Week of Prayer is a special time for the Collegedale Academy student body. Each

semester presents the school with an opportunity to gather together and

interpret what God has put in the hearts of those who speak for us.

“I’m really excited about Week of Prayer. It could be good or bad; we haven’t

established our level of spirituality yet,” says Elizabeth Dodd, a sophomore. “I am

hoping that a lot of people will understand the truth and come to Jesus.”

“I expect this week of prayer here to be different from the one at CAMS –more

people involved and such, because people at CAMS didn’t really do anything,” says

Nena Madrigal, a freshman. “I hope that people won’t be afraid to sing if they’re

singing, and if they’re wanting to lead out in Week of Prayer, that they’re not afraid

to get up there and talk to the people.”

When the time came for Pastor Chris to invite a guest speaker for the first Week

of Prayer starting August 26, what he heard about a fantastic Week of Prayer at

GCA came to mind. It was put on by Pastor Ken Norton, and coincidentally Mr.

Cooper also heard of Mr. Norton and suggested him as a possible guest. Pastor

Chris was about to ask Norton if he was willing to speak for us; Cooper’s

suggestion only spurred him on, and Norton agreed!

Ken Norton is Collegedale Church’s Pastor of Fellowship and Young Adults.

Norton led what can perhaps be considered an eventful high school career

starting in Singapore-high schooler, then graduating from CA.

In his freshmen year of high school in Singapore, Norton was in the newspaper

for finding a large cache of WWII live ammunition with a metal detector. From

Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Singapore, and finally Tennessee, Norton has gotten a

fantastic glimpse of God’s creation.

On the topic of his family, Norton says, “I’m not me without my family. My wife is

awesome. Her name is Julie and she is the Student Missions coordinator at SAU.

My son Ken is a freshman this year at CA. He’s a crazy good songwriter and is

just fun to be around. My daughter Michelle is in 7th grade at CAMS. She is a

great singer and a good cook too.”

Our theme this week has been The Jesus Factor. Norton explains, “Each day I’m

going to share how to have a real, authentic walk with Jesus Christ and the

rewards of knowing God in a practical way.

“According to John 17:3, eternal life is actually knowing God, not just knowing

about Him. There is not much I enjoy more than sharing practical ways to know

him and to help others experience God in a personal, fulfilling way.”

Norton hopes to get students to:

1. Love Jesus more

2. Experience freedom from the chains of sin

3. Uncover a clear pathway to true joy

4. Encourage students to be passionate about helping others know God better

He looks forward to being able to stand on the stage and share Jesus –the same

stage that others stood on to share Jesus with him while he was at CA.

“My prayer is that Jesus will be high and lifted up during week of prayer as the only

Source of true freedom, joy, and salvation and that we will all experience His

presence during our time together,” says Norton.