Are you looking for a great way to connect your church family with your school partner? Invite them to become a “Teacher’s P.E.T.”! Riverbluff Church encourages our members to get involved in our school partnership with Oakbrook Elementary in a variety of ways. Many cannot participate in Reading Buddies or other activities, but everyone can be a Teacher’s P.E.T.!

A Teacher’s P.E.T. commits to do 3 things for a teacher or staff member at their school: PRAY regularly for that person. ENCOURAGE them with at least one monthly note or card of encouragement. TREAT them once a month. Treats might include a piece of candy, a fun pack of post-it notes, a colored pen, a bookmark, or other small token attached to the encouragement card.

Begin by asking for a list of everyone who works at your school. If your school has a large faculty and staff, you might consider organizing them into groups (Administration, 5th grade teachers, etc.) to make it easier for your church (and for you) to manage.

We provide cards for each group with the names of the teachers or staff members and several prayer points. Teacher’s P.E.T.’s take a card to help them remember to pray and write their notes. Church members bring their notes and treats to the church on the last Sunday of each month and place them in the “Bless OES” mailbox for me to deliver to the school on Monday. We have seen small groups, ministry groups, Bible Study classes, and individuals commit to different groups of faculty and staff. Not only is every faculty and staff member of our school being covered in prayer, but our church family is also growing closer as they pray and serve our wonderful school partners together. Many of the folks at Oakbrook Elementary have stopped me in the hall of the school to tell me how they have taped their encouragement notes on their computers or desks so that they can look at them whenever they are feeling overwhelmed or are having a bad day. Many of our school partners have formed friendships with their prayer partners (Teacher’s P.E.T.s) and reach out to them when they need personal prayer or to ask for prayer for specific students and families. I take every opportunity to remind them that we care about them and that they are being prayed for. It has been a fun and easy way to be a huge blessing to our school partners in JESUS’ Name!