The Week of Prayer in the Spring for Our Schools by Frederick Griggs

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 23, 1916

The Week of Prayer in the Spring for Our Schools

By Frederick Griggs

THE annual week of prayer held by our people in the month of December is an occasion of great spiritual benefit to all, young and old. It comes at a time well adapted for our people as a whole, and yet it is not most favorable to our schools, as it is near the holidays and the schools are broken up to a certain extent, not only by the holidays, but by the Harvest Ingathering and other special work. Accordingly for several years a number of our schools have been holding special seasons of prayer in the spring. And now the time has come when we wish to have a regularly established week of prayer in the spring for our schools.

At the Educational and Missionary Council, held at St. Helena, Cal., this last summer, the following recommendation was passed: "Voted, That our schools observe a special week of prayer in the spring of each year, the first week in April being suggested as a suitable time." Those schools which have already been holding this special season of prayer in the spring have been greatly benefited therefrom, and we believe that were all our schools of all grades to observe this time of special devotion, it would be a means of large blessing to our children and young people, and so to our whole cause.

Such special seasons of devotion have long been held in denominational schools other than our own, and have resulted in great spiritual advancement to students and teachers. The time of year for this special season of devotion is an appropriate one. The school will soon be closed, and those students who complete the courses of study will go out to life's work; likewise those who are to return to the school another year need a new and strong spiritual preparation for their summer's work in their homes or in the gospel field. Indeed, the need and value of such an occasion is quite self-evident.

Special plans will be laid by the various schools for the success of this occasion. Carefully prepared programs will be presented, and every effort put forth in an outward, formal way to make the week one of success; but after all, the thing most needful is a special preparation of heart on the part of all who are interested in our schools and young people, and who are leading in this devotional occasion. But the responsibilities of this week of prayer are not confined to teachers and faculties, nor to the older and more responsible students, but they rest upon parents and upon churches. It should be an occasion of unusual heart-searching in all the homes of our students. This week of devotion should be remembered by our churches in special prayer, that it may be one of the most blessed seasons of revival we have ever experienced in our schools. It is not only our privilege but our duty to have it such. Whether it is or not depends very largely upon the connection which parents and teachers have with God.

FREDERICK GRIGGS.