National Friends
Friends of PFS are different organisations who support the aims of Pray for Schools. They are all involved themselves in schools work in some way.
24-7 Prayer
24-7 prayer’s experience of hosting Prayer Spaces in Schools around the UK has confirmed something that I think we already knew – that children and young people have a lot of questions about life and suffering and purpose, but that very few are coming to Church to find answers. So what do we do? Well, we certainly begin by praying. Pray for Schools is a frontline strategy, and the team have an amazing vision – to see every school in the UK prayed for regularly. We at 24-7 prayer are 100% behind them.
At A Loss
The Baptist Union
“The Baptist Union is actively encouraging every Baptist church to connect with and support its local school. Starting with prayer and continuing to pray for the school in a knowledgeable way is vital in this relationship and we appreciate our partnership with Pray for Schools which facilitates churches so effectively in doing this.” – Kathryn Morgan, Missions Advisor to the Baptist Union
Counties
Counties’ goal is to make Jesus known across the UK and to equip Christians and local churches in this task. Established in 1899 and with over 25 years experience of working with both primary and secondary schools, Counties aims to provide churches and schools with resources to make Christianity understandable and accessible. Resources include the award-winning Key to Life, GSUS Live and the Life exhibition, which have seen more than a million children and adults on board. For more information visit our website.
CrossTeach
Cross Teach always operates in partnership with local churches, seeing our work as one aspect of the churches reaching young people in their area. This includes participating in and encouraging school prayer groups. We seek to work with churches to ensure every school we work in has an associated prayer group.
Good News for Everyone
For over 70 years GOOD NEWS for Everyone! (formerly known as Gideons UK) has offered the free gift of a New Testament, to school pupils across the UK, through assemblies and RE lessons, regardless of their faith or of no faith. These Testaments have been welcomed by schools as a textbook for RE, a resource for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC), and/or a pastoral aid that offers advice and guidance, comfort, and hope. We continue to pray for members for the work, for open doors and open hearts in schools, and for every child in school to be offered a copy of God’s precious Word.
Hope for Every Home
Hope for Every Home is part of HOPE Together. Hope for Every Home is about reimagining what neighbourhood mission looks like, by encouraging Christians to pray for their streets, connect with their neighbours in the everyday and share Jesus where they live. Hope for Every Home and HOPE Together produce resources, training and tools to equip the local church and local Christians to share Jesus where they are. Prayer is key to the Hope for Every Home project and the vision is to pray for every street, every road, every lane in the UK by mobilising Christians to pray for their local area. Schools are part of this, if we cover every street in prayer we will be praying for every school too. Hope for Every Home launched the OIKOS prayer app in May 2021 which enables people to pin prayers on a map linked to GPS and so where people are praying. Pinning prayers on a map means that users of the app can see where they have been when they pray, but also where others have been too. If you regularly pray for a school simply find the street it is on in the OIKOS app Hope for Every Home : The Prayer App and tap the screen to pin your prayer. Together we can make every street and school in the UK a prayed for street and school.
KICK
At Kick London it is our mission to transform young peoples lives with God’s love through sport and support. We deliver PE National Curriculum, Street Dance, Solutions Focused Mentoring and Chaplincy with strong values in schools. We work with local churches to run additional sports or street dance provision at the weekend which includes an inspirational thought from the Bible. We want to give every young people an opportunity to make an informed decision about faith. Today we engage over 10,000 young people a week across over 70 schools and with 25 church-based Kick Academies across London and beyond.
It is our heart to pray for the work we do with young people. We wholeheartedly believe in the importance of prayer. We regularly meet to pray for our young people, churches and schools. We would love you to pray for us in our mission to transform young peoples lives.
MADE Course
MADE was created by Proximity Church in answer to the growing needs they were experiencing in supporting local schools. With mental health diagnoses soaring, exclusions rising and young people identifying as the loneliest age category; the church responded.
MADE is a 10 week course were young people are released from school one day-a-week to discover how they are MADE unique and MADE with a purpose. Through workshops, 1:1 mentoring and bespoke work-place visits young people begin to grow in social skills, resilience and confidence. “I have been an OFSTED Inspector for 5 years, a teacher for 25 years and travelled the world in education, The MADE course is singularly the MOST effective intervention I have come across in my teaching career” Headteacher and Teacher of the Year 2006.
What can you do: Pray for your local school, pray for community transformation and be ready as God may ask you to be the answer to those prayers, like Proximity Church!
