A lesson in how prayer spaces impact schools
Can you teach unchurched children to pray? Limitless conference speaker Tim Abbott explains how prayer spaces in schools are doing just that
Tim Abbott
Across the nation tens of thousands of children and young people every year are being given an opportunity to explore prayer in an engaging, creative and interactive way.
Most of them have no connection with church, but in these prayer spaces they begin to discover how prayer can bring connection with God, right where they are, in school.
“My favourite activity was the prayer box because it gave me time to spend, just me and God.” Joshua, Year 6.
A prayer space in school can take many forms. The simplest can be a prayer activity with a single focus, such as remembrance, hopes for a new year, harvest thankfulness or prayer for a specific event, usually set up somewhere where anyone in school can take part.
Or the prayer space could be in a classroom or sometimes outdoors, having ten or more prayer activities with classes visiting for their RE lessons.
And they’re not just for church schools; prayer spaces work in primary and secondary schools across church, state and independent sectors.
“The comments added to the prayer wall and other spaces demonstrate that young people need time to reflect on their lives. The space encourages us to remember those things we have to be thankful for and that we sometimes take for granted.” High school teacher.
One of the things that makes prayer space activities so engaging for children and young people is that each young person embarks on their own journey of discovery, the activities connecting with their lived experience and giving them a way to explore prayer for themselves through personal reflection on issues such as forgiveness, justice, gratitude, big questions, identity and stillness. Each pupil discovers and learns for themselves, rather than being told what to think, and in the process learns something important about themselves and the experience of prayer.
“I think maybe if things get too stressy for me I should just take a break and pray once in a while.” School pupil.
I’m always amazed that at the end of a lesson where I’ve watched 30 students buzzing around a prayer space, being active and sometimes noisy, many will speak of the way the space felt calm and peaceful to them.
Teachers notice it too; the ones they said they’d “keep an eye on because they can be disruptive” often turn out to be the ones who engage most positively.
As one RE teacher said of a Year 8 boy after a particularly busy class, “… that’s the most engagement I’ve got out of him ever in RE, and it was amazing to see someone who was really switched off from the subject just take that whole personal experience on board.”
Prayer spaces are such a gift to schools and a perfect way for local churches to support the spiritual life of pupils, and often the staff too.
Recently I was at the Limitless Leaders conference with children’s and youth workers from Elim churches across the country. It was a joy to be able to speak about how prayer spaces can be part of a church’s mission to one of the biggest hubs in a local community – our schools – where children, adults, families and the church can work together to help people explore the presence of God.
Any prayer space needs a small team of people, but helping isn’t just for church workers; it’s for anyone who wants to help pupils explore prayer and to flourish spiritually. One person I invited to help in a prayer space was terrified by the idea, but gave it a go.
Afterwards she said: “I found myself challenged, stretched and way out of my comfort zone. I went thinking, ‘what on earth can I offer these young people?’ It turns out, all they needed was my time and for me to be interested in them.”
“I don’t know that I’ve had any child who hasn’t engaged positively with a prayer space.” Prayer space leader.
Each Prayer space takes a bit of setting up and requires some resources that are easy to gather at relatively low cost.
You might want to use a parasol or gazebo or to hang some strings of led lights around to change the look and ambience of the space, but these items are things that you can find stored away in people’s houses and are easy to borrow.
You may need to buy some low-cost items like a hand paper shredder, but the rest is mostly string, pegs, paper, torn up cardboard, post-it notes and pens.
What teachers and pupils say
“It has convinced me to pray more.”
“Another amazing reflection week. Each and every child has benefited from their experience.”
“I cannot put into words just how much the prayer space has transformed our school.”
“As a Christian it really helped and encouraged me.”
“I didn’t know prayer could be so much fun.”
Tim Abbott is GB Team Leader for Prayer Spaces in Schools and has led more than 60 prayer spaces in schools and colleges in his home city of Colchester in Essex. Prayer Spaces in Schools is part of 24-7 Prayer, and has a website full of stories, guidance and resources available free at prayerspacesinschools.com
This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.
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