Simply said, it's hard to send your kids away overnight. We, as parents, often feel protective over our children and will do anything possible to prevent them from facing pain or discomfort.
As Christians, we know the power of prayer because our God is mighty!
In today's blog post, we share ways to show students love and support through intentional and planned prayer. Start using these prompts now or save this blog to reference the next time students in your congregation prepare to leave for camp, a retreat, a mission trip, or another transformative experience.
Prayer Prompts:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
- Encouragement and patience for counselors and camp staff
- Discernment and enlightenment for speakers and the worship band
- Fun and safety for students and their cabin mates
- Safe travels and favorable weather for all
- Spiritual and emotional growth for students
- Positive interactions and new friendships for students
- Each student arrives with an open heart
- They receive the message our God has for them
- They leave encouraged and rejuvenated.
- Their faith is challenged and deepened.
Ways to Pray:
"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." 1 John 5:14
- Small Group: Check in with other parents and ask them to participate in a weekly prayer. Commit to meeting once a week for group prayer over the students. Gather in small groups, connecting with other parents who share the same concerns and hopes for their children. Commit to a weekly gathering for collective prayer, strengthening bonds and lifting your collective petitions to the Almighty.
- Whole Congregation: Speak with your leadership team and ask to include a congregational prayer for the students. Invite them to the front and announce their names. Extend this unity to your entire congregation by engaging your leadership team to include a dedicated prayer session for the departing students, calling them by name and invoking God's guidance.
- Send Off: Organize a group prayer at the drop-off location. Encourage students to gather while parents huddle around. As the departure day arrives, arrange a heartfelt group prayer at the drop-off location, uniting the students in a cocoon of love and faith.
- Return: Welcome your students back with open arms! Before everyone goes their separate ways, gather for a group prayer. Refer to your previous prayers and ask that God makes it his will. And upon their return, let's join once more, reinforcing the continuity of our collective prayers and seeking that God's will be fulfilled in their lives.
We've provided you with a set of meaningful prayer prompts and ways to pray for your students. By intentionally lifting them up in prayer, we seek to cover them with God's love, protection, and guidance. Our ultimate hope is that they depart with open hearts, receive God's message, and return encouraged and rejuvenated, with their faith challenged and deepened.