Evangel Bathurst

09/07/2026

🙏 Back-to-School Prayer Focus - Day 8: Blessing the Teams

Today is the final day of our Week of Prayer: Back to School Edition. Over the past week, we've prayed for courage, mental and emotional wellbeing, belonging, resilience, influence, families and home life, and our students. Today, we are turning our attention to the teams of people who will serve our students every day.

A school is so much more than a classroom and a teacher. Behind every student is a ginormous team of people. We have our teachers, educational assistants, administrators, counsellors, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, office staff, volunteers, and so so so many others. Everyday, they are experiencing a higher percentage of burn out than adults in other careers. Workplace violence, staff shortages, increasing workloads, long hours (that extend past work hours), difficult conversations, and the emotional weight of caring for our students can take a massive toll. They pour so much of themselves into caring for and supporting the next generation, often carrying burdens that we may never see.
They NEED our prayers too.

📖 Today’s Scripture: “ Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up." - Galatians 6:9 CSB

🙏 Prayer Focus: Pray for strength, energy, wisdom, patience, compassion, and endurance for every person serving in our schools. Pray for teachers who are already exhausted. Pray for EAs who carry heavy responsibilities. Pray for administrators making difficult decisions. Pray for counsellors supporting students through difficult circumstances. Pray for bus drivers transporting our children safely. Pray for custodians, cafeteria workers, office staff, and every person whose work often happens behind the scenes.
Ask God to protect them from burnout and remind them that their work matters.

💡 Reflection Prompt for Families: Think of a teacher or school staff member who has made a difference in your child's life. Pray for them by name. Then, if you can, send them a message, write a note, or simply tell them, “Thank you for what you do.”

Our Week of Prayer may be ending, but our prayers don't have to.

As we approach the first day of school, let's continue covering our students, families, schools, and the teams that go with it all in prayer.

09/06/2026

🙏 Back-to-School Prayer Focus - Day 7: Commissioning Students

Today is a special day in our Week of Prayer because we aren't simply praying for our students, we are praying over them and sending them out.

This morning in service, we have the opportunity to commission our students as they prepare to enter a new school year. Whether you are able to join us in person or you're praying along from home, you can be a part of this very important movement.

Our students are not too young to make a difference. They are not simply just the future of the Church, they are a large part of TODAY'S Church right now! God can use them exactly where He has placed them and our schools are places where they can show the love and light of Jesus.

📖 Today’s Scripture: “ Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: Who should I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me." - Isaiah 6:8 CSB

🙏 Prayer Focus: Today, we are praying over and commissioning our students as they prepare to enter their schools. Pray for courage when they face difficult situations. Pray for compassion toward those who may feel alone or overlooked. Pray for wisdom in the choices they make. Pray for influence that their words and actions would point others toward Jesus. And pray for opportunities for them to be a light in their schools.
Let's pray beyond the students we know and can name. Pray for the students of Bathurst, the students of New Brunswick, and the students across Canada.
Pray for the student who doesn't know Jesus. Pray for the student who feels alone. Pray for the student who is struggling. Pray for the student who is excited. Pray for the student who is afraid.
Every student matters to God no matter the circumstance!

💡 Reflection Prompt for Families: If you have a child or student in your home or in your life (church, club, sport, etc.), take a moment today to pray over them personally. Place your hand on their shoulder and remind them: "God is with you. God has a purpose for you. You can be a light at your school/friend group." Then ask them: "How can I pray for you as you begin this school year?" And if you don't have a student in your home, choose a student you know and pray for them today.

Church, let's remember: we aren't just sending kids back to school. We are sending the next generation into their mission field. Let's pray that when our students walk through those school doors, they would know that they are not walking in alone. God goes with them and their church family is behind them in support.

09/05/2026

🙏 Back-to-School Prayer Focus - Day 6: Families & Homes

Today we're turning our prayers toward the people who often have the greatest influence on a student's life. An influence long before they ever walk into any classroom: their families.

Statistics Canada found that Canadians who reported high satisfaction with their family relationships were nearly twice as likely to report being hopeful about the future. That is 63% compared to 35% of those who reported with a lower satisfaction. Home matters. The conversations we have matters. The way we handle conflicts matter. The way we encourage our children matter. And, more importantly, the way we live out our faith, all matter. (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/250219/dq250219a-eng.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

📖 Today’s Scripture: “ As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD." - Joshua 24:15 CSB

🙏 Prayer Focus: Pray for parents, grandparents, guardians, foster families, and everyone who cares for our students. Pray for families adjusting to new schedules, families experiencing conflict, families carrying financial pressure, and families who are simply exhausted. Ask God to give parents wisdom, patience, grace, and strength. Pray that our homes would be places where children feel safe, loved, heard, and encouraged to follow Jesus.

