Longtime Partners and New Beginnings: How Two Churches are Walking With Schools Into a New Year

When more than 60 members of Vista Ridge United Methodist Church filled the halls of Rockbrook Elementary on Serve Sunday, it was not a one-time volunteer event. It was the latest chapter in a 13-year story of partnership, friendship and shared mission.

This year’s Serve Sunday saw 61 volunteers give 139 hours to help Rockbrook’s staff prepare for the new school year. Projects ranged from organizing the gym equipment, music room and art room to building a permanent Lost and Found coat rack in the hallway. Volunteers created bulletin boards, filled the book reward vending machine, cut backpack tags, made student booklets and organized the staff lounge cabinets. Two of the church’s youngest helpers were so inspired, they returned days later to help the new art teacher finish organizing her classroom.

The connection between Vista Ridge and Rockbrook began in 2012, when then-pastor Mary Beth Hardesty-Crouch answered the bishop’s call for every church to partner with a local school. From the start, Vista Ridge committed not just to a partnership in name, but to a relationship rooted in love and service. As Rockbrook Principal Dr. Patrick Guy recently shared during worship, “Vista Ridge has shown our school what love, service and true community look like. The church has changed the culture of the school.”

That culture is built on consistency and care, not just during the back-to-school rush but all year long. This summer, the congregation collected 3,170 snack items and $1,079 in donations for Rockbrook’s Snacks for Students program, ensuring teachers can provide snacks to students who need a boost during long school days. The initiative is led in partnership with the church’s Classic Women group and will continue throughout the school year.

The relationship has grown so close that members of Vista Ridge have even joined the Rockbrook staff when the school struggled to find the right teachers. “This staff has become an extension of our church family,” said Rev. Ashley Anne Sipe, pastor of Vista Ridge.

On Aug. 10, Back to School Sunday, the Rockbrook staff joined Vista Ridge for worship, where they were celebrated, prayed over and blessed with a fully stocked snack closet, their special request for the 2025-26 school year. The service, themed Mission Possible, reflected the church’s belief that God’s truth, kindness and courage equip all of us for the work ahead.

For Vista Ridge and Rockbrook, the partnership is more than a program. It is a living example of faith in action, where love of neighbor transforms both the givers and the receivers. As Dr. Guy put it, it is the kin-dom of God coming to life “on earth as it is in heaven.”

In Mansfield, a new story is just beginning. Open Table UMC, a church plant in its first year, held its first Backpack Blessing and Fall Kickoff. The congregation, still celebrating many “firsts,” welcomed neighbors with free snow cones from a Kona Ice truck, a gift from one family who wanted to bless the community with no strings attached. Before worship, members walked the neighborhood inviting anyone nearby to come share in the treat.

During the service, teachers, students and administrators were called to the front for a special blessing. To Pastor Erin Barnes’ surprise, more of the congregation came forward than remained seated, reflecting the unique makeup of Open Table, which includes many children and educators.

One of the most memorable moments came during communion. In the rush of preparation, Barnes had not assigned servers. When she asked for volunteers, the first to step forward was a first grader. Though her mother followed to help if needed, the child carried out the role with confidence. Other children rushed to the line, eager to receive the sacrament from one of their own. “I feel honored to have been able to participate in this holy moment,” Barnes said.

Together, these two stories illustrate both the beauty of long-term partnership and the hope of new beginnings. Vista Ridge shows what can happen when a church commits to walk faithfully with a school year after year. Open Table shows the excitement of planting seeds of blessing and community in its first year.

Both reflect the same truth: when churches invest in the lives of students, educators and neighbors, God’s kin-dom breaks through, one act of service and one moment of grace at a time.