On Saturday, September 26th, over 80 San Diego churches from every corner of the county united at 53 sites once more for the second, We Pray San Diego gathering. The focus of this time was our San Diego schools. As students and faculty have transitioned into the 2020-2021 school year, they’re experiencing stresses they haven’t had to experience before with fears still looming around sickness, racial division and financial instability for many households.
Members of the community including City officials, school representatives, families and teachers were invited to come out to one of the 53 sites including schools and district offices that were gathering sites for prayer. We Pray San Diego is an opportunity to unite our communities that have been forging together through these unprecedented times. The focus is to lift the community’s voices in prayer to God for continued healing of our city struggling to find stable ground with the ongoing effects of COVID-19, social unrest and uncertainty about the future.
Abel Isaac Ledezma, Centro Familiar Cristiano Church shares, “Our community is in desperate need of physical help and spiritual hope. From the loss of jobs, financial distress and food insecurity, our communities are facing challenges daily. And now as we start the school year, families, teachers and students are faced with even more pressures whether they are learning virtually or returning to the classroom. The We Pray San Diego event in June brought together churches and communities all across the county to pray for our city. In my community of South Bay, I witnessed God blessing families financially and God providing hope to those who trust in Him. We look forward to joining together again and praying for our city.”
Highlights: (prelim - six locations attendance pending)
- 1,966 Attended In Person
- 1,300 Joined Online
- 3,266 Total Participation
- 56 Schools across the County
- 98 Partnering Churches
School locations covered the county from Oceanside to Chula Vista, and Eastlake to Spring Valley. Attendees also prayed over San Diego and Poway Unified School District Offices. One school represented is in Phoenix Arizona!
Earlier this year, on June 20th, 135 churches and fifteen thousand (including online participants) people gathered all over San Diego in other states and online to pray during the first We Pray San Diego event. After weeks of being quarantined with seemingly no changes in sight, San Diegians were looking for a message of HOPE and that’s what sprang forth from the participants in the county wide demonstration of community connectedness, resilience and faith.
Daryl Nuss of the National Network of Youth Ministries, “I believe that everyone cares about the health and well-being of our youth and their education! The We Pray San Diego focus on schools on Saturday, September 26th, is a significant opportunity for people of faith to come together and make a positive impact by praying for our children, our families, our teachers, and the schools in our communities.”
