Creative Prayer for Unaccompanied Refugee Children and Youth
Description:This exercise is designed to accommodate congregations with people of all ages. For the elderly, the prayer points are projected on the wall, so they can pray from their seats. Those who are mobile can move about the room to participate in the various activities.
Each activity connects to a prayer point. Especially for children it is great to do something while they pray. It helps them to be focused and to understand better, what they pray for.
Create prayer stations around the room. The prayer points and activities need to be written on papers and put down at the different prayer stations, so people know at each station what to pray for.
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Prayer Points with Activity:
Prayer Point:Refugees often have a very difficult and dangerous travel over land and sea, where they are exposed to many dangers, both from nature and from people who try to hurt them or capture them and traffic them. Pray that the unaccompanied children and youth will have a safe journey and will be protected on their way to safety.
Activity:
Take big sheets coloured in blue and yellow. Put them on the floor. Yellow is the desert, blue the sea. On the sea you can put a towel or a sac-cloth in brown – that's your boat. People can decide to sit on the boat or in the desert praying for safe journeys.
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Prayer Point:
Minor refugees need a place to live; they are not supposed to live in a park or on the street.
We pray for safe housing for them, where they get food and lodging and can feel safe.
Activity:
With a sheet or two and a table you can make a tent. People can sit in the tent as they pray for the refugees. Alternatively, you could use a small tent.
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Prayer Point:Even more than a house, young refugees would need a family who cares for them. We pray for Christian families to open their houses and hearts to welcome these young refugees into their homes.
Activity:
Take Playmobil people, or other little dolls, women, men and children. Mark some of them as the refugees, with a sticker on their back. While people pray for families for refugees, let them put families together with the Playmobil people.
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Prayer Point:
Young refugees need to go to school, learn the local language and later get some skill training.
We pray for possibilities for them to learn the language, get enrolled in school and for doors to open for future job skill training or college.
Activity:
Put paper and pens or crayons on a table. While praying people can write down what they wish for the refugees to know and to learn.
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Prayer Point:
Refugees are traumatised and often full of fear. They need people who reach out to them, help them and bring the Good News into their lives so that they can find hope and a future in God.
We pray for many Christians, especially in our country to reach out to refugees, be friends with them and share the gospel with them.
Activity:
On a table, put a small bell. It is a symbol for the church bell calling people. After every prayer the person who has prayed can ring the bell.