Week of Prayer

TULSA, OKLA. – Tulsa Adventist Academy (TAA) held a Week of Prayer in April. Nathan Shires spoke to grades PreK—6, while Kevin Bruce and Stephen Carlile spoke to our high school students.

Shires covered several spiritual concepts such as sin and salvation, obedience, the fruit of the Spirit, witnessing and God’s plan for students’ lives. He shared about being a pastor’s son and his path in and out of Christianity, a story that kept the students’ attention because they realized he has experienced similar temptations as them.

With teacher Heather Martinez, students in grades 5-6 practiced the three circles method of sharing that Shires taught them, a way to guide a conversation to sharing Jesus with another person. At the end of the week, Shires' altar call produced seven students interested in Bible studies.

Bruce and Carlile spent the week with grades 7-12, exploring “Enemies of the Heart” and how to stay godly when these enemies attack. During the worships, students were able to use their cell phones to anonymously text the pastors about their personal experiences with these enemies. Messages were read aloud but kept anonymous, keeping the messages pertinent and transparent for the students. The pastors addressed the students’ messages with scripture and their own experiences of how God helped them through similar situations, even sharing their personal journey from “frenemies” to “besties.” TAA is grateful and appreciates how each pastor showed our students how to proclaim, disciple and live with Christ.

By Caroline A. Fisher