To Parents of Young Students: Practical ways to be missional during the school year...
By: Steven Berrios // @stevenberrios05

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
Mom: Time to get up. We don’t want to be late for school!
Son: Nooooo. Do I have to? I don’t want to go to school.
Mom: Let’s go now. Don’t make this any harder. We want to have time for breakfast.
Son: But I don’t like that place. The kids are all so mean. That place is like a jungle. And the teacher’s don’t help. I don’t even think the teachers like me.
Mom: You  know you have to go.
Son: But why?
Mom: You’re the principal!

Well, do I need to say it? Do I even dare? Yep…it’s the school year. Let the games begin! For parents and children, the beginning of the school year brings with it so many different emotions. From excitement to anxiety and from anticipation to hesitation. As a former teacher and Dean of Students, I can say I have experienced probably every level of emotion that comes with the school year. However, what I’ve always welcomed at the beginning of the school year was the fresh new start. The new school brings with it the hope of doing things better than the previous school year.

This leads us to what we are going talk about. As Christians, how do we approach this new school year in faithful obedience to our call to live missional lives? In Jesus’ prayer to the Father recorded in John 17, we read in verses 17-18, Jesus praying for those who the Father has given Him. He prays “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” We get the word “missional” from the word “sent” used here in our text. To be “missional” simply means to live the lifestyle of a missionary in our everyday living. It is to live each day with gospel intentions in our mission field. What is the mission field? Well, where does your everyday take you? That’s your mission field.

So as parents of young students, how do we look at our children’s school as our mission field? How do we be missional during the school year? With the remaining few minutes I have your attention, let’s dive into three ways I have found (as a parent of a now Kindergarten student) are simple and practical ways we can be missional during the school year. There are many ways, but for the purpose of this blog, I want to stick with just three ways my wife and I have found to be effective ways for us to be intentionally on mission at our daughter’s school.

1. Intentionally engage other parents - Sounds simple because it is. For many of us, we seem to forget how to normally interact with non-believers. You’re a parent and so are they. We’ve established common ground…run with that. To help with this, my wife (who carries the load of dropping off and picking up our daughter) developed some strategies to help her connect with parents with the intentions of sharing her faith. To give you one, she would attempt (key word) to each day pick up & drop off our daughter at the same time. This enabled her to connect with the same group of parents each day, helping her to develop friendships. This naturally allowed my wife to connect with a parent who went through a similar life experience as we’ve had in the miscarriage of our child. My wife now was able to share the comfort and hope she found in Christ over dinner. For working parents this can be a challenge but even short encounters build up over time. The key is being intentional.
   
   
2. Look for a celebrations - We all like parties. Birthdays are many throughout the school year. You probably think I am talking about having a small birthday celebration for your child at school. While that is great, another way to be on mission during the school year is to find out the birthday of another child and offer that child a party at the school with the parents’ permission. Perhaps this would mean making all the purchases and or just assisting the parents. What a great way to show the love of Christ to that child and their parents. Budget and time will probably not allow you to do this for every child, but don’t let that stop you from blessing just one.
   
   
3. Involve your child in the mission - Last school year was the first time my daughter spent time in a classroom setting which was not a Christian environment. She had only experienced classroom settings in Sunday School and in her PreK3 class at a Christian School. We knew this would be a change for my daughter but were confident that she would do just fine. So when we sat down with her teacher for parent-teacher conference and was asked by the teacher if we can speak with our daughter about why they don’t pray every morning and before lunch, my wife and I had the biggest smiles on our faces. Apparently, our daughter has been sharing with her entire class and teachers about the importance of loving Jesus and thanking Him for their food! What we have seen grow in our daughter is her personal love for Jesus grow as her love for mission and sharing her faith has grown. This has happened as we have spent time with her talking about missions and involved her in our praying for her teachers, friends and school.

So as we approach this new school year lets intentionally engage others, look for ways to join in on a celebration and, most important, involve our children. Here's to a blessed school year!

I (Danny) was so privileged to have been able to attend the Send North America Conference in Nashville Tennessee. 13,000 people gathered downtown to get inspired to live a life on mission. Many times we think that this "mission" is just for the "special ones". You know...your pastor, the deacons at your church, the life group leaders. You know...the big shots. But actually the call to live a life on mission is given to the entirety of the church. Can you imagine the Church of Jesus Christ collectively living a life on mission sharing the hope that is found in Jesus! The impact would be incredible!

So I just wanted to share some of my notes from the trip. I hope that these notes will be especially helpful to you and shoot a fire in you to live a life on mission right where you are. At your job. In your home. In your circle of relationships. In your neighborhood.

Here's jus a few of my notes:

DHATI LEWIS

• 51% of the world lives in the urban context.
• The best missionaries (church planters) are going to come from the context they're living in.
• Many times we work from an "anti-vision" instead of a vision.
• The local church is a family, not an orphanage.
• The church is the gospel made visible.
• The gospel changes people and people change the world.
• You teach what you know but you reproduce who you are.
• If the church is a family then the best thing I can do for my community is put my family on display.
• Invite people into relationships, not just time and space.
• 90% of ministry is showing up.
• Create a system to care for, equip and mobilize members.

JD GREEAR

• The question is not IF I'm called but to WHEN and WHERE.
• There is nothing more exciting than sending and church planting.
• More and more people will have to be reached outside of the church walls.
• Empower people to carry the gospel outside of the church.
• God only multiplies what you sow.
• You cannot out give God.
• Not seating capacity but sending capacity is a measurement of success,
• When we get good at disciple making, sending will take care of itself.
• You can be wicked by failing to give and steward the resource God has trusted you with.

LOUIE GIGLIO

• The gospel is power because sin does not make us bad. It  makes us dead. The gospel give us life.
• We are seated with Christ so that we can walk with him in power.
• If you're at the end of you rope, just let go. Trust Jesus.
• Plan + power fueled proclamation = salvation + church
• The enemy WILL bring opposition.

VANCE PITMAN

• "The great use of a life is to spend it for something that outlasts it" - William Jones
• Never has a larger assignment been given to an unqualified group of people.
• 4 Characteristics That Enabled The Church to Impact The World

1. Faith that produced perseverance
2. Passion that produced unity
3. Desperation that produced prayer
4. The spirit that produced power

• Movements begin wen people surrender their will to God.
• If we want to see God move we must learn to sit at the feet of Jesus and wait to listen to the voice of God.
• If we want God to use ordinary people to change the world, we must get on our face and beg.
• If we want to learn what's going on in our communities we must listen.

DAVID PLATT

• See a world in great need.
• When is the last time you wept over a people in need?
• We need the power of the Spirit to accomplish what God has called us to do.
• We can't plant churches in our own power.
• I want to be a part of something that could not have been accomplished a part from the power of God.
• Our God is sovereign over all.
• God has put you in your city purposefully.
• Ae we going to take advantage of the sovereign opportunities God has laid before us?

Thank you to everyone who give to Swerve Church. When you do you provide a way for us to be able to serve and connect with the people of Bushwick. Thank you so much for leading the way with irrational generosity! If you've never made a contribution but would like to, feel free to do so online at swervechurch.com/give.

Leading up to the fall we will continue to serve not only Bushwick but other parts of North Brooklyn as we hang some more nets at local courts. SO far this summer we've hung 13 nets! We're hoping to have over 20 hung leading up into the fall.

Thank you for your continual prayer and support!

Swerve Church is a new church plant forming in the community of Bushwick in Brooklyn.