Blog

Five Ways to Pray for the New School Year

by Erica Baldwin, head of Parents of Friendship

“Blessed are the children whose mothers garden in the soil of their souls. The fruit they bear will not only serve them in the future, but a whole generation will be beautiful and enriched.” —Sally Clarkson, Mission of Motherhood

As a new school year begins, moms, dads, grandparents, and guardians are buying school supplies, reading emails, and preparing our kids for what’s to come. Beyond a quality education, we naturally want our kids to grow in character, friendships, and lasting memories.

You may be a nervous first-time school parent releasing your five-year-old for an entire day. You might be a middle-school mom trying to figure out this new creature of growing limbs and hormones. You may be a high-school dad wondering what the future holds for your senior, praying they make godly choices.

Cultivating a Christ-centered life begins at home, and Friendship Christian School comes alongside families to help our kids learn about Christ, love like Christ, and serve like Christ all for His glory. Planting seeds of faith and trust in God, we pray our kids develop fruit that remains for generations to come, like that mentioned in John 15:16.

As the first day approaches, use this guide for five ways to pray for the new school year.

Families

Pray for FCS families, both new and returning. For new families, pray that they are embraced with kindness, joy, and enthusiasm. Let them find the right guidance and answers to their questions. For returning families, pray they are rejuvenated to plug in, engage, and embrace others. Pray for good connections with teachers and the desire to mutually encourage each other through love and good works. Pray that our teachers’ and staff members’ families are protected and strengthened by God as they pour into others. Their service is a calling and a sacrifice, fueled by their love for God and Christian education. Pray for the new teachers as they settle in. 

Friendships

Friendships are vital for our children. Let’s pray our kids find – and become – friends who are wise, encouraging, respectful, humble, and kind. Pray they look for those who need to be cheered on and included. As parents, we can model humility for them, get to know their friends at school events or playdates, and encourage them to be a good friend.

Faithfulness

Let’s pray for faithfulness for FCS staff and students. Help our kids show up in the classroom and in homework, fine arts, sports teams, and other extracurriculars. Pray for teachers to faithfully prepare, teach with passion, and attend to the relational and spiritual needs of our kids while in their care.

Faith in Action

Though He was the King of Kings, Jesus said he came to serve, not to be served. He served others with compassion, love, and humility. FCS helps build our kids’ “serving muscles” through practical service opportunities. Let’s pray our students connect these opportunities to building Christlike character and love for others. Some students are natural leaders, while others love to work behind the scenes. God created each of them with unique gifts, so let’s pray as they develop joyful servants’ hearts.

Fruitfulness

We love to see the results of our labor! Sometimes the fruit is immediate – like a student suddenly understanding a new math concept – and sometimes it’s building on concepts year after year, like teaching grammar and writing skills to build a quality essay. Let’s pray for a fruitful year of learning, loving, and serving like Christ, then let’s wait patiently and expectantly as God works in the lives of our students and staff.

Prayer is a powerful way to support our school. Look for future Parents of Friendship emails for upcoming dates for parent prayer meetings during the school year. Let’s continue to faithfully partner together.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11