The Message Trust
“As the Message Trust partners with churches to work in the hundreds of Manchester’s Schools, I think that Pray for Schools is a vital initiative. Historically every revival has started with a commitment to passionate prayer. If we want to see our schools as a place where christian pupils and teachers thrive not just survive, where people can discover the good news, where local churches are connected to this essential part of their community-this has to start with prayer.” – Ian Henderson, Assistant Director, Missions
The Message Trust is encouraging young people to ‘make goodness fashionable’ in their schools and communities, through doing fifteen specific acts of kindness for their friends, family and local community including spending time with the elderly, buying lunch for a homeless person and dropping in a thank you card to the local police station.
What you can do: Pray for Christian young people in schools who want to ‘shine their light’ for Christ, often with very little support Encourage young people you know to join in the initiative at www.shineyourlight.com
Pais Project
Our vision is to spark a movement where the primary concern of every Christian is to advance the Kingdom of God in their world. Our aim for schools work is to serve the needs of the local schools. As we do so, we connect schools with churches in their community creating a relational bridge between the two. We work in over 150 schools nationwide and our main commitment to schools is providing positive Christian role models who will be available to be in the life of the schools on a weekly basis.
We train Pais apprentices to serve schools and Churches in a local community to work with young people particularly focusing on a fresh approach to mission, discipleship and study. This means our teams are regularly in the life of schools leading assemblies, lessons, clubs, serving in the classrooms or the wider school campus and mentoring young people.
If you want to see a nation transformed invest in young people & families. If you want to make an investment that will stretch into eternity make the investment of praying for schools!
To find out where the local teams are or to contact Pais GB, please email gb@paismovement.com
REinspired
REinspired brings together a team of local Christians to support school’s Christian RE syllabus. We are passionate about bringing RE lessons to life for our children using a rich variety of resources and teaching styles. Lessons are lively, engaging and creative. Using art, craft, music, drama, DVD clips and discussion making them accessible to all pupils. We operate under the supervision of school staff who appreciate the value and benefit of what we offer. Our sessions are experiential and interactive providing every pupil the opportunity to ask questions and reflect on what they have learnt.
REinspired reminds children and teachers what Christians believe whilst never seeking to change what they believe … that’s why schools love it and why it works in a multi-faith area. REinspired gets children out of the classroom and into local churches where they meet kind and motivated people who sit with them, learn with them and encourage them. Children love it.
Everytime we have a session, whether it’s held in school or in a church, we pray with our volunteers, giving thanks for the teachers and pupils we are about to meet.
Read more on our website.
School and College Pastors
“School and College Pastors offer something that in today’s society is in worryingly short supply; an adult who is willing to perform the simple task of listening to a child. This act tells a child that they are valued and that their opinion matters. This simple act can provide the foundation for greater self-confidence and educational attainment.” – Bejoy Pal, National Schools and College Pastors Coordinator
Schools and College Pastors is an initiative of Ascension Trust; a charity at the heart of developing partnerships between churches and their communities. They are volunteers who commit themselves to the service of young people, offering a friendly and reassuring presence to students who may not feel able to speak openly to teachers or parents. In partnerships with schools, colleges and other local agencies, they work to enhance the safety, emotional and social well-being of students through caring, listening and helping.
What you can do: Pray for the schools and colleges in your community, and if you are interested in School and/or College Pastors in your community please contact Bejoy b.pal@ascensiontrust.org.uk or visit the website.
TLG – Transforming Lives for Good
“Pray for Schools is a fantastic initiative. It is so exciting to think that by supporting every UK school in prayer, we can intercede for an entire generation” – Jonny Proud, Supporter Development Coordinator
TLG works alongside churches across the UK supporting young people who have been excluded from school and/or are at a crisis point in their education. TLG helps primary aged children by training church volunteers to go into schools and mentor children who are struggling. For secondary pupils who are at risk of exclusion, TLG run education centres where young people are given the help they need to return to education or go on to further training. TLG is passionate about empowering local churches to reach out into their communities, addressing the root causes of educational failure and social exclusion.
What you can do: Pray for vulnerable children and young people. Encourage your church to get involved – contact jonny.proud@tlg.org.uk for more information or visit the website.
Walk Through the Bible
Walk Through the Bible’s heart is to Bring the Bible to Life for the next generation. We are passionate about teaching the storyline of the Bible in a fun and interactive manner so that children can engage with it.
We would love to see every child in every school prayed for and taught the Bible. In fact we would love you to join us in praying for the Bible to be taught to every child in every school and for God to raise up people to join our team.
Visit our website here.