Aug 18, the last Friday before school started, the Italy Ministerial Alliance churches provided lunch for the entire Italy ISD staff: administrators, teachers, groundskeepers and custodians, as a thank you for investing in our children and to do something a little different for the teachers and staff after the long week of preparation for the new school year.

The annual lunch was held at the Central Baptist Church’s new Family Life Center.

Approximately 152 people were seated and provided a catered lunch by Johnny Carino’s.

The CBC Kitchen Team led by Linda Erwin organized the room and the food, and made sure everyone felt welcomed and was well fed. Desserts, provided by the churches, looked beautiful and apparently were delicious, since there was hardly anything left.

This year, instead of spending money on centerpieces, Jan Sheppard created a wonderful, multi-tiered “cake” of office supplies, and Theresa Young, 3rd grade teacher, won the raffle! She lost no time in claiming it! Congratulations, Ms. Young!

Pastor Joseph Barrett of Central Baptist Church, Pastor Algua Isaac of Union Missionary Church, Pastor Preston Dixon of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, and Pastor Ronnie Dabney of First Baptist Church were the host pastors and each gave a welcoming message to the teachers and staff.

The IMA looks forward to honoring our schools’ teachers and staff each year, and as this new school year begins, all the churches are praying the blessing of a successful year for each one of the Italy teachers, staff, parents, and children.

The Italy Ministerial Alliance consists of churches of all Christian faiths, working together to meet the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of the people of Italy and the surrounding communities.

To find out more about the IMA, call 972-483-7474, or visit the website, italyfoodpantry.com.