8th-Grade Prayer Groups LOVED by OLW Students
One year ago, Our Lady of the Wayside 8th-grade teacher, Sally Shewmon, started an eighth grade boys prayer group. The genesis was interesting… the boys asked Mrs. Shewmon to attend their basketball game, but she couldn’t attend due to a conflict — a prayer group meeting. The boys expressed interest in starting a prayer group of their own, so they could grow in their relationship with God and prepare for Confirmation. Soon after, the eighth grade boys prayer group was formed. Some said it was the highlight of their eighth grade year!
This year Mrs. Shewmon decided to see if the 8th-grade girls were also interested in forming a prayer group. They jumped at the opportunity! “I’ve had wonderful turnout with pretty much all the boys and all the girls participating,” said Mrs. Shewmon. “We meet once a week — boys on Wednesdays and the girls on Fridays — for just the 20-25 minutes, during recess.”
The structure of the group’s prayer meetings is this…
- Praising God through song
- A few minutes of quiet time where we listen to God talking to us
- Sharing what we heard from God
- Praying for each others intentions
- Closing with another praise song
Mrs. Shewmon concluded, “I am always talking about the scripture verse that says ‘be still and know that I am God.‘ They are understanding that in order to grow in their relationship with God, they have to spend time in the quiet listening to Him. The whole point of the prayer group is to help our 8th-grade boys and girls grow in their relationship to The Blessed Trinity and to help prepare them for confirmation.”
Thank you Mrs. Shewmon for your dedication to our students, to Our Lady of the Wayside School, and to our Parish. Thank you OLW 8th-grade students for being such an important and vital part of our community of faith. You are disciples and evangelists. You are our Church’s future! #differencemakers
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