A great group of about 20 come out to Gann's yesterday evening to walk the halls and pray for the school. We prayed for the teachers to be blessed in their classrooms and personal lives. We prayed for the students to meet with success in learning. We prayed for their parents and families to know peace and joy. We prayed for the custodian, the lunchroom staff, and of course Principal Hollis and her administrative team. Finally, we stood as a group at the front door and prayed that no "rage or violence" would enter the school this year.
We also asked the Lord to lay upon our hearts practical ways that we might be able to help Gann's this year. We've already learned that volunteers are "badly needed" to help children with reading and math. A teacher at Gann's told me that, if we would let her know, she would gladly work with the volunteer's schedule if that volunteer could take 30-60 minutes once a week just to listen to a child read.
Might you be able to do something like this? If so, let us know by contacting the church office. We will then contact the teachers and share with them whatever time you tell us that you can be available. In coordination with the school, we'll arrange a time for you and some students to do some learning together. (I say "learning together" because, from my own experience in working with children at Ganns, the learning is a two-way street.)
Volunteering time with struggling students in a public school setting is an example of what I mean when I talk about "following Jesus into the world."
Greg
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