7 Ways to Pray for YouthWorks Summer Staff

This week, pray for summer staff as they learn their roles, get to know their teammates, and prepare themselves to enter into communities. Here are 7 specific ways you can pray for summer staff:

1. Pray for safety. Many of our staff are entering into a communities they may never have set foot in prior to the summer. Some may be leaving their home state or country for the first time! Pray for safety over our staff in their travels and within the communities they will be serving in.

2. Pray for spiritual growth. Our staff are entering into the YouthWorks summer with a varying levels of experience in the church. Pray that God will fill their cups and he uses them to fill the cups of youth, adult leaders, and community members throughout the summer. Pray that God will reveal himself in their summer in unexpected ways.

3. Pray for team dynamics. Each member of our summer staff team has their own unique story. Many are placed on teams with people whose journey through life may have look drastically different from their own. Ask God to bring diverse people together to create something beautiful this summer.

4. Pray for healthy communication. The fast pace of the summer and the many details staff must keep track of make clear communication a must. Pray that staff will come to understand the communication styles of their team, community and participants and that they will show grace when miscommunication happens.

5. Pray for listening ears and open minds. Bringing such a diverse group of individuals together means that likely a variety of opinions and beliefs will also be present. Pray that staff will keep an open mind when listening to the stories and beliefs of all they interact with this summer. May they walk alongside YouthWorks’ belief that our communities have stories worth sharing in!

6. Pray for REST. Pray that staff and their supervisors prioritize self-care throughout the summer. Pray that God provides moments of rest amidst the busyness of the YouthWorks week and that staff can find creative ways to get the recharge they need (Also pray for an abundance of coffee!)

7. Pray for life change. Pray that God will move in the hearts of our staff. Pray that staff will leave the YouthWorks summer having grown in their understanding of His great love and what a true blessing it is to know that “We love because He first loved us”. May that message be just as powerful for them on Week One as it is on Week Nine!

Here are 7 ways you can be praying for YouthWorks, communities, and churches.

Lauren Domski is a full-time Recruiter for YouthWorks. Her favorite part about working at YouthWorks is getting to watch the transition staff make from starting as a candidate to ending the summer as a YouthWorks alumni. Lauren is most looking forward to returning to Chicago 1 this summer as a Site Director with a new set of teammates, because she will get to see their fresh perspective on community partners and how YouthWorks can better serve them moving forward.