Tiny Local Church Serving 7 DISD Schools Every Month Is Example for Others

Dallas, Texas, July 7, 2015 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​​Pastor Pollo Corral is busy these days leading a church start-up called “Love in Motion.” But this is no ordinary little church. He and his congregation are going above and beyond to actively love their neighbors, shine a light, and share kindness within their community. A few years ago, Love in Motion approached DISD with a proposal: they wanted to show appreciation for the faculty and staff of one of their schools. At first doubtful, DISD passed along a few names. Now, this tiny church is serving 7 schools, and the requests keep flooding in.

Historically, the relationship between churches and schools has been marked by distance and timidity. Love in Motion is doing something about that--they are breaking down barriers by expressing the community’s appreciation for the teachers’ diligent care of their students. And principals are taking notice: “We had yet to find a school sponsor to assist with appreciating my staff on a yearly basis” said Ms. Torres of Urban Park Elementary School. Now her staff is being encouraged every single month. Principal Espericueta of Esperanza "Hope" Medrano Elementary commented that “it is very difficult to keep a positive momentum rolling throughout the school year. Your [LIM] gifts always seemed to come at just the right time.” And Principal Nandayapa of Sam Houston Elementary said the LIM’s gifts are “a pat on the back for teachers and staff for a job well done.” So appreciative, the District recognized LIM at several meetings at the end of the school year.

Mayor Mike Rawlings hit the nail on the head: "I've always believed that if our churches got together we could really make a major difference in this city. So often the service in our churches is not strategic, and it's not linked with the programs necessary. Can you imagine if we unleashed the power of our church communities on our schools to lift these kids up?"

Mike Rawlings , Mayor of Dallas

Love in Motion is an example any church can follow. Unite and Love in Motion have joined forces to raise awareness of this simple but powerful way for churches across the Metroplex to encourage our 600 low-income schools in need of extra support from the community. Entitled Hope for Every Child, this collaborative effort is seeking to mobilize a myriad of faith-based and other resources to come alongside schools--schools often alarmingly limited in support as they valiantly fight to make sure each student rightfully receives a quality education.

Mayor Mike Rawlings hit the nail on the head: “I’ve always believed that if our churches got together we could really make a major difference in this city. So often the service in our churches is not strategic, and it’s not linked with the programs necessary. Can you imagine if we unleashed the power of our church communities on our schools to lift these kids up?”

“This is not a church growth strategy. On the contrary: it’s a way to get the Church outside of our four walls for the overall good of our communities,” says Pastor Pollo Corral. Love in Motion has stepped up to provide hope for every child as have churches already working with over 200 public schools across Greater Dallas…but the power within the remaining 2,500+ churches has yet to be “unleashed” in this way. Find opportunities to volunteer on the SERVE page at unitethechurch.org. If your church or organization wants to engage with a school, go to the EVERY CHILD page on the Unite site to find information about low-income schools and ideas about how to help. ​