspect--but it cannot put hope in people's hearts. See, that's
    the disconnect. It can't put hope in people's lives. We must understand
    that amidst our plenty, there are people who hurt, deeply hurt. And the
    deepest needs are oftentimes found in the human heart. In order to help
    that need, people need to know they're valued and wanted. People need to
    know a higher power that is bigger than their problems.
        What the faith-based programs say, time after time after time, is
    that miracles are possible when somebody puts their arm around a
    neighbor and says, ``God loves you. I love you. And you can count on us
    both.'' Faith-based programs work. They are able to address the deepest
    needs of our heart.
        And so when I heard Tony speak at
    Greenville, I began to act. It touched my heart, what he had to say. I
    wanted everybody to realize the vast potential then of the State of
    Texas, now all across America. So I started to work on and think about
    faith-based programs. They're effective. They're so effective that it
    points to a new role for government, a new political philosophy.
        But first, let me say Government has no business funding religious
    worship or teaching. They don't want the church to be the state, and we
    don't want the state to be the church. However, our Government should
    support the good work of religious people who are changing America.
        What does that mean from a practical sense, from where I sit? What
    does that mean? It means this, that when Government gives contracts to
    provide social services, religious groups should have an equal chance to
    compete. That's what that means. And when we make decisions on public
    funding, we should not focus on the religion you practice but on the
    results you deliver.
        This has not been the attitude of government; let's be frank about
    it. The attitude of government, particularly in Washington, has said
    religious groups need not apply. That's the way it has been. We're
    missing an opportunity to help change lives and to meet a major goal in
    our country, which is everyone should realize the great vast potential
    of America.
        If you're allowed to apply for grants on that rare occasion, some
    are asked to change their board of directors, to remove the cross from
    the wall, to change the very things that make the faith-based program
    effective. And I'll give you an example of what I'm talking about.
    There's the Orange County Rescue Mission in Tustin, California. It's a
    fantastic initiative. They applied for funding from the Housing and
    Urban Development. We call it HUD. HUD said fine, but it had a few
    conditions to meet. In other words, there was access, perhaps, to
    Federal money, but let me tell you the conditions. The Rescue Mission
    had to form a secular nonprofit. They had to ban all religious
    activities from their facility. They had to rename their chapel and
    auditorium.
        It's hard to be a faith-based program when you're forbidden from
    practicing your faith. It's hard to change hearts when you can't use the
    power you've got to change the hearts. Government action like this is
    pure discrimination. And when Government discriminates against religious
    groups, it is not the groups who suffer. The real loss is felt by the
    hungry who do not get fed, by the addicts who don't get help and
    treatment, by the children who drift toward self-destruction. For the
    sake of so many people in need, this country must support the armies of
    compassion.
        I asked Congress to join me and pass what I called the Faith-Based
    Initiative, which would help change the culture of Washington and the
    behavior of bureaucracies. They have stalled. So I just signed an
    Executive order. The Executive order says that the Federal Government
    will have a level playing field when religious groups apply for Federal
    money. There will not

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    be discrimination. That's what it says, pure and simple. Every
    bureaucrat in Washington who might be tempted to fall back to the old
    ways now knows exactly where I stand.
        And we've set up faith-based offices. We're trying to change the
    culture, see. We're trying to change an attitude. So we set up faith-
    based offices in several important Cabinet departments. And that's
    important. This is important for people who are charged with good policy
    to have a faith-based office that will work directly with the social
    entrepreneurs of America, the Tony Evanses of the world, so they get a
    sympathetic ear and get help, not a cold shoulder.
        And there's some changes. Slowly but surely, the culture is
    changing. Just last month, the Department of Health and Human Services
    finalized regulations that helped open up three programs to greater
    competition--in other words, began to level the playing field. Programs
    in which religious faith-based programs--by the way, I'm talking about
    Christians and Jewish people and Muslims, Hindus, people of all faiths.
    See, we've all heard that call to love a neighbor.
        The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, now
    opening up for grants. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families,
    TANF, is now opening up for grants. The Community Service Block Grant
    Program is opening up for grants from faith-based institutions. These
    are billions of dollars of money now available for new social spending.
