Life Church partnering with schools in Monterey to equip some 200 students at Burks Elementary and Monterey High School with essential back to school supplies during a Back to School Bash Tuesday
Regional Director of Connections Amos Rogan said the church works directly with school principals and counselors to identify the specific needs of students in the Monterey area. Rogan said the initiative is part of a broader effort by the church to support over 20 schools across the Upper Cumberland.
“We’re just helping out in a small way that joins along with the community as a whole to provide good school supplies for some great kids up in the Monterey area,” Rogan said. “The involvement that we have with the Monterey Back to School bash is just a small part of what the rest of that community in Monterey has been doing to support the kids to start out with good school supplies to have them a successful year.”
Rogan said the supplies provided are customized for each individual school based on the requirements of the students. Rogan said the donations often include writing tools and paper, but can also extend to personal items like deodorant.
“Any way that we can do in order to show Christ to them, whether it’s through a pack of paper and a notebook and a mechanical pencil or, you know, hygiene supplies, whatever the case may be, we just want to be able to show the community, pour into our community, be a good community partner to show Jesus in ways that we can and that are very supportive,” Rogan said.
Rogan said the church relies on school staff to determine which students receive the supplies.
“We don’t want to be a resource taker, we want to be a resource giver,” Rogan said. “And us being able to really pour into a community that has done so much for us through growth and being able to get into different communities across the Upper Cumberland in Cookeville, Baxter, Sparta and Livingston, quite honestly, it’s really our privilege to do so.”
Rogan said the church views the initiative as a way to be ingrained in the community outside of traditional service times. Rogan said the church aims to support all students regardless of their religious affiliation or beliefs.
“Whether they believe in God or if they don’t, we believe that they are worthy of love,” Rogan said. “We believe that they are worthy of recognition and it’s because they were created in the image of God. So if it is an opportunity for us to share Jesus in this way that they might give consideration for a relationship with Christ, then all the better.”
Rogan said the church intends for its involvement to be a pure and innocent way of building up the community. Rogan said the goal is to let students and administrators know they have a support system behind them.
“We just love the city of Monterey and the community of Monterey and the students that go to school within those schools up there, Burks Elementary and Monterey High School,” Rogan said. “It’s just a way for us just to say ‘We hope you have a great school year.’ And the things that we do as a church hopefully is showing that support.”
