Prayer points

WEEK COMMENCING 18 JANUARY

Thanksgiving and Looking Ahead

Let us thank the Lord for His faithfulness throughout 2025 and for carrying us into 2026. We give thanks for the new things He is already preparing and ask for eyes to see and hearts ready to respond.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
Isaiah 43:18–19 (NIV)

“I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
Habakkuk 1:5 (NIV)

Children, Mental Health, and Home Education

Recent government data shows a continued rise in elective home education, with mental health concerns, unmet SEND needs, and dissatisfaction with school provision cited as key factors.

Let us pray:

• That children struggling with anxiety, distress, or additional needs would receive wise, proportionate, and genuinely supportive care, rooted in truth and compassion rather than ideology.

• That policymakers would pursue mental health support that strengthens families and schools, rather than medicalising every difficulty or bypassing parental responsibility.

• That parents choosing home education would do so for the right reasons, with clarity, freedom, and appropriate support.

• That schools, many under significant strain, would be given the resources, staffing, and flexibility needed to respond well to complex pupil needs.

As the government considers registers and tracking measures for children not in school, let us pray these would be used to safeguard children, not to restrict freedoms or become tools of suspicion or control—particularly towards Christian families and educators.

Give thanks- Welsh school cleared of promoting creationism

We give thanks for a positive outcome in Wales, where Llanidloes High School was cleared following a complaint by the National Secular Society.

After a thorough investigation, Powys Council and the school’s governing body found:

• No evidence of evangelisation or inappropriate promotion of Christianity

• No teaching of creationism within science lessons

• Full compliance with Welsh government guidance on collective worship and the Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) curriculum

The school was affirmed as offering a broad and balanced curriculum, educating pupils about Wales’ Christian heritage alongside a wide range of beliefs and values.

Let us give thanks:

• For fairness, due process, and clarity in the investigation

• For school leaders who hold firm under pressure

• That Christian heritage and faith expression can still be acknowledged appropriately within public education

And let us pray for continued wisdom, courage, and protection for Christian educators navigating increasing scrutiny with grace and integrity.