What a phenomenal time at our first gathering of the fall! We gathered at Irving Square Park right here in Bushwick for a time of prayer, encouragement from the Bible, fun and games, and some vision for where we're going.

If you weren't able to make it here are a few of the highlights:

• We celebrated all the opportunities to serve our community this summer.
• There will be some more awesome opportunities to serve this fall including the Halloween Outreach and Operation Christmas Child.
• Gatherings will continue on a weekly basis as we prepare for launch.

Definitely be on the lookout as we will continue to gather more regularly. Look forward to receiving emails about times, locations, and what to expect. Another great way to connect is via our Launch Team Facebook Group page.

Look forward to seeing you at one our upcoming gatherings!

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!