Back to School
A teacher friend recently needed assistance moving her classroom. She was being reassigned to a new grade level and needed to move to a different area of the school. The offer of help was accepted so I found myself in an elementary school for the first time in several years, since my own children completed that level. Did you realize that elementary schools have a smell? This was a revelation to me when I entered this school that I had never been to previously. It’s even in a different State, but the smell is the same. It’s not bad, but it is certainly unique and distinct.
I was also struck by some noticeable differences since I was last in an elementary school…color coded signs on every door describing various emergency actions to follow depending on the code. My friend informed me that there are also requirements for these to be practiced so students know how to respond in case of a fire, or weather emergency, now with the addition of active shooter drills when they must practice going on lockdown and hiding in the classroom.
This is all very disconcerting and causes stress on students and teachers alike. Yet, this is the world in which we live. Fear, anger, mistrust of others, and anxiety about a multitude of potential threats are experienced by children far sooner than in previous generations. Yet, it does little good to be nostalgic about the past. What can be done? How do we communicate to children and young people that God remains in control when the world around them seems so chaotic and they are regularly required to expect and prepare for the worst?
While the specific threats our children and young people face today seem extreme in comparison there has never been a time in the course of human history when people did not wonder whether or not God remained in control. In fact, King David wondered aloud on several occasions about God’s diligence. (Psalm 31:11; 38:19; 102:8)
Despite the evident chaos God does remain in control. The testament of the recent school supplies campaign at RPC for our neighbors gives evidence to them that God remains faithful to care for their needs even in times of unrest and uncertainty. Ultimately the love and dominion of God will prevail. Our calling is to give evidence of that at every possible turn, even when we doubt.
Thank you for the part you have played this year in helping students in need be prepared for the academic year ahead and demonstrating God’s unfailing love for them even in the midst of stress and uncertainty. Let us all continue to pray for them and our teachers throughout the year.
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Dan Kreiss, RPC’s Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach, brings with him a heart for service and a diverse array of experiences in the mission field. Be sure to subscribe to the Mission Outreach Blog to read and follow along as he documents his personal journey and shares his vision for RPC’s mission outreach commitment. Along with providing meaningful resources, this blog will help jumpstart the important conversations our church community must be having about missional living.
Dan Kreiss
Rev. Dr. Dan Kreiss is the Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach at RPC. Dan is particularly passionate about encouraging the church to reflect the diversity found in its surrounding community in regard to age, gender, ethnicity, education and economic status.