Father God,
a new year of school is here and students are returning to the classroom.
So much excitement.
So much apprehension.
Please hear my prayer as our kids resume.
There will be reading and writing and arithmetic too.
Spelling, science and all things new.
There will be friends and lunch and games galore.
There will be all of that and so much more.
Routines will be changing.
Schedules will get busy.
Sometimes all of this can make one feel dizzy.
So, Father God, hear my prayer,
and bless our children here and there.
Bless their teachers.
Bless their year.
Guide them so they will not fear.
Keep them safe, Lord, every busload.
Bless all drivers who share the road.
Bless our children here and now.
May this year cause them to say “Wow!”
Amen 🙂
First Day of School
First Day of School
We didn’t serve Doughnut holes this year but we were still out in full force 🙂
Today was the first day of school…and like last year Salem Lutheran Church was out in the parking lot to greet kids and their parents.
You may remember from my “Doughnut holes” post from last year (see link above) but the church parking lot provides a convenient way for parents to drop off their kids and pick them up from school…and the first day of school is the busiest.
This year the Salem Lutheran Church council had more time to plan and brainstorm. So this year we were out in the parking lot with coffee for mom and dad and juice for the kids (like last year). Something different from last year is that instead of doughnut holes we gave the kids a choice between a box of raisins or a granola bar; something they could take with them and eat later if they wanted (and it was healthy). We also had pencils with various sayings like “Jesus loves you“.
And…we had a box of kleenix…which was a welcomed sight for a couple parents 🙂
Why did we do this?
~ It wasn’t to gain more members
~ It wasn’t a fundraiser.
~ It wasn’t to bring more visibility to the church.
The reason was simple: To share the love of Christ in a very practical way.
…And we had a lot of fun.
After we were done ideas were starting to flow for next year…but hopefully it is not a full year until we show the love of Christ in a practical way. Hopefully this is a daily habit for people.
And for the Church…I look forward to the next opportunity 🙂
edh -|—
The Heart of a Pastor 