RICHMOND — The first day of school stirs up many emotions. Some students (and teachers, too) approach the day with dread while others can't wait to get started. As both students and staff head back to school they anticipate new beginnings — new classes, new relationships and new challenges. Folks in Chesterfield County Public Schools, however, will not face these challenges alone. A group of mothers will meet in three locations on Sept. 4 to pray for them in an event called First Day.
Born in the mind of Betsy Akins during the summer of 2006, First Day became a reality on the first day of classes last year. This year the mothers will eagerly repeat the process. Akins compares this gathering to See You at the Pole, a time in September when students encircle their campus flagpoles to pray for their schools and country.
“First Day is similar in that it's an intentional coming together, a time when women's gathering to pray can send a loving message to God and also to our families and communities that we care enough to pray. We pray for students, teachers, administrators, bus drivers, custodians, everybody,” says Akins, who coordinates First Day.
Considering the large geographical area involved and knowing the busy schedules women face, a multi-site approach works best for the Chesterfield area. First Day prayer gatherings will take place on Sept. 4 at 10 a.m. at Beulah United Methodist Church on Hopkins Road, King's Way Community Church on Sovereign Grace Drive and Southside Nazarene Church on Courthouse Road. These strategic locations allow women to attend a site near their children's school, home or workplace. All three locations also opened their doors last year to the one-hour event.
As the organizational challenges for such an event continued to grow, so did Mrs. Akins' faith. “Spiritual markers or those experiences in life that draw us deeper into our faith” are cherished tools she utilizes when facing such large projects. Having moved to Midlothian three years ago, she's not a newcomer to tackling large events with limited planning time and no budget. “That's when you can really see God at work, and he gets the glory and honor!” says Akins.
Although the vision for First Day was simply a call to prayer, the reality of that vision required many to embrace the idea and work together. That's where the “Pray it Forward” came in — for like a stone dropped into a pond, Akins saw a ripple effect take place as she began to share about First Day. She began thinking in terms of “Pray it Forward” when her family lived in Illinois and a high school teacher recommended the movie Pay It Forward to her family. After seeing the movie, Akins challenged her community to “pray it forward for prayer has a way of bringing about change, healing and hope within the hearts of people.”
First Day 2006 is an example of praying it forward. What began in prayer stayed in prayer. Women at last year's event watched a brief DVD message from Akins. The DVD allowed each location to hear the same message, thus uniting all three sites for this one-day, one-hour prayer gathering. In addition to the DVD, women enjoyed pre-service, inspirational multi-media presentation, created by Akins' daughter, Holly. Diane Smith-Cummings, Amy Elliott, Ellen Hardy, Kathleen Seow, and Heather Thomas facilitated the prayer time at their respective locations.
Feedback from attendees sent an overwhelming message that women hoped to experience First Day 2007 as well as connect with other women willing to pray each week for their children and schools within Chesterfield. As a contact person for the national organization Moms in Touch International in Chesterfield County, Akins seeks to encourage mothers to pray for their children and schools through small prayer groups that meet each week in homes or local churches.
“Our prayer,” says Akins, “remains the same: for God to continue expanding our praying territory in Chesterfield County.”
Mrs. Akins' involvement with Moms in Touch (MIT) began 14 years ago in South Carolina when a mother invited her to pray with an elementary school MIT group, and she's never stopped. The mission of Mothers in Touch International (MITI) is to answer the call of Lamentations 2:19: “Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. … Lift up your hands toward him for the lives of your children,” and to see every school in the world covered with prayer.
“That's a big vision,” remarks Akins, “but then again, we serve a big God. The MITI vision can only become a reality when we do our part in providing prayer coverage for those schools in our own community.”
On Sept. 4, Chesterfield County schools will open their doors to students for the first day of classes. The doors of Beulah United Methodist, KingsWay Community and Southside Nazarene will in turn open their doors to women answering the call to prayer as they begin the journey to accomplish their vision for the school year. After that, mothers will meet weekly in various locations to pour out their hearts before the Lord for the lives of their children.
For more information on First Day 2007 or Moms in Touch International, contact Betsy Akins at (804) 379-3520 or visit the MITI website at www.MomsInTouch.org.