Is there anything more iconic than the backpack to symbolize the return of the school year? We see them on the youngest students, their packs looking enormous against their tiny frames, filled with crayons, scissors, and lunchboxes decorated with their favorite characters. We see them in middle schools and on the backs of high school students, weighed down with heavy textbooks, increasing responsibilities and expectations. The cartoon characters on their packs have now been replaced with sports teams, favorite bands, or perhaps causes reflecting their emerging consciousness.  

 The backpack is one of the constants in the ever-changing atmosphere of back-to-school. Generations prior did not have smartphones and social media; we had books covered with the brown paper bags we carried groceries home in. Yet now, a decade or two later, we witness the return of the brown paper bag in the stores again. What is old is new again, ever it was, and ever it will be.  

 This Sunday, we resume a time-honored tradition of blessing children’s backpacks. Please join us as we ask Jesus to bless and protect our little ones as they head off into another school year, filled with the anticipation of new things to learn and new opportunities to grow in maturity, knowledge, and faith.   

Please join us for Rally Day this Sunday, September 11th. We gather at 8:00 AM for a half-hour outdoor worship service (weather permitting). At 10:15 AM, we will gather in the church with our Sunday School children to kick off the new year’s program with the children. We will bless the backpacks and our teaching staff for the school and youth programs at that time.  Immediately following, we will celebrate fellowship with one another with refreshments and baked goods. Finally, we gather once more at 6:00 PM for Responsive Prayer.  

 Blessings, 

Pastor Marc