God works in mysterious ways, and some would say that has never been more apparent than during this COVID-19 pandemic. SCC’s second-ever virtual week of prayer for all SCC students was evidence of this.
“We have an awesome teachers-pastors team here in SCC,” said Velino A. Salazar, SCC president. “Thanks to COVID times, our educators and pastors took the opportunity to work together as never before. They joined efforts to impress our students’ minds spiritually at the annual week of prayer our schools have.”
This April, SCC’s Senior Youth and Young Adult team worked with the SCC Office of Education and representatives from each school to bring the event to life. “The SCC K-12 spring week of prayer was an amazing accomplishment, as a result of when church and educational ministries collaborate together to bring Jesus to each and every one of our students,” said Harold Crook, SCC vice president for education.
“What made this week of prayer so impactful were the efforts of the schools, teachers, pastors, and conference in chorus,” noted Iki Taimi, director of SCC Senior Youth and Young Adult Ministries. “Each different layer played a role in impacting the kids, and when we all take an active role, it makes a major difference.”
The spring week of prayer followed the same virtual format as the first event in the fall: daily devotional messages, testimonies and fun games with the week of prayer planning team, songs, and prayers—with all schools contributing and submitting content. This time, the event was themed “Like & Follow,” reminding students that Christ likes and follows them, while also encouraging them to like and follow Him in return. The daily themes were: God knows you, God likes you, God calls you, God equips you, God wants you. The three versions of the event—for elementary, junior high, and high school—were each tailored to the students in unique ways.
One element added in the spring stood out: an appeal for baptism, service, or prayer to close out the final day of the event. Students responded with 43 requests for baptism, 54 who want to serve, 37 who want to get more involved in church or with local youth, and 82 prayer requests.
After the week of prayer concluded and the survey results were received, a baptismal class was held based on the six-part “Enter the Deep” baptismal curriculum, with pastors from the week of prayer planning team leading the students through study and discussion. “The most impactful part for me personally was watching the pastoral team work so diligently to care for the kids,” Taimi shared. “It’s especially hard during this time of social distancing and isolation, so one must really appreciate the intentionality and creativity the pastors employed to make a difference.”
Following these classes, in May, three young girls from SCC schools were baptized at Dockweiler Beach, surrounded by family, friends, teachers, SCC leadership, and the week of prayer team.
Everyone has a part in this saving work for our young people. “We should all be working together around a single vision to love all our kids into the kingdom,” Taimi said. “Pastors, families, and teachers can make a mammoth impact on their kids’ lives when they orchestrate more together.”
To read about our first virtual fall week of prayer for all schools, click here.
Watch the spring week of prayer for:
To watch the livestreamed beach baptism, click here.