💡 Reflection Prompt for Families:
Instead of simply asking your child, “How was your day?” or "What did you do today?", try asking:
- “What was the best part of your day?”
- “What was the hardest part?”
- “Is there anything you want me to pray about?”
Then actually pray together. Let's pray for the homes behind the students we're praying for this week.

09/04/2026

🙏 Back-to-School Prayer Focus - Day 5: Influence

It's Day 5 of our Week of Prayer: Back to School Edition! Today, we're thinking about influence: the people, the voices, the messages, and the ideas that shape our students (and our lives) everyday.

Our kids and teens are growing up surrounded by more voices than ever before. Friends, social media, YouTube, music, movies, influencers, teachers, and even the algorithms on their screens can all play a role in shaping the way they see themselves, others, and the world around them. Resources like PluggedIn.com exist to help families think through the messages and values being communicated through today's entertainment and media. They even have blogs regarding things that are happening in the modern world around us!

Our goal isn't simply to teach our kids to avoid everything around them. We want to teach them to recognize what is influencing them and to learn how to discern what is true, what is good, and what is honourable to our God. This resourse encourages you to have open conversations with your children about media and to model wise choices themselves.

So today, let's pray not only about who is influencing our students, but also about who our students are becoming.

📖 Today’s Scripture: “ Let no one despise your youth; instead, set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity." - 1 Timothy 4:12 CSB

🙏 Prayer Focus: Pray that our Christian students would have courage to influence their schools positively. Pray that they would stand up for what is right, speak life instead of tearing others down, choose kindness when others choose cruelty, and live out their faith with courage and humility. Pray that they would recognize that they don't have to wait until they're adults for God to use them.

💡 Reflection Prompt for Families: Ask: “What is one way you can make your school a better place this year?” Maybe it's inviting someone to sit with them. Maybe it's standing up for someone. Maybe it's encouraging a teacher. Maybe it's simply choosing kindness. Let's pray that our students understand: they aren't just attending their schools, they are part of the mission field that God has placed them in.

09/03/2026

🙏 Back-to-School Prayer Focus - Day 4: Resilience

We've prayed for courage, mental and emotional wellbeing, and belonging. Today we're praying for something students will need throughout the entire school year: resilience.

School isn't going to be perfect. There is going to be difficult assignments, disappointing grades, they are going to make mistakes, have misunderstandings, experience difficult friendships, and there will be days when students simply want to give up. God tells us that He will be with us through the waters, the rivers and the fires! They will not consume us as He will help and hold us through it! (Isaiah 43:2)

We don't want to pray that our students never experience difficulty. We want to pray that when difficulty comes, they know how to walk through it.

📖 Today’s Scripture: “ And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope." - Romans 5:3-4

🙏 Prayer Focus: Pray for students who struggle academically, socially, emotionally, or at home. Pray for those who experience failure or disappointment. Ask God to give them perseverance when things are difficult and the humility to ask for help when they need it. Pray that our students would learn that one bad grade, one mistake, or one difficult day does not define who they are.

💡 Reflection Prompt for Families: Ask: “Can you think of a time when something was really hard but you didn't give up? What did you learn from it?” Thank God together for the times He has helped your family persevere.

Let's pray for students who are learning not just what to do, but how to keep going when life gets hard.

09/02/2026

🙏 Back-to-School Prayer Focus - Day 3: Belonging

Today we're praying for something every person needs: to know that they belong.

According to the OECD's 2022 data, while 72% of Canadian students reported feeling that they belong at school, 21% said they feel lonely at school, and another 21% said they feel like an outsider or left out. That means there are students walking through our school doors who may be surrounded by hundreds of people and still feel completely alone. And guess what! It may not just be the students either! (https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-and-ii-country-notes_ed6fbcc5-en/canada_901942bb-en.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

So, today, let's pray that God would help us see those students, those teachers, EA's, bus drivers, and whoever else that is affected by the curse of loneliness. Allow Him to give them HIS PEACE that surpasses ALL understanding!

📖 Today’s Scripture: “ In the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another." - Romans 12:5

🙏 Prayer Focus: Pray for students who feel like they don't fit in. Pray for new students, students who eat lunch alone, students who are bullied or excluded, and students who feel invisible. Pray that Christian students would notice the person on the outside and have the courage to reach out.
Ask God to create school environments where students are known, valued, respected, and welcomed.

💡 Reflection Prompt for Families:
Ask your child: “Who is someone at school who might need a friend?” Pray for that person together. Then ask how your family might help someone feel included.

