The beginning of the school year is here and for many families it’s a time to reengage in church life. In many ways this time carries more significance for families than the church’s historic start of the calendar on the first Sunday of Advent, or even the secular start of the year on January 1. Because families have returned from vacation and kids are moving up a grade, it’s a perfect time to spend Sunday mornings in a series about preparation.
New Year, New Teachers
Many parents will experience the first step of sending their child to kindergarten or into high school or off to college. Children may be bubbling with excitement but also with a self-consciousness about fitting in and being liked. Families will be attending to new schedules with sports and social events pushing into, and in many ways, challenging time together as a family. First United Methodist Church of Winter Park will be hosting a number of sermons now through August 19th, about all the changes this time of year, called the “Back to School Sermon Series”. In addition, they will be accepting numerous school supplies as donations.
If you are looking to contribute, don’t forget about the 2018 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. The 2018 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday was passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Governor Rick Scott. This sales tax holiday begins Friday, August 3, 2018, and runs through Sunday, August 5, 2018.
During this sales tax holiday period, qualifying items will be exempt from tax including: certain school supplies selling for $15 or less per item; and clothing, footwear, and certain accessories selling for $60 or less per item. For more information and a list of qualifying items, visit www.floridarevenue.com/backtoschool.