LEAven Blog

Happy National Lutheran Schools Week! Across the globe, Lutheran schools are celebrating being a part of the largest parochial school system in America (LCMS). Sure, some schools planned around snow days and Covid-quarantines and will celebrate later this semester, but this week we all come together to thank God for blessing us through our Lutheran Schools. No matter when or how you celebrate, I hope you’re reminded of this wonderful community of believers that support Lutheran education.

In order to thank God for specific blessings, I had my fourth-grade students come up with reasons to celebrate being at a Lutheran school. Here are the top 10 reasons they came up with:

1. We get to learn about Jesus all day, every day.
2. We daily pray as a school, class, and grade level.
3. Teachers love us and we love them.
4. The church staff use words we understand and they teach us new words.
5. Our teachers, pastors, and other adults work together to help us.
6. Our family members invest in our education and care about what we learn.
7. God gives us nice friends in class.
8. Our friends’ families care about us.
9. We get to help people in our neighborhood and around the world.
10. St. Luke’s gives us so many opportunities to learn and play.

I hope this list of what students have noticed encourages you in ministry. I know it encouraged me that they know why work at Lutheran schools and why their families send them to us. I encourage you to make a list with your class as well and thank God for those specific blessings!

In addition to thanking God for the opportunity to teach about His saving grace, many schools go all-out in celebrating being a Lutheran school. Schools participate in dress-up days, servant events, pep rallies, campus-wide devotions and songs, and so many other wonderful activities.

Some of your might need some low-prep ideas. You could have your students make cards, decorate the room, read to another class, or clean an area on campus. To print off daily posters and see some ideas of what to do with your class or school or collaborate with other teachers, check out the downloadable files here (LuthEd) and be sure to see what others are doing on Facebook at #LuthEd.

In addition, I encourage you to check out Gospel Adventures. It highlights the lives of other children from around the world and helps open hearts to mission work. My students liked looking at past Adventures that aligned with our mission of the month and they’re loving the newly-released one as well!

All of the links given provide free resources to help educators teach the Gospel and how to share it. Comment below to share your favorite ways to celebrate National Lutheran Schools Week!