Do you ever wish you could treat work like a new school year? Remember when we could struggle for an entire grade year, but in May, it was all over. In August, you had a fresh start with new teachers, sometimes a new school, a new classroom or desk, new supplies, and new challenges! I loved that. One of the hardest transitions to the workplace after school was realizing that the rest of the world doesn’t operate in semesters. Bill Gates once gave a graduation address like that. Painfully, he told the graduates that in the workplace, one didn’t count things in semesters, and there were no spring breaks!

Every August, we revisit that kind of thinking for all our school-aged kids. We call it PROMOTION DAY, and on that day, all of those kids shift to the next grade of classes. New sixth graders start their journey in ELEVATE in the student center. Kindergartners transfer from the preschool floor to the elementary-aged classes upstairs. And a host of new volunteers are there to greet them, love them, and lead them.

It’s also a momentum point for our whole church family. On August 9, the kids will be promoted and start settling into their new settings. Then, on August 16, we officially “kick off” a new year together. Wednesday night events will kick off on August 19 with support groups, Bible studies, and seminars that challenge adults. Students will launch their new year of Elevate in the student center, and our age-group ministries for preschool and elementary students will kickstart on that night, as well.

Does this enable your mind to smell the freshly sharpened pencils and paper of your childhood? I hope it WILL enable you to look on this coming season as an opportunity for a fresh start to new habits that will grow your soul.

Join us for Promotion Sunday on August 9 and KICKOFF WEEK, August 16 and 19!