The following was shared with Clergy of the future Living Waters Region on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026.
As summer gives way to the rhythm of a new academic school year, communities across our region (Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin) are preparing for another season of learning, discovery, and growth. School buses will once again fill our streets, classrooms will welcome eager students, and campuses will come alive with the energy of new beginnings. While back-to-school season is often marked by shopping lists, schedules, and orientation meetings, it is also an important opportunity for people of faith to surround our school communities with prayer.
Education is never the work of one person alone. It is a shared calling embraced by an entire community. Children and students arrive each day carrying dreams, questions, and untapped potential. Teachers and professors invest countless hours preparing lessons that challenge minds and shape futures. Paraprofessionals, counselors, school nurses, librarians, administrators, custodians, cafeteria workers, office staff, and countless volunteers create environments where students can learn, grow, and flourish. Transportation professionals safely carry precious lives to and from school each day, often before sunrise and long after the final bell has rung.
Parents, grandparents, guardians, and caregivers also play an indispensable role. They encourage, support, advocate, and sacrifice to help our children succeed. Their partnership with educators strengthens the foundation upon which students are equipped not only for academic achievement but also for lives of purpose and service.
My spouse, Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder, and I were recently in conversation with our dear colleague and friend, the Rev. Dr. Christal Williams. During our time together, she reminded us of a simple yet profound daily prayer that Dr. Stephanie wrote and we faithfully prayed with our two sons:
“Lord, help us to have self-discipline, self-regulation, and self-control.”
I have found myself reflecting deeply on that prayer as our children and the teachers, administrators, support staff, volunteers, and caregivers who nurture them prepare to begin another school year. In a world filled with increasing distractions, mounting pressures, and countless competing voices, this prayer remains as relevant today as it was when our boys first heard it. It reminds us that while we pray for academic success, physical safety, and meaningful friendships, we must also pray that God will cultivate within every member of the school community the inner character needed to make wise decisions, respond with grace, and live with integrity. These spiritual virtues are gifts that not only strengthen individuals but also help create school communities where learning, respect, compassion, and peace can flourish.
As followers of Christ, we recognize that education is about more than acquiring knowledge. It is about nurturing wisdom, cultivating character, and preparing people to serve their communities with compassion and integrity. As students, educators, and families prepare to begin another school year, we are reminded of the timeless wisdom found in Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge the Creator, and the Creator will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). These words speak powerfully to every member of the educational community. There will be new classrooms, unfamiliar routines, difficult assignments, challenging decisions, and moments when the path ahead seems uncertain. Yet our confidence rests not merely in our own abilities, but in the God who faithfully guides our steps. Trusting God does not replace the hard work of learning and teaching; rather, it anchors our efforts in the assurance that God is present in every classroom, every school bus, every lecture hall, every athletic field, every rehearsal room, and every campus.
Our prayer this year is that every classroom will be a place where curiosity is encouraged, every educator will be strengthened for the important work entrusted to them, every staff member will know that their service matters, and every student will experience safety, belonging, and hope. We pray especially for college and university students particularly those leaving home for the first time as they navigate newfound independence; those who have reached the halfway point of their educational journey and may be balancing increasing academic, financial, and personal responsibilities; and those who are nearing the finish line, preparing to graduate and discern God’s calling for the next chapter of their lives. May God grant them wisdom, perseverance, faithful friendships, and the courage to embrace every opportunity before them. We also pray for professors and campus staff who mentor, teach, and guide these students, helping shape not only their careers but also their character and purpose.
We also pray for God’s protection over every school community. In a time when concerns about safety, mental health, and social challenges weigh heavily on many hearts, we ask God to replace fear with peace, division with understanding, and anxiety with hope. May our schools become places where every person is treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.
As churches and communities, we have a sacred opportunity to support those who educate and those who learn. Whether through prayer, volunteering, mentoring, encouraging educators, or simply expressing gratitude to those who serve our schools, each act reminds them that they are not alone.
As this new school year begins, may we commit ourselves to lifting up our entire educational community in prayer. May God bless every child, every teacher, every professor, every paraprofessional, every cafeteria worker, every transportation professional, every administrator, every staff member, every college student, every parent, and every guardian. May this be a year marked by wisdom, growth, safety, compassion, and hope. As we trust in the Lord and acknowledge the Creator in all our ways, may the Holy One indeed direct our paths and bless every school, every campus, and every community with God’s abiding presence and peace.
