Moms gather to pray for schools
Debby Rosenbauer believes that if more people knew what an impact prayer had, they wouldn't use it as a last resort.
Rosenbauer, like other mothers and grandmothers throughout the country, participates in Moms In Touch International, an interdenominational ministry for women who say prayer makes a difference. MITI groups meet one hour each week to pray for schools, teachers and pupils.
Joel Woodcock (left), the new headmaster at Augusta Christian Day School, looks on during the first prayer meeting of Moms in Touch International. The event took place after teh children arrived at the school for their first day of classes.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
"We are in a position of not asking anything from the schools, but we see that we can be a supporter and encourager of the schools by praying for their teachers and students and what's happening in the school," said MITI area coordinator Janet Mackert.
Mackert, a mother of six, is quick to emphasize that MITI meetings do not take school campuses.
Founded in 1984 by Fern Nichols, MITI now has more than 18,000 groups in the United States. According to Mackert, there are 700 MITI groups in Georgia and more than 40 in the Augusta area.
"It only takes two moms to start a group and cover a school with prayer," Nichols said. "And, it is important for all mothers to find at least one other mom to pray with. Having a prayer partner not only helps moms set aside a specific time for prayer, but the Bible says that when two or more people gather to pray, God joins them and unleashes great power."
Rosenbauer couldn't agree more.
"We support each other in prayer," she said. "There comes a peace you don't get from just chatting about it. Yeah, I can pray for my kids by myself and I do, but there's nothing like praying with another mom. You know she's carrying the burden for your child with you."
According to Mackert, groups are formed on a school-by-school basis and meeting times vary from group to group. Rosenbauer, the regional coordinator of MITI for East Georgia, adds that there may be more than one group per school.
"As students get older and into middle and high school, there are less and less working moms," said Rosenbauer, a mother of four. "So, we have Moms In Touch meetings for working mothers who want to get together and pray. We do whatever we can to adapt to help moms get together."
Rosenbauer and Mackert have been involved in MITI for approximately 12 years, starting when their younger children began school.
"I began meeting weekly with other moms to pray for my third grader and his brother and sister who were in elementary school and the more I participated, the more excited I became," Mackert said. "I saw more prayers answered, and I saw what a difference it made in my life."
For Rosenbauer, MITI has brought her closer to God.
"I think I've come to know God in a deeper sense because you see evidence of your prayers being answered," she said.
Among things MITI groups pray for are pupils and teachers who are having conflicts, pupils who are experiencing difficulty in studying, teachers who are ill, pregnant or are going through difficult periods in their life.
"What we pray for in those four walls does not go out of the group," Rosenbauer said. "It's kept in confidence and doesn't become gossip. We're not busybodies and we're not a gossip group. We have a format that we follow for each meeting: praise, silent confession, thanksgiving and intercession."
The national goal for MITI is to have every school covered in prayer by December 2003. And, according to Mackert, nearly two-thirds of Columbia County's schools have at least one group praying for its pupils and teachers.
"And, we're not just praying for our kids," Rosenbauer said. "We're praying for all of the kids and teachers in that school."
To learn more about MITI or find out if there is a group for your school, contact Mackert at 860-4353.