San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
‘WE PRAY SAN DIEGO’ EVENT FOCUSES ON STRUGGLE OF STUDENTS, SCHOOLS
Congregants from some 80 churches prayed at 50 sites across the county
Andrea Raibert, mother of a seventh-grader and a 10th-grader, sat curbside in front of the Poway Unified School District office with her Bible open and thought about her kids and their friends coping with a world that has changed so much in little more than six months.
“They would love to go back to school, without a doubt,” she said. “They miss their friends, they miss the activities, they just miss the social interaction. Kids are lonely. They need more. So we’re here to pray.”
Congregants from more than 80 churches took part in “We Pray San Diego,” gathering at about 50 schools, educational facilities and offices across the county Saturday morning.
“We believe prayer moves mountains,” said Miles Mcpherson, senior pastor of the Rock Church, which organized the event. “If we can come together and pray together, it’s probably one of the most unifying things we can do.”
Organizers said the event aimed to offer support to students, teachers and administrators feeling anxiety and stress amid a swirl of recent events — the COVID-19 pandemic, racial and political divisions and, for many, unstable financial times.
“We don’t really pray just for the sake of praying,” said Ken Hudson, lead pastor at Carmel Mountain Christian Church. “We have a true belief that God moves, God acts and hears our prayers.”
The event was nondenominational and lasted for one hour, with many following an online prayer guide that cited biblical passages. Participants silently meditated and prayed while sitting, standing or kneeling. Social-distancing guidelines were enforced.
“People were very respectful of that,” said Abel Isaac Ledezma, assistant pastor at Centro Familiar Cristiano Church, who helped lead a vigil attended by about 110 people outside of Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista. “Everyone was wearing a mask. We really didn’t have to police anybody in that sense.”
A few miles away, about 100 people gathered at Sweetwater High School in National City, Ledezma said.
Farther north, about 50 people dotted the sidewalk along Mt. Carmel High School in Rancho Peñasquitos, including Gabby Abbott, a youth pastor at City Church.
“Young people are hurting right now,” Abbott said. “They’re feeling distant from their friends, not being able to go to school.”
Her 9-year-old son, Isaac, agreed.
“I don’t like it,” he said as he quietly played with two friends. “I just wish we could go around without masks and go to stores and places and go to bouncy houses.”
Marty Redman’s daughter is a junior at Mt. Carmel who misses playing on the varsity basketball team. “It’s eye-opening to see how much you lose with the student not being able to go up to the school,” Redman said. “We’re fortunate. My wife is a stay-at-home mom so there’s a parent there to help, but it’s been tough.”
An earlier We Pray San Diego event was held in June in the aftermath of the pandemic and protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Organizers say they plan to hold similar gatherings about every three to four months.
“Because we got such a positive response, we don’t see a reason to stop,” Ledezma said. “We will shift our attention from education to something else next time. We just feel there is a lot more to pray about in our city.”