Mission: School Bookbags
As we prepared to plant Renovation Church in the summer of 2010, the Lord impressed on our hearts to identify the needs of our surrounding community and begin to serve in whatever manner possible. One Friday morning, as some of the staff were on a prayer walk on the western side of Grant Park, we stopped at the corner of Hill and Orleans. Pastor Leonce felt excessively burdened to dwell in prayer over the faculty, staff, and students of Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.
From its inception part of Renovation Church’s mission has been to see Dr. King’s dream of racial reconciliation in Atlanta be realized by the Gospel. There is no racial distinction at the foot of the cross; God is calling men and women from every tongue and tribe and nation to be a people for his own possession.
We could not have realized the future that lay before us as we prayed that day. We, of course longed to see education reformed in one of the poorest (both academically and financially) middle schools in Georgia, yet reforming education is merely a Band-Aid. The hearts of parents and children alike must be changed by the gospel if lasting change—eternal change—is to take place.
At the same time, real needs must not be ignored either. We talked with the principals of both King Middle School and a nearby elementary school to see what needs their students might have going into the new school year. They both responded unequivocally that the kids needed book bags, school supplies, and uniforms.
A few weeks later, through the aid of some very generous benefactors, Parkside Elementary and King Middle School received over five hundred backpacks stuffed with school supplies and enough money to buy uniforms for every student that needed one, nearly 70 in all. The looks on the children’s faces were priceless and the service of Renovation Church to the Grant Park area began. We thank God for the opportunity to serve him in word and deed. We also thank Principals Dr. Battle and Dr. Luck for their cooperation and kindness in meeting the needs of their students.