Maternal invocation

Worldwide ministry Moms in Prayer encourages women to gather and pray for children and schools

Mary McGee’s Bible sits on her lap while she prays with a Moms in Prayer group in North Little Rock. The group meets weekly to pray for their children and local schools.
Mary McGee’s Bible sits on her lap while she prays with a Moms in Prayer group in North Little Rock. The group meets weekly to pray for their children and local schools.

Every Thursday afternoon Debbie Strobel of North Little Rock and a small group of other mothers gather for prayer. They pray for their own children, as well as each other's children. They pray for their schools. Their group is part of an international ministry focused on making sure someone is praying for students in every school around the world.

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Mary McGee (left) speaks with Kathy Searcy as the pair break away from a larger group of women to share and pray together as part of their weekly Moms in Prayer gathering.

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Kathy Searcy prays along with other mothers in a Moms in Prayer group in North Little Rock that includes mothers of college and career-age children.

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Carol Martin (from left), Debbie Strobel and Meleah Runnells bow in prayer. The international Moms in Prayer ministry offers prayers and ideas for members on its website.

The ministry is known as Moms in Prayer, formerly Moms in Touch. It was started 31 years ago by Fern Nichols. In 1984 the Canadian woman was sending her two oldest children to junior high school and was worried about the pressures they would face. She asked God to protect and guide them, and knowing other mothers might feel the same, she sought out others to pray with her. That was the beginning of what has since become a worldwide ministry.

Today, Moms in Prayer has groups in every state and in more than 140 countries. Typically, mothers and grandmothers gather once a week. They pray the Scriptures and also pray personal prayers for their children and the children of the others in the group.

Strobel is the coordinator for Moms in Prayer in Arkansas. She got involved about 10 years ago. Her two sons, now 20 and 25, were changing schools and, like Nichols, Strobel was worried. A friend from her church told her about Moms in Prayer and said they were starting a group at one son's elementary school.

"I knew it would be a tough transition, so it was the perfect time to really commit to praying for them," Strobel said. "We had a great time praying together that year. Our youngest was happy as a lark and all his friends were close by and the older son had made

that transition. I know that prayer made that a lot easier."

Strobel continued her involvement as her sons grew older and was soon asked to be an area coordinator for North Little Rock. About six years ago she was asked to serve in the volunteer position of state coordinator.

Strobel said participation in Arkansas is growing, but not at the level she would like. Currently, there are 147 schools being prayed for by mothers in the ministry -- or about 11 percent of all schools in the state. The goal is for each school to have someone praying for it.

"We're certainly not where we want to be," Strobel said. "The goal is every school in the world will be covered in prayer. That's one reason we're hoping to get the word out. A lot of women just don't know about it. As soon as I heard about it I wanted to be involved."

This is how it works. Mothers, grandmothers and any women who want to pray for children are asked to meet once a week for one hour of prayer. The ministry offers downloads on the website with information on the four steps of prayer -- praise, confession, thanksgiving and intercession. Group members go through the first three steps together and then break into pairs or groups of three or four to concentrate on prayers of intercession -- praying on behalf of their children, teachers, schools.

"The two main points that make Moms in Prayer different from any other prayer group is the concept of praying in agreement," Strobel said. "There is special power in gathering with other moms and praying together. That concept is really powerful."

Strobel said the focus on praying through the Bible, rather than praying a laundry list of needs and wants, is also very meaningful.

"You take Scripture and insert your child's name in or the name of another child," she said. "You are praying God's Scripture. That's a really powerful way to pray." One example in their booklet is Colossians 1:10: "May [child's name] walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Groups not only pray for their own children; they also pray for their schools, including teachers and staff.

"We pray for the schools, but we don't pray in the schools," Strobel said.

Groups mostly meet in homes, although some groups are church-based. Often the groups include members from various denominations and ages.

Strobel's group is a mix of moms, mostly those with college or career-age children.

"We started out as just praying for our children in school, but even as they get older you don't want to stop praying," she said. "So you keep praying. You don't get kicked out just because your child graduated from high school."

Lately, Strobel said, the ministry in Arkansas has been focused on attracting younger mothers like Natalie Bean. Bean leads a group in Little Rock. She got involved with Moms in Prayer after the birth of her first child. At the time she had never heard of Moms in Prayer, but after listening to a speaker at her church, Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock, she was interested in joining.

In 2006, a few mothers formed their own group.

Bean is now the mother of three -- a 10-year-old son, an 8-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. She said the prayer group has been an important part of her life as a mother and that praying with other mothers is powerful.

"When I pray by myself I get distracted, and with other people I'm much more focused on prayer," she said. "It's much more structured and I've just seen the power in it. In the Bible it says, 'When two or more are gathered there I'll be in the midst of it.' I feel God's presence."

Bean said she has seen prayers answered, and cherishes the thought that other mothers are also praying for her children. She has a notebook she has kept over the years that includes all the prayers she has said for her children. Each Thanksgiving she goes through it.

"What it does for my faith I can't put into words," she said. "It gives me chill bumps because of what little bit of effort I put into praying for my children over the course of a week and how God always answers. It's not always the way I want it but it's increased my faith.

"It's just opened up this deeper and deeper trust and faith in Him because I know He really is in control and I'm going to pray about it and He's going to take care of me," she said.

Bean said her group includes moms from different churches. Most are Baptist or nondenominational; one is Lutheran and another Catholic. They don't meet in a church; that way everyone is comfortable.

"We also represent different schools," she said.

Bean said gathering together in prayer is beneficial to her children, but also to her as a mother.

"I did it initially because I wanted God's hand on my children ... and a lot of selfish things, but once I prayed I felt like God really spoke to me. He changed my heart to be much more open. Sometimes I go in with my own agenda and come out realizing it's not the most important thing. It's a real, true form of worship."

Ultimately, Bean said, the group has helped her slow down and be still before God.

"It's always been a struggle for me but He's changed my heart for sure," she said. "He's more a part of my life now and I have a much more intimate relationship with Him than I ever had before."

Information on Moms in Prayer is available online at momsinprayer.org. The site includes information on Arkansas groups, as well as specific types of groups, like those for grandmothers or for mothers of preschool children.

Religion on 10/03/2015

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