NASHVILLE, Tenn. August 5, 2014 /GBOD/ – A collection of back-to-school resources to help congregations and families prepare for the new school year – from prayers and litanies to articles about bullying – are now available at the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) website.
The resources for youth, children and adults were compiled by staff members at GBOD to help church leaders plan for the back-to-school season.
“Our back-to-school collection of resources reflects how GBOD is serving the needs of families and church leaders,” said Steve Horswill-Johnston, Executive Director of Communications & Brand Strategy at GBOD. “The fall often represents a return to a routine, when we rededicate ourselves not only to school, but to our church and family. We hope these resources will be utilized by church leaders in their work with their communities.”
In addition to individual families, Christian educators and others in the church who need to prepare curriculum and communicate with church members about preparing for this busy season will find the collection helpful.
The collection is available online at www.gbod.org/leadership-resources/back-to-school-resources. It includes:
- A backpack checklist from Pockets magazine that encourages students to take prayer, patience and a heart of encouragement with them as they begin a new school year
- An excerpt from Craig Kennett Miller’s book, iKids: Parenting in the Digital Age, which looks at the generation that is emerging in the midst of the digital revolution
- Special back-to-school litanies for students of all ages
- A list of ideas for back-to-school ministries from United Methodist Communications.
- Numerous resources about bullying, including an excerpt from an article about bullies from Devozine, a magazine for teens and by teens, and a sermon entitled “Jesus vs. Bullying,” preached by Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, bishop of the New England Annual Conference, when he served as bishop in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference
- Special prayers for the first day of school, teachers, test taking and more from Pockets magazine
- Stewardship nuggets to help families and children remember those who are less fortunate
- An excerpt from Devozine magazine to help students deal with the issues and problems they encounter in the “School of Hard Knocks”
- Suggestions about how congregations can make the connection between worship and back-to-school time
- A Blessing of the Backpacks and the school year
- Resources to help adult small groups reform and rejuvenate.
Items in the collection can be easily downloaded from the new GBOD website.
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