I was recently listening to a children's pastor talk about his church volunteering at a local elementary school.
When it came time for the school to announce its annual volunteer of the year award, they chose his church.
That is so awesome! What a testimony for a church that is committed to reaching out to their community.
It epitomizes being the hands and feet of Jesus to those in your community.
It reminds me of this quote.
Preach the Gospel. Use words when necessary.
Those who serve their local elementary schools are building bridges instead of putting up walls. Like never before, it's time for churches reach out and share the Gospel with the children and families in their community. And there is no better place to start than local elementary schools.
Here are some ways your ministry can serve the elementary schools in your area.
Start an after school Bible club. There are several organizations that can help you with this. Check out Ignite316, Child Evangelism Fellowship and Partner with Schools just to name a few.
Volunteer as a mentor or tutor.
Be a chaperone for a school field trip.
Volunteer at school events.
Be part of a parent organization.
Donate supplies. The start of a new school year is a great time to do this. You can provide backpacks with school supplies in them.
Provide a breakfast or lunch for teachers.
Pray for your local schools' teachers and administrators.
Host a prayer walk at the beginning of the school year. A few weeks ago, I was part of a prayer walk at one of our local elementary schools. The assistant principle came and we were able to pray over her as well.
Volunteer to be a crossing guard at the school.
One of the best things you can do is this...
Reach out to teachers and administrators and simply ask, "How can we help? We are here to serve you."
Organize volunteers from your church to help with tasks like landscaping, painting, cleaning, etc.
Start small if needed. Start with one class. One grade. One teacher rather than the whole school.
Attend PTA meetings to stay on top of school issues and demonstrate to the principle and parents that you care.
Provide snacks for the teachers' lounge occasionally throughout the year.
These are just a few of the ways you can be the volunteer of the year for your local school.
Stop complaining about how bad your local school is and be the person or ministry who makes the difference. Let the light of Jesus shine through you to your local schools.
