Praying for Schools

These words are just as appropriate in thinking about praying for schools as when the disciples said them to Jesus. The Bible is full of examples of how God’s people prayed and God acted.

People often say “All I can do is pray”. In fact when Jesus saw the crowds coming to him he had compassion on them and he turned to his disciples and said “Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field”. Praying is a vital part of schools ministry.

Church services... The annual “Education Sunday” in many denominations gives an opportunity for churches to focus on schools. Many denominations will keep this on 8 February 2009. Interviewing teachers and pupils can be an important way of highlighting what needs to be prayed for. Resources are available - contact us for details using the link on the left or see www.christian-teachers.org.uk/pages/educationsunday. But why not do this on a more regular basis as part of your church prayer life?

Home groups and cells... Encourage each group to pray specifically for schools. Adopt a teacher or a school and pray for them on a regular basis. Don’t forget to ask them what to pray for.

Church notices... Have a regular slot in your prayer diary or on your notice board where items for prayer for local schools can be mentioned.

All of this is more likely to happen if someone takes responsibility for co-ordinating what goes on in this area of church life, keeping people informed about what needs to be prayed for.

Meeting to pray specifically for schools can be a really effective way of focusing prayer. This can be a way of bringing people from different churches together to pray for one school or a group of schools.

Prayer groups can meet in homes or in some cases on the school premises. So how do you get started?

• Share the idea with some people who might be interested.
• Plan an initial meeting.
• Produce a written notice about the initial meeting. Make sure there is a way for people to be informed of future meetings even if they can’t make the first one.
• Prepare to start small. Even two or three praying regularly can make a huge difference, but be ready to grow, too!
• Contact known Christians in the schools you will be praying for. Invite them to the meeting, or to give you suggestions for prayer.
• If your group is praying for just one particular school, it can be a good idea to inform the school about what you are doing. It can save misunderstanding, and you may be amazed at the response.
• Pray about your plans.

• Share your vision for the group with everyone, and develop the vision as people have new ideas.
• Give everyone space for questions, comments, etc.
• Determine the frequency of the meetings.

• Where will you meet?
• Which day and at what time?
• How often and for how long?
• Will the venue be fixed or varied?
• Who will lead the meetings?
• How will you make sure anyone interested hears about it?
• How will you find out what needs there are to pray for?

• Pray about the whole of school life: pupils, staff, class teachers, management, appointments, Christians in the school, governors, RE policy, assemblies, special events, exams, discipline, safety, etc…
• Keep a record of the things you pray for, and how God answers.
• You may be asked to pray for things that are confidential. Make sure the information is kept within the group.

• Think long term. Sometimes we need to pray about things for a long time.
• Look for ways of sharing with local churches what has been going on in your group. Have a regular way of getting your group advertised in churches, perhaps through their weekly or monthly news sheets.
• Invite a special guest from time to time, to pray with you or share some things for prayer. This could be a local Christian involved in education, some pupils from school, or a local Scripture Union schools worker or associate.
• The Schools Prayer Network exists to stimulate and encourage committed Christian prayer for every school in the UK, and to provide a means of communication and support for those concerned.  If you would like to find out more about the Schools Prayer Network, please visit their website at www.schoolsprayernetwork.org.uk or contact the Schools Prayer Network, 53 Romney Street, London, SW1P 3RF or by email at prayer@care.org.uk.