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Candy Greene, Bethlehem Church’s Community Director, delivered a basket of refillable, personal hand sanitizers and individually wrapped chocolate chip cookies to Dr. Chris McMichael for the central office staff. Additional baskets of gifts were delivered by Bethlehem Church members to the front door of every school, program and department for distribution to BCSS staff.
Bethlehem Church officially signed on as a District Partner in Education with the Barrow County School System in the fall of 2019. Their three C’s of Community, Connection and Care have been the pillars to building strong partnerships with every school and program in Barrow County. However, the church members truly stepped up to support our schools in a way that we never imagined.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of Barrow school buildings in March, it was the servant leadership of Bethlehem Church who immediately volunteered to organize, coordinate and recruit an army of volunteers to deliver BCSS meal bags to Barrow households from March through May. This was a massive undertaking of taking orders online, coordinating the number of meals needed from school cafeterias, and organizing volunteer drivers and eventually bus routes. It was an amazing effort every day by dozens of church members and volunteers in collaboration with the school system to feed Barrow students.
At this same time, Bethlehem Church activated another strong partnership with New Path 1010, BCSS Feeding Barrow, and the Brad Akins YMCA to host weekly mobile food pantries for Barrow students and families from April through July. Thousands of families were served in the mobile food pantries. In a time of disruption and need, we have seen our community come together like never before.
For this school year, Bethlehem Church recognized the uncertainty and challenges of teaching and learning in a pandemic. They started off the year with two uplifting initiatives promoting student success and BCSS staff appreciation. In conjunction with Barrow Family Connection, Bethlehem Church hosted the August 1st Back-to-School Bash, and their members provided 900 backpacks filled with supplies that were given to BCSS students. Only two days later, Bethlehem Church encouraged 1,800+ BCSS teachers and staff by gifting them with travel size “BEST YEAR YET!” hand sanitizers and cookies. Thank you Bethlehem Church for turning your three C’s into action in such a positive and impactful way for the school system.
Aaron Zakeri, Bethlehem Church’s Discipleship Pastor 316 campus, loading boxes of meal bag into volunteer driver vehicles at Apalachee High School March 2020
Ryan Butcher, Principal of Kennedy Elementary, displaying his Bethlehem Church gift “BEST YEAR YET” of a refillable personal hand sanitizer and a delicious half-eaten chocolate chip cookie! Two essentials to kickoff this school year.