Nurturing the families in our care is important. Back-to-school time each year can cause eager anticipation but also anxiety and even fearfulness, so many churches choose to hold an event that recognizes the start of the school year, whether it be a Blessing of the Backpacks or something similar. Here are some quick-and-easy tips designed to help you care for the families in your ministry and community.

Kindergarten to Grade 5

Invite the children from your church and community to bring their backpacks and join you on a Sunday before school begins.

• If the blessing will occur during your service, ask the children to come forward with their backpacks. Pray a prayer like this one:

Lord Jesus, as our children begin a new school year, bless them. Fill them with excitement as they think about all the adventures you have in store for them. Keep them safe and guide their learning. Help them to be examples of your love for their teachers and classmates. Help them always remember they belong to you. Amen.

Then send each child home with a parent sheet (an example follows) and a small item to attach to his or her backpack.

• Consider a late-afternoon backpack blessing in an outdoor space near your church or in a fellowship hall. Remind the students that part of being the Family of God means we take care of each other. Encourage them to look around at the other children there and to greet each other when they see each other in school or at church on future Sundays. Invite families to stay for a cookout and get to know each other. Include a few games where you can create teams with children of various ages:

• Capture the Flag• Kickball• Red Rover, Red Rover• Freeze Tag

Before the families eat and disperse, ask the children to form groups of fi ve to seven. Ask older children to make sure they invite younger children to join their groups. Give a printed prayer like this one to the oldest child in the group to read:

Lord Jesus, as we begin a new school year, bless us. Fill us with excitement as we think about all the adventures you have in store for us. Keep all of us safe and help us learn. Keep reminding us to be examples of your love to our teachers and classmates. Help us always remember we belong to you. Amen.

Grades 6 to 12

While students in this age group are probably not comfortable bringing a backpack to church, they, too, have challenges to face at the start of a new school year. Let them know you care:

• Invite them to a back-to-school social (think barbecue, pizza party, skating party). As the event begins, gather the group for a brief devotion:

Back-to-School Blessing Event Ideas

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• Talk about the excitement of a new year starting (experience new opportunities, put old mistakes behind, watch for new friends to make).

• Acknowledge that they may be feeling apprehension, as well (you know best the challenges facing the students in your community, but they may include feeling left out, feeling unsafe, anticipating negative peer pressure).

• Remind them that Jesus, our Savior, is all-knowing and present everywhere. He’ll be with them through all the happy, exciting times. And he’ll be there to give them strength in the difficult times, too.

• Share one or more of these passages, or another of your choosing:• Psalm 27:1• Matthew 28:20• John 10:27–28• John 14:27• Philippians 4:13

• Close with a prayer like this:

Lord Jesus, as these students begin a new school year, bless them. Fill them with excitement as they think about all the adventures you have in store for them. Keep them safe and guide their learning. Help them to be examples of your love for their teachers and classmates. Help them always remember they belong to you. Amen.

• Encourage everyone to enjoy their time together, and send them each home with a small item they can take with them to school, such as a key chain or bracelet.

• If your situation doesn’t allow for a separate gathering for students of this age, pay attention to those who come along with their family to your backpack event and be ready to send them home with a small gift that will remind them of the Lord’s presence when they’re in school. Print out one of the verses from the list above, and include it with the gift.

College and Other Post-High-School Students

College students tend to dribble off to school week by week and those young adults in the area who are working or attending community college or a trade school often fade away from the church, too. Pay special attention to this population in the fall months. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Send an invite to them at home, giving a few options for times that they can meet you for coff ee or lunch. Let them know there’s no special agenda; you just want to know what’s going on with them. (This can work over semester break, as well.)

• E-mail or text a Bible passage to them weekly. Include a sentence or two of encouragement to let them know you’re thinking of them.

• Call them once or twice during the year to say hello and let them know they’re on your prayer list for the week. Ask if they have special prayer requests for that week.

• No list would be complete without the suggestion of sending a care package from the church. You’d be surprised at how happy something like this makes these students. They are thrilled to know someone at church is thinking of them. Remember to include the students in your church who didn’t move away. They need to know you care, too.

Parents

Whether they are new and experiencing the send-off -to-school feeling for the fi rst time or if they’re seasoned, parents will appreciate some new ideas for encouraging their children. Feel free to copy and send home this sheet or to create your own using the ideas from it.

Back-to-School

Ideas for Parents or

Grandparents

Choose a Bible verse and message.

Write these out in a note and send it

with your child on the fi rst day of

school. Consider sending a new

note every week or two

throughout the year.

Bible Verses to Share

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24–26

I have loved you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

2 Peter 3:18

Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Psalm 100:2

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoeverbelieves in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

Note Ideas

• I love you.

• I’m thankful for you.

• I prayed for you today.

• Pay attention and bring home one interesting fact after school!

• What three things are you thankful for today?

• Let’s visit Grandma and Grandpa this weekend.

• Make someone smile today.

• Pray for a classmate today.

• Remember to thank your teacher.

• Pray for your teacher today.

Pray for Your Child

Heavenly Father, perfect Father, I’m overwhelmed by your grace in calling me to parent.And I am so thankful you have promised to lead our family.I pray we don’t get in your way!But when we do, lead us to realize we are, to repent, and to rejoice in your forgiveness. Father, please continue to parent me as I parent my children.

Holy Spirit, intercede for my family and strengthen our faith as you have promised to do.Grow our love for each other, strengthen our bonds, and teach me how to pray for my family.Increase our faith in you and love for each other.

Heavenly Father, I love being your treasured child!May my children experience that same joy in their relationship with you and with me.

I pray this in the name of your Son, my Savior, Jesus. Amen.

Taken from Parents Pray with Hope © 2016 CTA, Inc. www.CTAinc.com written by Rev. Tim Wesemann (item #PPH6SC)

Back-to-School

Ideas for

Parents or

Grandparents

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Colossians 3:16

I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

© 2017 CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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