By Kristen Shepard
Staff Writer

As mothers pack their kids’ lunches and watch them walk off to the bus or car for another year at school, they are oftentimes overwhelmed with worry and sadness. Sending their children off to school, mothers cannot help but worry about what their child will come into contact with.

At school, parents lose control of what their children are exposed to, how they behave and whom they interact with. For moms, there is not much they can do, except pray.

This is exactly what Debra Rountree intended to do through her chapter of Moms in Prayer, which meets weekly to pray for Coppell High School and New Tech specifically.

Rountree is the mother of two Coppell ISD students, New Tech junior Steven, and Coppell Middle School East sixth grader Jonathon.

Moms in Prayer International, formerly Moms in Touch, is a worldwide organization that brings moms who live in the same community together to shower their children in prayer.

Since the organization was founded, in 1987 by Fern Nichols, a mother herself from Canada, devotional booklet has been translated into 49 languages and chapters have been established in 140 countries.

In Coppell, there is an active prayer group for almost every school, including New Tech, all three middles schools, most elementary schools and even Primrose Academy preschool, for a total of 12 groups.

Each group has a leader, who is usually a mom herself, and meets periodically to discuss issues within the school and pray for the students in general, the teachers and even administration. Most groups meet during the school day, but there is also an evening group for moms not available during the day.

“There is a very diverse group of women in Moms in Prayer,” Carol Slover, mother of two high school students, said. “Moms from different denominations all come to the high school prayer meetings. It is really great for all these moms to come together. I do not know some of these women’s children and to be able to pray for their children and for them to pray for mine is a really special thing.”

Finding a group is easy, all a mom needs to do is log onto www.momsintouch.org and select Find Groups. From there, Moms in Prayer International makes it easy to come into contact with a group for the appropriate school, or even to start a new group.

For mothers who are feeling reluctant to join a group, Mrs. Slover believes the atmosphere is comfortable and welcoming, even to different denominations of the faith.

“So many Christians are shy when it comes to praying aloud,” Mrs. Slover said. “They do not need to worry if they are thinking about coming to Moms in Prayer. We pray in a group, then in smaller groups and even individually. Everyone is welcome.”

No matter the style, the power of prayer is evident, as the simple act of meeting together to pray for their students effects the lives of both the students and mothers. Sophomore Sarah Slover supports the mission of Moms in Prayer and is proud that her mother is involved in the meetings.

“Obviously I can not take my mom to school with me, but when I know she and so many other moms are praying for me while I am in school, it is like she came to support me,” Sarah said. “We really can not put limits on how powerful prayer can be, nothing I or my mom can do compares to the effects our God and prayer can have.”

But Moms in Prayer’s mission serves more than just students. The moms who participate grow as Christians, parents and women.

“Parenting is a growth process, you learn as you go,” Rountree said. “By praying for our kids, we stay connected in their lives and become better parents. Moms in Prayer has helped me see better ways to care for my kids and brings me patience.”

When Moms in Prayer meets once a week, meetings last one hour, and prayer takes up almost the entire meeting length. One idea that is integral to Moms in Prayer is praying for students and teachers by name. This allows the group to lift up specific individuals and issues that may be going unnoticed at school. From bullying to stress to relationships, these moms sympathize with the issues students face and do everything in their power to ease the burden.

“We pray for almost everything school related,” Rountree said. “We pray about all kinds of issues, from seemingly minor things like athletic tryouts and choir concerts to major life-changing issues and tragedies.”

By the simple action of group prayer, Moms in Prayer is able to impact the lives of their children and themselves, making life easier and more faith based.

“As moms, we want to do everything we can for our kids. There are so many issues beyond our control that prayer can help solve” Rountree said.

Note: This story, originally published on October 12, 2012, was updated October 22, 2012 to include details pertaining to recent Coppell events and noting that Steven is a Junior at New Tech, not CHS.