Backpacks, Blessed

It’s part of Rev. Karen Crawford’s job to remind folks that God is always with them. On Sunday, Crawford, the Rector at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, handed out reminders to the children in the audience. School age children and teachers were invited to take part in the special “blessing of the backpacks” on Sunday as they get ready to head back into the classrooms next week.

The annual event, which Crawford said has been a feature of her ministry for years is something that members of the church look forward to every year. For Crawford, it’s a chance to bring the children to the forefront of the church and make sure they’re involved.

“Sometimes they get lost in the shuffle of the big people,” Crawford said.

During the blessing, each child received a cross attached to a card, and Crawford reminded them God would be with them as they faced the challenges of a new school year. Crawford said it’s important to remind children how important they are as they face tough issues at school. She cited bullying and teasing as two of the biggest problems.

“They are all equal in His sight,” Crawford said. “Hopefully they can remember that.”

Meredith Tracy, a member of the congregation at St. Stephen’s, said blessing the backpacks has become an annual tradition that ties in with the work the church does in the community. Every year, church members gather up school supplies that they stock with the Salvation Army to make sure each backpack isn’t just blessed, but it’s full when students head back to school.

Tracy’s sister, who lives in Burleson, Texas, has been helping collect the school supplies, and Tracy said they’ve been so inundated with supplies this year that they’re running out of places to store everything.

Bustling around the church kitchen as she and her husband Jim served ice cream after the service Tracy said it’s important for the church to be an active member in the community.

“We’re not blessing the backpacks as much as we’re blessing them,” Tracy said.

For many members of the congregation emphasizing the connection between church and school is important. Church member Kate Koeppen, of Newton, said the blessing is intended to give children a tangible reminder of how important they are to the church, and to let them know that church members are praying for them.

“We want these kids to know that our church is part of their life,” Koeppen said. “The church isn’t separate from school, they go together.”

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com