Everywhere you turn, you have been seeing "first day of school" pictures. New clothes, new schedules...for many, even a new school campus is part of their fall season.
As we prepare students for school, will we send them to school spiritually unprepared and unprotected? We can do something about it. We can teach them to pray, and pray for them. Please join us in covering our kids with a shield of prayer.
Here are some specific ideas and strategies you can use. Please read over these ideas prayerfully. Ask God if He might be asking you to pick one or more of them. Then, do it!
See You at the Pole...and More
Since See You at the Pole (SYATP.com) began in 1990, we've had the privilege of hearing stories of lives changed as students pray; both in the USA and around the world. This year, SYATP is on September 27.
Through SYATP, middle, high school and college students practice the first, best thing they can do to love their friends: pray for them. In this way, they grow in their identity as missionaries to their schools, preparing them for their role in taking the gospel to the nations.
You can play a role as you encourage a student to pray for their campus, and pray for them as they do.
But there is more we can do! God has inspired Christian leaders to create some simple, transferable ways ADULTS can help be part of the "prayer shield" that makes a vital difference in kids' lives.
Next Step for Student-led Prayer
See You at the Pole is one day. But it's intended to be a launch pad, not an end in itself. One strategy that has helped students pray every day is Claim Your Campus. The idea is to form a prayer team of students for each day of the week. Bam! There is a ton of support and training for the student leaders on the CYC website.
Unite your church in prayer for students and teachers
A growing coalition of national ministries are getting behind Pray for Schools Sunday, which is September 17 this year. The invitation is simple: take some time to recognize and pray for students, teachers and schools. Find a short video and learn more at prayforschools.com.
School Zone = Prayer Zone
Anyone with a car can do this. When you drive past a campus during school hours, a sign warns you to slow down. The idea behind "PrayerZone Partners" is to use that time to pray for that school. How simple is that?
Praying Moms
All over the world, groups of moms gather for an hour each week in one of their homes to pray for one school. The group Moms in Prayer, Int'l. coordinates this, and it's powerful.
Praying Teachers
Christian teachers need the same support and encouragement that students do as they represent Christ every day at school. Help them connect to others with the same mind and heart through Christian Educators Association, Intl. They need to know they aren't alone, even though it feels that way sometimes!
Pray with a Kid
Tony Souder, the long-time network coordinator in Chattanooga, launched an initiative that's gaining steam every week. It's called the "Pray for Me Campaign," and the cool thing about this is that it's intergenerational: an adult committing to regularly pray for a student.
At your church, adults walk past students every Sunday. Many of them love their church, but may not be sure anyone outside the youth department cares about them. What if the adult asked that young person to allow the adult to consistently pray for them? This simple expression of support could have an enormous impact.
Step up and Pray
Randy Davis (one of our NNYM staff) was reading Joshua 1:3. God told Joshua, "I will give you every place you set your foot..." He thought, "Why not step onto schools and ask God to establish His authority there?" Didn't Jesus teach us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"?
Randy coined the name "Footprints on Campus" and has invited others to join him. How about in your community?
Prayer isn't Rocket Science
The common denominator in all this? Keep it simple. Use one of these ideas, or create your own. But let's do it! Encourage students! Be consistent and follow up.
Wouldn't you like to join God in what He's doing in the lives of "Generation Z"?
We'd be encouraged to hear your story of how God leads you to pray, and what happens through it. Thanks for being part of a national commitment to form a prayer shield around students!