A new third grade teacher in Wisconsin, Monica was in the process of getting her classroom ready this summer when she began going through the books she inherited from previous teachers. Her classroom had no Jesus time books, and her set of hymnals had clearly been well-loved by children for many years (we all know how hymnals get toted to chapel).
Monica Kegley knows the importance of Jesus time in the classroom.
Like most teachers—in public and parochial schools—she had a limited budget to prep her room for the upcoming school year. Tack on the fact that she’s a new teacher at this school and needed to completely set up her classroom—and Monica had her work cut out for her.
“I want to instill in my students that the time we spend learning about Jesus is the most important part of the day,” Monica said. “I want my students’ eyes to light up with new hymnals and Jesus time books.”
She reached out to the curriculum team at Concordia Publishing House to see if there was any way we could help. She got connected with Concordia Gospel Outreach (CGO), the charity of CPH, which was created to send books and Bibles to people all around the world—including those in need here in America.
Strong faith foundations begin in the home, but Jesus time and religion classes are fundamental in Lutheran schools.
So we gathered together new All God’s People Sing hymnals, Faith Alive Bibles, and various Jesus time books and shipped them from St. Louis to Wisconsin.
When the school year finally started and the kids eagerly walked into their classroom, they each had brand-new books to call their own for the year—all thanks to the dedication of their teacher.
With the help of Monica, the students wrote thank-you notes that are exactly as sweet as you think. The outside of one of the cards boldly stated “Now I can learn about Jesus!!”, while another student wrote “I love the books. I am excited to read my Jesus time books.”
Kids know the importance of Jesus time in the classroom.
And when everyone recognizes the importance of Jesus time in the classroom, amazing things can happen.
Blessings on this new school year! May God build up the faith of students around the world, and may each of them be excited to spend time with Jesus at school and at home.
Help us continue to send Bibles and books to people like Monica! Support the work of Concordia Gospel Outreach online.
