This past Sunday, we recognized and celebrated our teachers and school faculty for the countless hours and love that they pour into teaching and equipping our children. Teachers from across our city joined us in a special time of worship as they head back to school to prepare for the coming Fall semester.

Sunday was a great day of celebration, but that wasn't all! The last two weeks, we've been in our schools reconnecting with our teachers. From serving meals, to delivering backpacks for students - we're doing everything we can to help our schools get ready for the new school year.

Teachers on their first day back at Jenkins Elementary were met with a breakfast spread with Chick-Fil-A biscuits, fresh fruit, waters, and juices from our church. Pastor Adam was invited up by principle, Tameika Turner-Haynes, to talk about the importance of the church's connection to it's community and how that ties into our mission to connect with and support our local schools.

Jenkins Elementary School has partnered with our Parent First Initiative for the upcoming semester by offering to host a workshop on Tuesdays from 6-8PM. Through this partnership, we'll not only be able to support our teachers but also parents across our community.

We had the pleasure of visiting with some of the teachers at Central Gwinnett earlier this week and serving Chick-Fil-A sandwiches for lunch.

It was a great time getting to serve and reconnect with so many teachers that know and love our church. We're looking forward to continuing our partnership with Central Gwinnett through our football meals this Fall and through another round of Parents First Initiative workshops this semester.

Over the summer, you've been donating backpacks for students in our community. Last week, we visited Diana Bregeth at Discovery High School to donate 50 backpacks for students in-need.

As the Parent Lisason at Discovery HS, Diana works to connect parents to what is happening at their child's school. She also has been working to revamp her school's supply and clothing closets which provide essential hygiene products, food, school supplies, clothing (including homecoming and prom dresses) for students who many not otherwise have access to these essential items. Thanks to your generosity, now Discovery HS can add backpacks to their stock of supplies for their students.

Did you know that 90% of teachers spend their own money (on average, $610/year) on items that students need?

You can help us make a change by bringing a dollar with you to church this Sunday to place in the offering plate during service as part of our Dollar Days offering.

Dollar Days is a special offering that we take up on the first Sunday of each month (this Sunday!) that goes to support a ministry or mission in our community. This Sunday's Dollar Days collection is going to be used to purchase classroom supplies for teachers in the Central Gwinnett cluster.

If you'd like to read more about the needs of teachers not only in our community, but across the country - check out this article from US News.