Members from six CMBA churches met September 24 at New Creation Baptist in Columbia to learn how to better partner with their local schools. Participants from Beulah, First Baptist Ridgeway, New Creation, NorthStar Christian Center, Primera Iglesia de Lykesland, and St. John Baptist Churches brainstormed and shared ideas for how to create meaningful partnerships in their communities. SC Baptist Convention’s Community Ministry Strategist Angela McNeal was present to share school district data and Heart4Schools resourcing.
“We have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children who might otherwise never know God or experience what He has planned for them. If we can help students stay in school by learning stronger reading skills and then be able to earn an education, they will go on to care for their families one day,” McNeal says of the life-changing school partnership impacts on students, before adding that teachers and administrators “are also people who need our support so they can continue to invest in these students.”
Associational Missions Strategist Jamie Rogers asked participants about their “why” for wanting to build school partnerships. Answers included personal perspectives from a former school employee and someone whose life was changed because of a teacher’s impact, as well as the overall desire to meet real needs and show love without anything in return. After brainstorming common student needs, Rogers underscored the urgency for churches to connect with the reported 48 percent of local schools that have no existing partnership today.
“All of these needs are addressed through the gospel,” Rogers says.
The conversation-based training allowed participants to brainstorm and learn from each other around several prompts, including things churches can do without cost and specific ministries to begin on school campuses. According to McNeal, more than 90 percent of children experience a public education, schools are some of the largest local employers and reflect the diversity that exists in the community, so school partnerships can offer churches a deeper reach into the community.
Pastor Cameron DeBrew shared about Beulah Baptist’s 15-year partnership with a local elementary school. It started with providing a meal to employees on their first day of school and gifting donated items from local businesses. During the annual lunch, DeBrew shares the gospel “blatantly and unapologetically.” The district began to notice what Beulah was doing, and DeBrew was able to make school board connections that have opened doors for other partnerships to grow within the district.
Pastor Ed Stewart said New Creation’s emphasis to make connections and build relationships in order to meet local needs is driving his church’s focus on partnership with local schools. “There are so many people who need His light, and you won’t get there until there’s a personal connection,” Stewart says, while encouraging churches to start with the prayer of availability to God and to be willing to follow His leading.
“Schools are open to partnerships and principals are waiting for partners to step forward,” Rogers said during the gathering. “There are some great believing leaders in these schools, and I believe God has placed them there.”