We’re excited to share with you a FREE Blessing of the Backpacks and Back-to-School Worship Liturgy! We know going back to school this fall will be such a big deal after a long stretch of being apart, and we want to provide you with resources to celebrate and mark this occasion.
Our worship liturgy includes a Call to Worship, Opening Prayer, Blessing of the Backpacks Liturgy, Prayers of the People, Closing Prayer, and a Benediction.
For the past four years, Illustrated Ministry has created illustrated tags for the Blessing of the Backpacks. Many churches participate in something like this as part of their back-to-school traditions. This year, for our fifth backpack tag design, we are excited to share our “Be Loved. Be Kind. Be You.” Backpack Tags.
These backpack tags have been extremely popular, and we’ve seen customers use them in incredibly creative ways.
- Some churches printed out the tags in color and laminated them to make luggage tags for backpacks, suitcases, briefcases, purses, and more!
- Others used the design to make shrinky-dinks that they turned into keychains for folx in their congregations.
- Some even used the illustration and made buttons for their community.
Blessing of the Backpacks and Back-to-School Worship Liturgy
Each year, we also receive many requests from folx for a written liturgy for their blessing of the backpacks. This year, we’ve created one! But with all that you are planning for the academic year, we wanted to gift you with more than just a blessing of the backpacks liturgy; we included additional elements that you may wish to include in a back-to-school worship service.
We’ve all had to deal with disruptions that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to all areas of our lives, but especially to our education system. And many have had to deal with virtual learning and other pandemic precautions that made last year unlike any other school year. Going back to school this year is going to be a big deal.
There will be teachers meeting kids in person they’ve only seen over Zoom. Students will be seeing friends and classmates they’ve only known over Zoom and through online discussion boards. We’ll all have to figure out what it’s like to get back to some of our regular activities. And many will have questions: Am I ready for this? Will I be safe? What’s it going to be like to be around so many people again?
As you plan your Blessing of the Backpacks this year, we hope these additional components from this free resource will ease your planning and help you find ways to name and reflect on this huge adjustment throughout the worship service. Whether it’s in the Call to Worship, the Prayers of the People, or the Benediction, this free resource provides you with options that are ready to be used in your service.
BACKPACK TAG DESIGNS:
If you’d like to see the various backpack tags we have (in English and Spanish), you can check them out below.
- Be Loved. Be Kind. Be You.
- You Are Loved
- Eres Amad@
- Peace Be Upon You
- La Paz Sea Con Ustedes
- God’s Got Your Back
- Blessed to Be a Blessing
- Bendecido Para Ser Una Bendición
Overseer Jackson says
This is a very creative and meaningful concept.
Teri says
None of the “click here” links are working for me so I’m unable to access/download this resource.
Adam Walker Cleaveland says
The “click here” links might not look like links when you hover over them, but if you click them, you will get a pop-up where you can enter your name and email address. Make sure you don’t have any pop-up blockers turned on and perhaps try another browser.
Teri says
Thank you! It worked this time. (Yesterday when I did that it just kept opening the same page in new tabs.)
Chip Hatcher says
You’ve created a really helpful resource which our church is putting to use this Sunday (8/15/21) . Grateful to have something so timely (not 10 years old) and also very meaningful. A lot of good stuff in there! Wish I’d found it in time to order the backpack tags. We will do so next year. Now that we’ve found you I’ll be on the lookout for more good stuff. Wishing God’s blessings upon your ministry!