For a number of years PresCare, a partnership between the PCANZ and Presbyterian Support, have looked for ways in which our shared faith and commitment can respond to the needs and nurture the wellbeing of children and families in Aotearoa New Zealand.
One of the ways we have done this is through Praying for Children week where we offer resources to the PCANZ in order to help the church to reflect on and hold children before God in prayer.
Last year Praying for Children week came in the midst of the national COVID lockdown and so the resources we provided were not able to be fully utilised. We have revised them for 2022 and are excited to offer them to our faith communities.
The 2022 Praying for Children resources reflect on Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:3b-4: Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and invites reflection on seven childlike qualities:
| Wonder Giving attention Innocence Curiousity Playfulness Ongoing questions Trust |  |
All of the resources for Praying for Children week can be found on the blog: https://nzprayingforchildren.org
Praying for Children week begins on August 21st and you can find resources for a full worship service focussing on the childlike quality of ‘wonder’ on the blog: https://nzprayingforchildren.org
Each day during the week that follows there will be a new post with the theme for the day, accompanied by an image and a prayer along with a link for further reflection for those who want to linger with the theme.
We have created a bookmark, which lists the theme for each day during Praying for Children week. The QR code on the bookmark will take you to the blog. The bookmarks are available in English, Te Reo Māori, Samoan and Korean. We hope you can distribute these bookmarks to your congregation for them to take home and make use of during Praying for Children week.
