In an annual Franklin tradition, hundreds will gather this weekend to pray for the upcoming school year.
Five years ago, Franklin Community Church Pastor Daniel Jepsen and Franklin school board member Darren Thompson started Community Praise and Prayer Night, where local churches and members of the community gather to offer prayers to Franklin schools.
“It’s awesome how it starts the year off,” Franklin Schools Superintendent David Clendening said. “Everyone can start the year off on a positive note.”
When the event was started, Franklin Community Church had already set up a prayer group to pray for each school, but wanted to host a service at the high school and invite other churches, Franklin City Church Pastor Gary Walker said.
“The whole purpose is to show Christian unity through our worship that night and through our prayer, show our commitment to this community and to the schools and to the kids who are the future of this community,” Walker said.
The service this weekend will include songs, worship and prayer from many local pastors. Last year, about 300 people attended. This year, Walker expects 400 to attend and have 12 to 20 churches represented, including Grace United Methodist and Victory Christian Church, he said.
“No one entity can bring out the good in the community on their own,” Walker said. “It takes all of us working together.”
During the service, Clendening takes a moment to share thoughts on how the groups can pray specifically for the schools.
“It’s a great program. I love that they do it,” Clendening said. “We take prayers any day of the week.”
After the service, the prayer groups go to the other schools in the district to pray as well, Walker said. The groups gather around the flag pole to pray and a teacher from each school is there to explain specific things happening at the school.
“It means a lot to the schools to know that we care enough to plan and set aside not only an evening, but to put in the conscience of the minds of everybody to keep praying for the schools and be engaged and be involved with them,” Walker said.
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Members of the community are invited to participate in the fifth annual Community Praise and Prayer night.
When: 6 to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Franklin Community High School auditorium, 2600 Cumberland Drive.
Following the service, people will be dismissed to go pray at the other schools in the district.
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