This short prayer bulletin supplementing the Medway Towns Prayer Guide focuses primarily on local schools and in particular the CTIM / Celebrate school prayer network initiative, aimed at facilitating prayer groups for all Medway’s 114 LEA schools covering nearly 45,000 pupils. We do of course recognise that much prayer is already brought on behalf of schools by both individuals and churches and simply want to encourage more prayer for each school by helping people join together.

School Selection - Pray for all Year 6 children as they discover which secondary schools they will be attending in September; for those who failed to do as well as they expected or hoped in the eleven plus exam; for the children who will not be given their first choice schools and for all appeals to be settled swiftly and justly. Remember too all parents and guardians, pray that they and the schools will be supportive and encouraging to the children concerned.

School Prayer Groups - Pray for more Medway Christians to become active in prayer for their children's local schools; for an understanding of the pressures, needs and opportunities faced by those working within education so that the church as a whole will intercede effectively, support the staff, think and act creatively about education and ensure healthy links are formed ( and existing ones developed ) with all Medway’s schools.

Governors - Pray blessing and favour upon the many who serve in this vital role, that employees would give the necessary time off, governors would use their skills to work effectively and harmoniously to improve standards and benefit pupils, staff and the wider community; extend links with local businesses and have real godly wisdom and discernment ( even though they may not as yet know Christ as Saviour ) in dealing with budgets, recruitment and the curriculum, not least of which is the whole area of appropriate sex education.

Christian Unions - Give thanks and pray for Christian Unions and Kingsquads in Medway, for continued favour with school authorities and more opportunities for young Christians to enjoy and share their faith amongst their peers. Pray also for protection and encouragement to Christian children who face hostility and abuse for their beliefs, that God would prove Himself very real to them through these trials; and for the families of the children so affected to be supported / supportive. Ask too that more church workers and adult helpers will be freed up to assist in running and helping out with the clubs.

Voluntary Support - Pray about the possibility of practical involvement in the life of our schools ( through offers of reading and classroom help, PTAs, after school clubs etc ); ask God to show us ways to mobilise the school's Christian community to demonstrate unconditional love and support to governors, head teachers and staff. Pray that a right balance be struck between being active in the community and home church responsibilities.

School Prayer Groups A reminder that we are looking to see established informal prayer groups for each Medway school with folk drawn from that school's surrounding Christian community ( i.e. staff, parents, grandparents, local church etc ). Again please do contact us as soon as possible if you feel able to share in any way in this vital work of prayer for Medway's schools and children. Praise God for the eight groups that have so far begun.

Teachers told to " get training on gay issues " - Teachers will be ordered to take " sexuality training " to give them a better understanding of homosexual issues. They will also be told to listen to their local gay and lesbian pressure groups and to put them in touch with pupils. The guidance was given ( by the Local Government Association ) to local education authorities yesterday, less than 2 months after the final repeal of Section 28, the law which banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools.

Informal prayer groups are meeting to pray for the following schools ( each group is formed of folk drawn from the school's Christian community : staff, parents, grandparents, senior / ex pupils, local living Christians etc ):

• Balfour, Chatham
• Chapter, Strood
• Featherby, Gillingham
• Hilltop, Frindsbury
• Hundred of Hoo, Hoo
• St. Helen's, Cliffe
• St. John's, Chatham
• St. Peter's, Rochester
• Temple Mill, Strood
• Temple, Strood
• Thomas Aveling, Rochester