"One year of waiting, one month of planning, one day to set up…..finally, the first Prayer Space in a Scottish school was up and running!

I had no idea how the Prayer Space would be viewed but from start to finish, there was nothing other than a really positive attitude from both pupils and staff.

We offered a number of Prayer Stations – areas where pupils could “Be thankfull”, ask the “Big Questions”, say “Sorry”, learn about homelessness and human trafficking, tackle issues of self-confidence, pray for family and friends.

S1 and S2 classes were timetabled to visit the room during RME and PSE; some older pupils came during English and even Maths times. By the end of the week, some of the senior pupils were badgering their teacher to take them along to see what was going on!

There were many remarkable moments – the look on one student’s face when she discovered her name written on the wall by friends, who were asking for prayer for her speedy recovery from surgery; the senior pupil saying sorry for being such a pest with his constant talking in class – and stopping off to tell the class teacher on his way out of the room.

There were many funny moments -  “What do you want for Christmas” was one of the stations – “My two front teeth”, “an iPhone and a baby sister”, “Cheryl Cole to love me”.

And then there were the heart wrenching, deeply moving moments – “I want my mum and dad  not to divorce”; “I want to know where my brother is”; “When will I see my family again?”; “Why does my dad not love me?”; “Please can I have a friend?”; “Why am I hated?”, “Please stop my dad shouting at me all the time”, “Please make my dad well so he can play football with me”, “Please make my Nana’s cancer go away”.

These are ordinary young people, in an ordinary secondary school, facing huge life challenges with extraordinary courage.

One of the teachers who visited the room wrote this – “I thought the Prayer Room was fantastic.  A way for pupils to write down their fears as well as hopes.  It gave me as a teacher a real insight into the thoughts of my pupils and what they are dealing with outside the classroom.  The comments I overheard from pupils of all years was extremely positive and some were very thought-provoking.  I personally hope that the room is here long-term.”

Another said “I visited the Prayer Space yesterday - on my own - and was immediately impressed by the atmosphere which I was aware of as soon as I entered the room.  I was also very touched at some of the prayers - some showing pretty deep reflection on life.  I am sure it must be very beneficial.”

One of the Depute Head Teachers was hugely impressed by the room and by its effect on the pupils and says “I would highly recommend continuation in some form”

So what next?

At a school level, the room will stay open and available to staff and pupils for a number of weeks till we try to identify a more permanent space, which may well develop into a drop-in Chaplaincy situation.

On a national level, work is underway to link the Prayer Space experience to experiences and outcomes within Curriculum for Excellence and to offer training opportunities to teachers, youth workers and  school chaplains."

 Debbie Meehan is a wonderful wife, mother and maths teacher in Ayr, Scotland.  Debbie recently had her life hijacked by God (and 24-7 Prayer) and has since been stirring up prayer and networking those with a passion for it all across Scotland. To hear more about what Debbie and her team are up to please email - debbie.meehan@24-7prayer.com We can't wait to see what God does next!!

Posted by Mandy

Mandy Moo is the administrator to Prayer Spaces in Schools. Mandy is a drama graduate and likes; people, eating and cats (a little too much). During 2008-2009 she completed an internship with 24-7 Prayer (on their Wild Goose program) and her life was never the same again. Mandy was born and bred in the WONDERFUL North East though relocated in June 2010 to Stanford-le-Hope in Essex to join with the Boiler Room community there. And yes, Moo is her real surname.