This week’s idea spotlight is from Austin MacKintosh, Student Ministry Director at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, TX. The Prayer Pilgrimage is a youth group prayer activity designed to creatively engage students in different types of prayer. It is a great way to break down walls with students and empower them to learn to pray outside the walls of the church building.
Youth Group Prayer Activity Description:
Set up 7 prayer stations for students to move through sequentially. In order, these prayer stations are:
1. Who is God?
2. Prayer of Consecration
3. Prayer of Confession
4. Prayer of Intervention
5. Prayer of Inner-Healing
6. Prayer of Listening
7. Praise and Thanksgiving
Click below to download the youth group Prayer Station prompts!
Prayer Pilgrimage Tips:
1) Plan plenty of time
When Austin did the Prayer Pilgrimage with his students, he noticed that even the students who were typically unengaged were spending a lot of time and energy at each station.
2) Pay attention to the environment
Consider dimming the lights, having incandescent lamps/bulbs around the room, and having worship music playing lightly in the background. If you have Spotify Premium, consider using this Reflective Worship Playlist that our youth pastor friend TJ Bream put together.
3) Prepare your volunteers to be able to pray with and counsel students, as necessary
The “Prayer of Inner-Healing” station, in particular, has the potential to evoke emotions in students that they need to process through with a trusted adult. Make sure your adult volunteers are aware of what to expect and are equipped to walk through these thoughts & feelings with students.
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