Sometimes being a light doesn't mean doing something huge. Sometimes it simply means noticing someone.

09/01/2026

🙏 Back-to-School Prayer Focus - Day 2: Mental/Emotional Wellbeing

As we continue our Week of Prayer, we are praying today about something that can be fairly easy to overlook because we can't always see it: the mental and emotional wellbeing of our students.

Here is something that should cause us to pause and pray: nearly 25% of hospitalizations for Canadians ages 5–24 in 2020 were related to a mental-health concern.
Read that again.
(https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/science-research-data/young-people-canada-focus-mental-health.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com )

Young people are increasingly reaching out for help with anxiety, stress, relationships, depression, and isolation. There are sooo many factors behind all of this. Yes, we live in a sinful world filled with drugs, s*x, and everything else, but, behind the backpack, the homework, the sports, and the classroom, it’s a real person carrying real emotions. God is greater than all these things.

📖 Today’s Scripture: “ Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

🙏 Prayer Focus: Pray for students experiencing anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression, or burdens they may not know how to express. Pray for students who are quietly struggling. Pray for counsellors, EAs, teachers, parents, and other adults who help support students emotionally. Ask God to bring peace, support, wisdom, and the right people into the lives of students who need help.

💡 Reflection Prompt for Families: Ask your child: “What is something that has been taking up space in your mind lately?” You don't have to fix it. Simply listen, pray together, and remind them that they can bring everything to God.

08/31/2026

Week of Prayer - Back to School Edition ✏️

Hi Evangel Family!
For those who weren't with on us Sunday, we are starting a Week of Prayer: Back-To-School Edition. For those who were there, let this be a reminder! We are spending the next week (starting today) in prayer to send out our students and support staff into the new school year. Each day, we are focusing on a separate need of prayer with a supported Bible verse, asking God to prepare them and send them into their schools as people who carry Your presence.

🙏 Back-to-School Prayer Focus - Day 1: Courage
📖 Today’s Scripture: “The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” - Deuteronomy 31:8

🙏 Prayer Focus: Pray for students who are nervous about a new school, new grade, new teachers, or even just starting another year. Pray that the fear would not control them. That they would step into this year with courage.

💡 Reflection Prompt for Families: Ask your child: "Is there anything about this school year that makes you nervous or unsure?" Take that specific concern to God together. Remind them that courage doesn't mean that we can't be afraid, it means that we don't have to let the fear control us!

08/27/2026

Family Sunday is THIS Sunday!

We’re excited to have our whole church family together for a special morning of worship!
This Sunday, August 30th, our kids get to be a part of the service, not just attending Kids JAM. We love when our kids see the opportunities that they have to serve in a place within the church and that they can use their gifts to serve Jesus, even at a young age.
We’ll worship together, hear Scripture from some of our kids, and they’ll also be sharing a special song with us (and yes… there will be some dancing!). Let this Sunday be THE Sunday that YOU live out Psalm 149:3!
We’ll also have a special family-focused message that we’re looking forward to sharing together.
Want to learn the kids’ song before Sunday?�Listen to Praise by Elevation Worship, but with some fun actions!
https://youtu.be/7YQLAUqUZII?si=EG1CZvV9JTN_tG3w

🙏 Family Sunday will also kick off our Week of Prayer: Back-to-School Edition!
As a church family, we’ll be spending the week praying for our students, teachers, schools, and families as we head into a new school year. We’d love for you to join us as we intentionally pray over the next generation and the schools in our community.

📅 And parents, make sure you’re there! We’ll also be sharing some first-hand updates about upcoming events and opportunities for families so you can know what’s coming up and get involved.
So bring the whole family, invite a friend, and come ready to worship and pray together!

We can’t wait to see you Sunday! ❤️

"Praise" by Maverick City and Elevation Worship is an incredible so...

08/26/2026

What a wonderful time we had this past Saturday at our EncourageHer BBQ! The weather was perfect and the sun so bright and hot, the food was delicious and abundant and the fun and fellowship could not have been better.

What a blessing it has been to have 3 fun summer events this year: first the bonfire on the beach, then the pool party and to cap it all off, a delicious BBQ. And it wouldn't happen without you, so thank you to everyone who hosted, organized, made and shared food, and took time to be together and encourage one another. We have a super bunch!!

We have some planning to do for the upcoming year. We want first and foremost to hear from the Lord, to always have Him at the centre and foundation of all we do, leading and transforming us. And we need you! Any woman who would like to have a voice and/or part in planning our women's ministry events, please DM either Julie Desjardins (Julie Ann on FB) or Pastor Pam Bauer or just drop a comment below and we will let you know when our team is meeting.

Blessings on your week!!