BACK TO SCHOOL BLESSINGS & PRAYERS free download from The Rev. Jennifer McNally (St Anne's Episcopal and dinner church Table 229; St Paul, MN) and The Rev. Anna V. Ostend Moore (St Mark's Episcopal, Minneapolis)
Traci Smith offers an entire toolkit for preparing for Blessing the Backpacks, including:
Blessing of the Devices, a blessing by Dr. Elizabeth Drescher.
Faith at Home author, Wendy Claire, shares the excerpted Backpack Blessings.
A Service of a New School Year by the Rev. David Henson, Trinity Episcopal Church, Asheville, NC; abbreviated and adapted by St Paul's, Chattanooga, TN to include a greater emphasis on social action.
Back to School Blessings & Prayers: A Handout
for use at church or at home
Kara Root from in the hereandnow blog offers this Hedgehog Blessing (for Back to School).
Going back to school is always accompanied by a swirl of emotions. This is especially true in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Stephanie Crowder offers this Spirit-inspired prayer to bless the fall season and the return to school.
Rev. Angela Denker offers this ABC Prayer for those going back to school - and the parents and communities supporting them.
MennoMedia offers this free Blessing for Teachers and Learners.
Rev. Elsa Anders Cook (Cooking with Elsa) shares Pandemic Prayers for Labor Sunday, Blessing of the Backpacks and Briefcases, and Backpack Blessings in Coronatide.
From Illustrated Ministry: a FREE Blessing of the Backpacks and Back-to-School Worship Liturgy - includes a Call to Worship, Opening Prayer, Blessing of the Backpacks Liturgy, Prayers of the People, Closing Prayer, and a Benediction.
Vibrant Church Communications offers Blessed with Hope Stickers, and Joy + Peace Stickers, Backpack Tags, and Digital Assets (for welcoming everyone back to the church program year).
Pray, bless, support: Ideas and aids for back-to-school ministry
By Kathy Noble
There are many options for accessing this music and teaching it to your community:
Blessing of the Backpacks: 6 Tips for Success
Churches should absolutely honor and bless students and teachers at this important time. One popular method is a “Blessing of the Backpacks” ceremony. This is a very simple event which can make a HUGE impact. Here are our tips and suggestions:
Back To School Donation Tree Apples
Many parents, grandparents, and other caring adults are happy to donate items for classrooms but don’t know what teachers really need. Putting out these apples allows teachers to get the items specifically needed for their room.
We've collected a number of Blessing the Backpacks/Back-to-School Great Ideas, including:
Hand out bags of Smartfood Popcorn with THESE tags on them at a back to school fair. They can be edited to have your church name at the bottom. Give out extras at your Blessing of the Backpacks Sunday and encourage students, teachers, etc., to share them with others on the first day of school.
“Be Loved. Be Kind. Be You.” Backpack Tags
See Illustrated Ministry's entire collection of backpack tags:
