Praying for YOUR school!

Imagine a group of four teenagers, three grandparents, a teacher, four parents and a school librarian in a frontroom. What have you got??

In my experience it could be a prayer-cell for a local school. For Sharnbrook Upper School, Bedfordshire, our group of four to thirteen people of all ages met once a term. We came from a wide range of churches, but with one aim - to pray for and support our local High School. The teenagers were members of the school Christian group, and they told us how the group was doing, and the challenges they were facing. The teacher was the member of staff who sponsored the group, and he or she would share any special needs of the school community at that time. The rest of us had varied connections with the school: our children or grandchildren were or had been there, or it was our place of work, or we were local church members with the school on our heart.

Over the years it was exciting to see how God answered our prayers. On one occasion we provided refreshments for a special event which the school Christian group organised to share their faith with their friends. Other contributions included being invited in to talk about our life and faith, or to be on an 'Any Questions?' panel.

My experience in Bedford leads me to hope for such prayer cells in Calderdale. Could you set up or join such a group in your area to support your High School? Each group I knew of was different, making their own arrangements to suit their members. But we all shared the same longing and excitement - to see God at work and blessing our local school and its members of all ages. If you think you'd like to be involved, why not talk to others in your area, or phone Mark Stephenson (01484 714148) to find out what might already be going on in your part of Calderdale. Who knows what God will do as we pray?