As the summer is beginning to wind down, we are looking ahead to the start of school. It must seem like we talk to you so much about legislation and education policy, but that’s really just a piece of what we value. The heart of Pastors for Texas Children is serving our neighborhood schools. The reason all of you who are pastors and faith leaders care about education policy at all is because of your ministry and mission to those schools.
If you are part of a congregation who has not yet decided on a plan of service to a nearby school, there are so many ways you can do that.
School supply drive for students
Teacher supply drive (think: dry erase markers, fun pens, small toys for treasure box)
Provide breakfast for the teachers one morning before the students start back
Volunteer at the school library or in the workroom
Join the PTA
Get involved with KidsHope USA, and mentor at-risk children
Connect with SnackPack, and provide food for children over the weekends
Set a meeting with the principal and/or counselor at your nearby school, and let them know you are there to be their advocate and supporter. Find out what their unique needs are.
Pray for your superintendent, and let her know you are praying for her.
We are so thankful that our schools will be filled with children again this year. But like everything else, COVID has left its mark, and we aren’t going back to exactly the way things were before. In some areas, schools were open for students but closed to volunteers. It is likely that many of those schools will see a volunteer void, after a year away. Consider whether this might be the case in your context, and whether you and your congregation are willing to fill the void.
Our priority at PTC is to see children thriving in public schools. Please be in prayer for the health and safety of all the teachers and students as we begin a new unknown season of living with various levels of COVID around us. PTC supports a diverse array of school districts, none of whom have the same context or approach as another. We love that about Texas. Some families are entering the school year with tremendous trepidation, knowing that their youngest children will not have much defense against COVID. Others are grateful that their schools will look much more like pre-COVID years. We hold all of you—school leaders and parents—in our hearts.
As pastors, we know how impossible it is to make a plan for a large group that satisfies everyone. The weight of your decisions is heavy. We are thankful that we trust in a God who is willing to bear our burdens with us.
We are hopeful and joyful that we can now begin to look ahead to school service ministries, the bedrock of our organization’s purpose. If you are a faith leader who needs assistance connecting with your school, or if you are a school leader who wants to connect to a congregation, please reply to this email, and we will help you!
If you are unable to help in these concrete ways, you can still support this work by donating to Pastors for Texas Children. Your gift to our non-profit organization helps to broaden our presence across Texas so we can invest in as many schools and districts as we can.
May God bless you, your ministry, your church, and your family.