Dean, I appreciated "The Way across the achievement gap" [Viewpoints, Feb. 13], your latest response in our dialog.

I'm very encouraged your faith leads you to get involved addressing problems which affect the daily lives of people in our local community-such as the achievement gap at the high school. I'd be interested to read more about local community initiatives you're involved in as our dialog continues.

I agree that addressing the achievement gap goes beyond providing mentors in structured environments, that how students treat each other whenever they see each other matters.

You wrote about how your beliefs inform your understanding of problems such as the achievement gap and how to address them. I respect that, but for me it's enough that we agree there's a problem and on an approach to solving it. That's sufficient for people to work together and real progress to be made.

To me it's striking that when Jesus called his disciples, he simply said, "Follow me." He didn't interrogate them to check whether they had the "right" beliefs to qualify as his followers. He just invited them to join him in what he was doing.

The other day I needed a blood test. Because I hadn't been to that location before, I had to provide all sorts of personal information and sign a number of forms before anything else could happen. Some churches require that, too, before they let you do anything. But with Jesus, if you wanted to join him in what he was doing, you just started following.

Jesus did also say The Way was narrow and the gate is hard to enter. But I don't think he meant there were external hoops to jump through. I think he was referring to what's inside us which can hold us back. It's harder to get involved than not to. We're tempted to make excuses like "someone else will do it"-unless we resist that, we'll never make it onto The Way.

I'm glad Jesus' Way is without high walls or locked gates or security guards to check whether our beliefs "qualify" us to be on it. If we want to be on it, we're welcome to go ahead-it's waiting for us.

When adult mentors are sought for the high school, I hope many people in our community will see that as an invitation to journey further along a Way worth following-and that they'll accept.

Helen Mildenhall