Back to School Drive Recap

Community, City Life, Event, Service | by Anne Johnson

We recently had the chance to run a back to school drive for Dunlap Elementary School in Rainer Valley. This wasn’t the first time we partnered with Dunlap; back in July we hosted a Serve The City event. After an outpouring of blessings (on us!), we knew there had to be more we could do. Dunlap’s Head Teacher, Jacqualine Brown, explained that because of tight finances many students show up to school without adequate supplies. Backpacks are often the most difficult for parents to purchase, especially in larger families. Dunlap is located in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, and over 85% of the students receive free or subsidized lunches.

We are committed to building a great city, not just a great church. Our desire is to see gospel renewal take place from the avenues to the alleyways. With this in mind we decided to hold the drive. For the month of August donations were brought in, ordered from Amazon and one Community even went to the store for their weekly gathering. On the last day of the drive, a group of us had carried down that days donations, (it took five of us). While I was pulling the car around to load up the bounty, my husband waited with the bags and bags of school supplies. He told me afterwards that people walked by, staring at him and presumably wondering what a large bearded man needed with ten pink calculators. But among the stares, a woman approached him and asked if he was with the school drive. When he responded yes, she handed him money to contribute to the effort.

As a church, we believe that we have been infinitely loved and served by God through the person and work of Jesus, so we serve as we’ve been served in Christ. For a majority of the items, like folders, notebooks, pencils and crayons, we exceeded the amount Dunlap requested. With everyone’s help we were able to donate 22 backpacks, and hundreds of pencils, erasers, notebooks, glue sticks, and so much more!

It was awesome watching our church family give to those they did not even know, and I was humbled watching the pile of supplies go from this:

To this:

Thank you DCC for the ways that you loved and served others through this drive! I’m praying that we would continue to be a people who are marked by a deep love for Jesus, and the city He has placed us in!

Hebrews 13:16

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Phillipians 2:3-7

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.