Campus LIFT (Lasting Impact Fellowship for Teachers) Groups are intentional gatherings designed to provide ongoing fellowship, encouragement, and support for educators on individual school campuses. The goal: finding each other, developing bonds of friendship, sharing God’s Word, supporting one another through prayer, and building community. It can include anyone who works in the school, not just teachers.
Not all LIFT Groups look alike. Some meet every week after school to pray, some do a Bible study over Zoom, some meet at a restaurant to eat pizza, and some walk on the track together on Saturday mornings. The key: Christian educators coming together to experience fellowship and community.
Regardless of the format, God can use LIFT Groups to bless us and our colleagues. Here are four glimpses into successful LIFT Groups happening around the country.
Tamara’s Story
During the previous school year, I had attempted to start a Campus LIFT Group, but it eventually tapered off after the first few meetings. This year, I decided to start another one with a new approach. I made a few adjustments to fit the needs and schedules of the educators in our building. I changed the day of the week we met, shortened the duration to 30 minutes, moved the time from before to after school, and added more structure to the meetings. We decided to do a book study using Grab Your Hope Goggles by Jesica Glover, and we love it. We also created a WhatsApp Chat to include educators whose schedules do not allow them to join us after school.
Our meetings are typically smaller, consisting of just a few educators. But between the larger WhatsApp Chat and the weekly group meetings, our community is strong. We are getting to know each other better, sharing our struggles and joys. We encourage and pray for one another as we cultivate a Christian community. One of our members said, “Before we started meeting this year, I thought I was the only Christian in the building. But now, I don’t feel so alone anymore.”
Rhapsody’s Story
At the start of this school year, my colleague and I felt led to personally invite other believers in our school building to join us in my classroom once a week after school for fellowship.
Six people came to our first meeting. During our hour together, we shared “six-word testimonies” of our salvation stories to get to know each other better, talked about issues in our school, and prayed. We were off to a good start, organizing a prayer walk to strategically cover the entire campus in prayer and gathering one morning for a See You at the Pole event. We also formed a LIFT Group text chat to stay organized (and off the school email).
Our meetings were supposed to be weekly, and we all agreed this was a much-needed support system. Everyone seemed excited about it—a few even remarked that they’d been hoping for something like this at work!
But, by the end of September, life got busy, as it often does for teachers. People stopped showing up to meetings because home or work obligations got in the way. By November, we gave up the notion of weekly meetings. Instead, we have all stayed connected on our LIFT Group chat: we send out prayer requests to the group, share beautiful photos of the sunrise captured on the drive to work, and encourage each other with Scripture.
I admit, this is not the vision I originally had for our LIFT Group. But even though we aren’t meeting in person regularly, our LIFT Group Chat participants feel even more connected than before. Instead of focusing on group meetings, I’ve pursued friendships more intentionally and deeply with other believers who are in the group chat one at a time, checking in as God puts them on my heart—to give them a Word, pray with them, encourage them, or invite them to church events.
And most importantly, our group knows that we have Christian brothers and sisters in the building who are thinking of them and LIFTing them up in prayer. It has been a blessing!
Char’s Story
Before starting a Campus LIFT Group in my school, I decided to ask God for guidance. I had tried starting various prayer groups in the past, but they always fizzled out. After a few weeks of prayer, God gave me direction: 10 on the 10th (10 minutes to gather, encourage each other, and pray for our school on the 10th of every month)
Next, I got permission from my building principal to invite the entire staff. I visited every classroom and office in the building to pass out invitations and personally invite each staff member. I was nervous to invite colleagues who had told me they weren’t Christians, but I followed God’s lead and invited everyone. The biggest surprise for me was the joy in their reaction—even those who said they probably wouldn’t attend expressed appreciation for being included.
On the 10th of January, because God has a sense of humor, 10 staff members attended our first fellowship and prayer meeting which happened to fall on a Friday afternoon. At the end of a hectic week, those 10 simple minutes devoted to bringing our praises and concerns to our loving Father have had an incredible impact. And even though we just started getting together, we already feel a sense of community. Our 10 minutes on the 10th LIFT Group brings educators who are believers of all backgrounds and at various stages of spiritual growth together and fosters a sense of support and community in my school. God is so good!
Trish’s Story
Three years ago, I timidly stepped out in faith and set up four Campus LIFT Group meetings throughout the school year. Several colleagues attended, and with each meeting, the numbers grew.
However, last year, I moved forward more boldly, asking a couple of friends to help me host monthly LIFT Group meetings. Since the teachers in my school are very busy, we didn't want to add an activity to their plates that wouldn't be worthwhile. So, we decided to do our best to make our time together special. We always have good food and decorate to create a fun atmosphere. To ensure the quality of the content, we have used LIFT resource videos, gotten ideas from sermons, and followed the Holy Spirit’s nudge toward a theme or message. But we mostly focus on fellowship.
When I first dreamed of starting a LIFT Group, I pictured intense prayer times, testimonies, and Bible studies. However, what God has done is much more evangelistic. He has led some who are brand new to the faith, people exploring a relationship with Jesus, as well as mature Christians to gather with us. Our diverse group includes teachers, paras, administrators, secretaries, and even school nurses. And, although I had to adjust my original expectations, our group is thriving, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
I find it hard to articulate what our LIFT Group has meant to us. Our hearts are refreshed every time we meet. We have been able to support each other as well as other co-workers outside of our group. Personally, my faith has grown, my friendships with my colleagues have deepened, and I have become more conscious of just how powerfully Jesus moves in my school.
START A CAMPUS LIFT GROUP IN YOUR SCHOOL
Christian Educators offers a LIFT Resource Kit to make starting a staff fellowship group simple. You can also incorporate our free devotionals, documents, and videos into any preexisting prayer group, Bible study, or fellowship gathering.