        Let me tell you, by new social spending I mean spending dollars in a
    new way, in a way that's effective, in a way that will help change lives
    in a positive and constructive way. See, we want everybody in this
    country, every person--we want the addict; we want the single lonely
    mom; we want the child, the dyslexic child--all to feel a part of the
    future of this country.
        Last month, HUD finalized new regulations that apply to aid programs
    covering $7.6 billion so that now religious groups that build housing
    will no longer face discrimination when they seek HUD funds. That's
    important. We want churches in the middle of neighborhoods that may need
    new housing to be able to have a chance to access some money to provide
    new housing. We have a minority homeownership gap in America that needs
    to be closed. We've got a program in front of Congress to help people
    with the downpayment. HUD has got a program to help people understand
    the fine print. We're trying to simplify contracts. But in order to help
    close the homeownership gap, it seems to make sense to allow inner-city
    churches to become active builders of homes, affordable homes, so people
    can find housing in the neighborhoods in which they worship.
        Remember, I told you about the program in Orange County, the Orange
    County Rescue Mission. It has now reapplied for a contract for HUD. It
    doesn't have to force to--be forced to abide by those rules, those rules
    that make people nervous. Listen, nobody wants to apply for Federal
    grants if you think you have to change your mission. Nobody in their
    right mind is going to say, ``Look, let me--let me access some of your
    money, but I've got to change the way I think.'' It defeats the purpose.
        We're making changes of the culture in Washington, DC. It takes
    awhile, but we're working on it. And the fact that I can come here--
    [applause]--and the fact that I can come here and herald this program as
    a successful program helps change the culture. There's nothing like
    success to change cultures.
        We've got some other projects here in Dallas. The Builders of Hope
    in West Dallas is a faith-based group building new homes for low-income
    families, which HUD is supporting. HHS is supporting the Faith Walk
    Center in Dallas, a program which fights drug abuse amongst young
    people. You've got to understand that sometimes, and a lot of times, the
    best way to help the addict, a person who is

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    stuck on drugs and alcohol, is to change their heart. See, if you change
    their heart, then they change their behavior. I know.
        We've got initiatives I've been talking to Tony about--he knows about this--called the Compassion Capital
    Fund. Sometimes entrepreneurs need startup capital, whether it be a
    business or the social entrepreneur needs startup capital. I don't think
    Evans needs startup capital. [Laughter] I think we're beyond the startup
    capital phase here at this fantastic, fantastic church. But it gives
    programs startup money and expansion money directly to the social
    entrepreneurs, and that's important. I'm calling on Congress to increase
    the budget to $100 million this year; they need to triple the amount of
    money available for this program.
        And so what I'm telling you is, is that the best way to meet a
    national goal is to rally the strength of America. The strength of
    America is the people of America. And the people of America, a lot of
    people in America understand there's a higher authority than their
    Government and respond to that higher authority. All the levels of
    government--and I can only speak for the Federal Government, but I might
    be able to affect the State government and local government by just
    speaking--[laughter]--but all levels of government, the Federal
    Government, the State of Texas and all States, the city of Dallas and
    all cities, ought not to fear programs based upon faith. All levels of
    government must understand the power of faith programs to make the
    communities and States and country in which we live a better place. It's
    the reality. This is living proof of it right here at Project Turn
    Around.
        I love our country. I love what we stand for. We're a strong nation.
    And in this world today, we need to be strong. We need to defend
    ourselves, and we will. And we need to promote the peace, and we will.
    And when we see suffering around the world, this country should not turn
    its back. We're strong, but we're incredibly compassionate as a nation.
    This proud country, America, is leading the world in incredibly
    important work, like the work of human rescue for those who are dying
    from AIDS on the continent of Africa.
        And we need to be strong at home too, strong of heart and strong of
    soul. Project Turn Around and other successful programs around our
    country show the strength, show the strength that bends down to help the
    child and the stranger and the outcast.
        I want to thank you all so very much for your welcome. I want to
    thank you for your compassion and your care. I want to thank you for
    laying those strong foundations which help those who hurt, because by
    laying that strong foundation, you're changing America one heart, one
    soul, one conscience at a time.
        God bless your work, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:18 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Anthony T. Evans, senior pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship; and
    entertainer Michael W. Smith.