“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 12:12

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” — James 5:16

I am excited about teachers and all the supporting cast who make learning possible for our most precious natural resource, our children.
As I write this article, Liberty and Long counties’ teachers and staffs are getting ready to begin a new school year. These men and women have spent many years preparing — and even now make many personal sacrifices — to facilitate the learning process. It is altogether fitting and proper that we salute all those who consistently go the extra mile to ensure “learning happens.”  
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul uses the parts of the body to teach the important lesson that while we all are different and have various functions, we all are important. As we prepare for another school year, I am reminded that every school-board employee, from the superintendent who guides our entire system to the bus driver who drives our babies to school, is important if our children are to receive a quality education. Subsequently, I will use this opportunity to offer my heartfelt gratitude to all the school-board employees in Liberty and Long counties, as well as the Department of Defense school employees on Fort Stewart.    
When I think of some of my most influential teachers, I remember that three of them had no college degrees, one of them could not read or write, and none of them passed the Praxis. This does not negate the fact that education is vital, and standards are necessary to keep qualified instructors in the classroom. This does suggest, however, that we all have something valuable to offer. Many of the lessons I learned in school were never taught in the classroom, but were “caught” during my daily interaction on the way to and from school, in the hallway, in the cafeteria and on the playground.
Having spent several years as a classroom teacher and a staff member, I appreciate that working for the school system can be challenging.  When I visit school campuses now, I often will hear a teacher or staff member say, “Pastor, say a prayer for us.” I never take that request lightly, and I whisper a prayer as I pass the classroom. We may not be able to give these professionals a huge pay raise, but we can pray. It is a well-known fact that “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
I ask you to join the United Ministerial Alliance at 6 p.m. today at Baconton Baptist Church for a back-to-school prayer meeting. We will have local pastors leading us in praying for teachers, staff, board members and our students. Please bring a non-perishable food item as an offering for the Liberty County Manna House.

Scott is the pastor of Baconton Missionary Baptist Church and vice president of the United Ministerial Alliance.