it is back2school time

Matthew 19:14 NLT

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

In a few days we will be part of back2school 2026. In fact this past Saturday there were two outreaches in South Carolina that served almost 300 students. It was awesome!

This is the 20th year of back2school and over 46,000 students have been served. The outreach has grown from one location to as many as 18 with 10 locations and a goal of just over 2,000 students to be served this year.

Please join in praying for the many moving pieces and the people who make this happen … pray for students and their families, pray for volunteers teams and resources, pray for the Gospel presentations and all those who will hear.

And the purpose of this outreach has not changed as we desire to give students hope, encourage them to dream about their futures, to be ready for the new school year and to let them know that Jesus loves them and their families very much.

One of the things I love the most about back2school is how it helps churches and christians come together for a single purpose and letting those who watch see what the kingdom of God is really all about.

1 Corinthians 9:22-23 NLT

…Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. 23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.

Join in serving. Pray for the events. Tuesday at 6pm we will pack backpacks at our church’s new campus (700 Commerce Court, Martinsville). We invite you to be a part of this awesome time. Wednesday we will set up our church in Collinsville. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be the big days for this incredible outreach.

1 Peter 4:10 NLT

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

Continue to pray for back2school and choose to be part of this opportunity. Plan Email your questions or thoughts (emailback2school@gmail.com) and go to www.gob2s.com for more details.

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inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

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Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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