prayer ideas for hurricane katrina

if you are a youth pastor, pastor, anyone who works with students i've been
working on a few ideas for engaging students in praying for hurricane katrina

1. Prayer Photos: create a prayer collage...cut out photos from newspapers or magazine or photos downloaded from the internet...allow students to create the collage
or lay out cutout photos on a table with candles and allow the students to look at the photos and pray over them.
or
create a prayer slide show using photos downloaded from the internet

include photos of aid workers, police and fire, coast guard and other relief workers as well as folks in the crisis. also i am including photos of the disaster in iraq this week where 1000+ people died in a panic during a parade panic as well as photos from the russian school massacre. this is the one year anniversary of this tragedy.

2.Music: you can also find some great jazz and blues music to play behind the activites...i tunes has many songs entitled "new orleans"
also think rain...like mobey's rain from hotel, or jars of clay "rain"

3.Wailing Wall: roll out a large piece of butcher paper...hang on wall or roll out on the floor.
allow students to write out their prayers ...their pain, their confusion, their sorrow on the paper...
use colored markers.

4. Movie Clip: In hotel rwanda, the clip where the reporter says that americans will just watch the news and see the tragedy and then go back to their dinners and say "oh how awful"....
discuss the importance of keeping mindful of the crisis...
discuss why it is so easy for us to forget those in pain.
discuss how important it is to take care of the poor and those in pain all the time.
talk about how central this is to the gospel...jesus said "when you do it to the least of these you do it to me!"

5. Journaling: provide paper and pens for students to have the opportunity to journal...to tell how they feel, to tell their stories...
allow students to share their stories out loud too.
ask how they have felt about the disaster, ask about family members, friends, etc who may have been affected.

6.Prayer Take Aways:
1. go to the dollar store, hobby lobby, etc. and find sea shells for each of your group
and /or
2. check out party stores like party city and see if they have any mardi gras beads around..

the seashells are tangible reminders to pray for the folks in crisis on the gulf coast...in mississippi, alabama, and louisiana. remind the students that folks all across the gulf were affected. if you can find mardi gras beads, these are great prayer beads to remind us to pray for the folks in new orleans! remind students to keep these as symbols to pray all week and in the weeks to come.

7. Water: use bottled water or just cups of water...like communion...jesus said that he is the living water...and folks throughout the coastal areas are desperate for water...
hold the cups of water or bottles in your hand and pray for those without water, spend time praying out loud for the victims...
spend time thanking jesus for all that they have...for simple things like water, showers, food etc.
drink the water together...

8. Action: you can ask students ahead of time to bring in cash donations...or items..
or have a hand out for the next week or two to bring in items...
you can collect tolietries and put together care packages
you can collect bottled water
collect baby items like diapers or formula
canned food
cleaning supplies
make it an entire church project

9. Sacrifice: what can you/ i do to give more?
give up starbucks, fast food, movie out for a week
give the money to the red cross or other relief agency
give babysitting, job money
find out if anyone in your group could adopt a family and find
them a place to live/work/etc.

other:
help at the red cross
give blood
help at a local food bank
help elderly in your own neighborhoods do yard work, visit them, do odd jobs
visit local hospitals and nursing homes
show kindness and compassion to those around you

10. check out the youth specialties web site for steve case's service for a national disaster from the book of common prayer
and other resources for students in crisis.

i am sure you all have other ideas, just wanted to share with you what i am thinking ...let's keep praying for our nation, our leaders, those in the middle of the crisis, and let's not forget those around the globe who are also in need.

have a blessed weekend! lilly

Comments

[tony sheng]

Lilly

Thanks for the great great ideas. Very thoughtful and tangible.

Blessings

[Lori]

Sounds like a sacred space we need to organize somehow...

[-Justin-]

There are some really great ideas here. They are very creative and thoughtful. Thanks for sharing them.

[Tony Myles]

Wow... sweet ideas! Thanks!

[susie albert miller]

lilly,
thanks for these ideas, for your vision and wisdom in experiential worship. i was telling folks at our church about you today, and how you influenced the prayer stations that i set up at our service on Darfur, Sudan. When oh when is the book coming out!!!

do you offer personal consulting:)
no seriously, a phone consult?

grace and peace to you

[KC]

Great stuff! Will use it as we kick off a new year at church here in Sacto. Found you on Andrew' bloggy.

[DR]

I posted a link to your blog on mine tonight!