After a few weeks of school, about the time in which students begin to be acclimated and settled to the new school year, begins one of the major spiritual highlights of the semester. This past August, from the twenty-fifth to the twenty-ninth, Collegedale Academy presented the first of its bi-annual Week of Prayers, with the theme being “All About Jesus.”

The chosen speaker to open this new school year was Pastor Greg Taylor, who was accompanied by his wife Kim, the Youth Ministries Coordinator for the Southern Union. Pastor Greg also serves as the Youth Director for the Southern Union, meaning that CA students who attended previous prayer conferences were already familiar with him, as he often led out and was involved in those events. 

Every chapel during the week of prayer was opened by rotating groups of praise teams, leading the students in a few songs of worship, and singing the theme song for the week, “Heart of Worship.”

Throughout the week, Pastor Greg told many stories about his life, particularly about his growing and evolving relationship with his wife. He also drew many examples from the Bible, highlighting instances when characters realized that they would only succeed through Jesus. On Thursday, Pastor Greg and Kim gave a unique talk, naming the ten things a relationship needs to survive, from communication to a relationship with Christ. 

Pastor Chris Massengill said “It was great to have pastor Greg and his wife, Kim, here to share the messages daily but most of all, I was excited to see him regularly in classrooms and also attending sporting events with the students several times a week.” In fact, the Taylors supported CA’s sports teams, attending multiple games, engaging with students outside of the classroom.

On the final day of Week of Prayer, Pastor Greg gave an invitation to all CA students to strengthen their relationship with Jesus, passing out slips of paper where students could request Bible studies, studies for Baptism, or simply to rededicate their lives to Jesus. In total:

• 66 students requested Bible studies.
• 49 students requested studies for Baptism.
• 250+ students chose to rededicate their life to Christ.

       Ben Zepeda, Student Association President, said, “It’s great to see the school all come together for something, especially when it’s worshiping the one true God that we all believe in.”

Overall, this past Week of Prayer succeeded in bringing CA students closer to Christ.