By Sarah Dugal
It’s hard to believe that August is upon us; it happened in the blink of an eye, as it often does! While Elm might be empty now, as New Canaanites soak up a final vacation, Vineyard or otherwise, it will soon be brimming with life as a new school year springs into motion.
As someone who serves and supports adolescents in our community, I know the back to school season can be one of mixed emotions, holding both excitement for and anxiety around the year ahead. There’s both comfort in a return to normalcy for many, and overwhelm from the many activities that constitute normal. There’s familiarity in bus routes and paths in the hallway, and the unknowns of new relational dynamics. There’s the beauty of a clean slate and the pressure to uphold a certain reputation.
So, how can we, as supportive adults and members of faith communities, come alongside students in the weeks to come? Some of us might have the opportunity to be a non-anxious presence, quick to listen and eager to share unconditional love as family members, friends, coaches, teachers & neighbors. What a gift! But we all have the ability to lift up students in our minds and hearts through prayer.
In hopes of providing our community with a simple, practical first-step, Young Life New Canaan is leading the second annual, cross-faith community “Pause & Pray” initiative. If you’re unfamiliar,
Young Life is a global, ecumenical non-profit organization that exists to reinforce that adolescents matter through relational youth ministry, create approachable spaces for students to explore faith, and model servant leadership in local communities – all with the hope of creating more spaces where students feel known & loved.
The “Pause & Pray” initiative is simple: anyone & everyone with a heart for students is invited pause and lift them up at some point on Sunday, August 24, before the first day of school for NCPS. Some faith communities include the prayer in their regular worship service; some families pray together for their friends & neighbors over the dinner table; others pin the prayer for the refrigerator as a reminder to pray for students throughout the year.
Our desire, however, is that the impact would be profound: that not only would we bless students, but that we, as a community, would be blessed as we experience unity in our deeply shared hope that youth would encounter love, mattering, belonging, peace & safety.
Wherever you find yourself this August, whether in pews, quiet gardens, messy kitchens, bustling offices, or cars in non-stop carpool rotations, we would be honored for you to pray with us:
“Prayer for Love: We pray that students would come to know and experience Your great love for them. May Your love fill them so fully that it overflows to others in their kindness, gentleness and compassion, transforming our community to look more like your kingdom.
Prayer for Mattering: As students discover, practice & hone their many gifts, we pray they would know that their value is far greater than their accomplishments. May we communicate to students that they matter unconditionally – to You and to us.
Prayer for Belonging: We pray that students would feel welcomed and included in our school communities, just as they are. May You bless them with an unshakable sense of belonging.
Prayer for Peace: We pray for the mental health of our students. For students experiencing anxiety, depression, or any form of despair, we pray that You would be at work through your Spirit and our many community resources to bring them support, comfort and lasting peace.
Prayer for Safety: We pray for physical protection of our students from harm and injury.
May You go before them, behind them, and with them, keeping them safe throughout their school days ahead.”
Sarah Dugal serves as the Area Director for Young Life in New Canaan. Young Life is a global, ecumenical non-profit that exists to reinforce that adolescents matter through relational youth ministry, create approachable spaces for students to explore faith, and model servant leadership in local communities. To learn more, visit NewCanaanYoungLife.Org.
