O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter hidden things, things from of old – what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, His power, and the wonders He has done. (Psalm 78:1-4)
 
This is a special edition of the prayer blog devoted to praying for, and along with, Calvary’s Sunday School teachers. I met yesterday with Jamie Gilbert, our Children’s Ministry Director, and seven teachers who minister to our children, ages 4 through 6^th grade, every week. I asked them how we can be praying for them as teachers and how they pray for the children they teach. Here is what they said:
 

Ask the Holy Spirit to constantly remind teachers not to rely on their own strength but rather to consciously tap into God’s power. 

Pray that children will come to Sunday School each week with hearts that are quiet, soft, and open to learning. 

Ask the Lord to encourage our teachers and assure them that they are making a difference in kids’ lives, even if they don’t see immediate fruit. 
 
Pray that children will be fed with God’s truth throughout the week, not just on Sundays at church. Pray that parents will make the HomeFront Weekly (the take-home paper designed to prepare kids for the next week’s lesson) a priority in their homes.
 
As you lift the children of Calvary to the Lord, pray that they will develop a true relationship with Him, that they will truly know Him not just know about Him. Pray that they will recognize His fingerprints on their lives and understand that He is central to all of life, not just Sunday morning life. 
 
Pray that everything the teachers do in the classroom – their words, their manner, their responses to problems and disruptions – will reflect Jesus to the kids and their families. Ask the Holy Spirit to give them insight and sensitivity as they relate to children without fully knowing what is going on at home and school.
 
Lift up the children with special needs at Calvary. Pray that their teachers and classmates will model wholehearted acceptance and inclusion.
 
One category of children with special needs is kids from our Chinese congregation who are brand-new immigrants. Everything is new and strange to them; language is a barrier. Pray that they will immediately feel God’s love for them in their Sunday School classes.

Pray that kids will feel comfortable enough to ask their teachers anything, and ask God to give teachers wisdom to answer their questions well.
 
Join the teachers in thanking God for their high school helpers. Pray that these teenagers will be fully engaged with the kids and lessons and that they will be blessed as a result.
 
The teachers specifically asked me to thank parents for entrusting their children to them every week. They count it a privilege and joy to help teach the next generation the praiseworthy deeds and power of the Lord. Let’s thank Him for these faithful, caring servants of His. May we treasure and value them as much as He does!

Lift up Tomasz Chylka’s church in Pszczyna, Poland, as they mourn the death last week of Jacek Jureczko. Jacek was their youth leader and was also involved in their music ministry. Pray for Jacek’s wife, Renata, and their sons, Peter and David, who are not believers.
 
In Christ,
Carol Gilbert, Prayer Chair
Calvary Community Church of Brea