Anglican youth staff working across Tikanga Pākehā are calling for a wave of prayer to focus the Church on the ministry needs and gifts of the "first third", both children and young people up to the age of 30 years.

"The need for our churches to be present and accessible to our communities is greater than ever, and there is an urgent  need to be thinking about how to do this and how to be praying for these generations." said National Tikanga Pākehā Youth Facilitator Lorna Gray who launched the call for prayer to take place on Sunday 25 May. 

Lorna Gray was joined by Pākehā diocesan-based youth enablers and Aotearoa New Zealand-based Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian national youth leaders who together identified two key facts to lead the call for prayer:

1. A recent Pew Research study confirms that 78-85% of Christian adults report they came to faith before the age of 20.
2. Numerous psychological studies show that children have usually formed their foundational worldview by approximately ages 13-14.

Lorna says there is real curiosity about God amongst the ‘first third’ generations and there are significant social and health challenges for young people navigating life in a digitally mediated world.

Pākehā youth staff are encouraging Anglicans to head out into their communities and to pray at locations of significance, or to ascend the nearest hills or mountains to take in the big picture as they pray for their communities and specifically their children, young people and young families. 

Preparing for the prayer wave, Anglican youth staff want people to pray hope and life into today's challenges that young people face, including for:

• Peace and life  to counter anxiety, depression, suicide, self-harm
• Freedom from addictions to devices, gaming, pornography, substances
• Freedom and renewed sense of worth for people with behavioural or eating disorders
• Connection and belonging to offer an alternative to disconnection and isolation: socially, at school, in communities, and for some, from whānau
• Belonging, respect and understanding to replace discrimination
• Safety and peace to end violence and extreme bullying, including cyberbullying
• Hope and Care for Creation to counter anxiety from climate change, wars, and natural disasters
• Curiosity, hunger and Godly encounters to end the disconnect from God

As churches pray, Lorna asks them to keep some key questions in mind:

How do we support and encourage our children, families and young people and grow their faith?
What can we be doing to build in ways of being the church that work for children, families and young people? 
What changes are we open to making? 
How can we stand alongside children, families and young people and invest in them with prayers, time, energy and finances?  

Lorna reports that new and encouraging evidence coming through media reports notes a discernible rise in interest in spirituality amongst young people.

"There is a greater openness to spirituality – a new curiosity in those under 25 years."

"So there's this new openness to exploring Jesus, but if we aren't right there engaging and walking with these younger generations, it means they won't know the fullness of life that Jesus offers to them."

The Tikanga Pākehā youth teams are inviting people joining the prayer wave from 5pm on May 25 to pray for:

- All those they know in the first third of life
- Those that know Jesus, that they will be discipled, kept safe and cared for well in their church families and that they would find ways to share Jesus with their friends
- For all those under 25 years old as they continue through the year with their families, schools, jobs or tertiary education.
- That all young people will encounter the living God.
- For those already committed to ministering to our children, families and young people, that they will receive all they need as they give so much

Lorna and her team are also encouraging church members to actively look out for church families and find ways to prioritize them.

- Reach out and see how  young people in your community can be supported
- Sponsor a leader or young person to attend a Christian programme like a camp or 'The Abbey'
- Ask who can be prayed for over the time they are involved in the programme
- Create packages for those heading to programmes
- After the work is finished find ways to support the young people and leaders who have done so much

If your church is heading out to pray on May 25, please contact Lorna Gray on nationalyouthfacilitator@gmail.com to let the Tikanga Pākehā youth network know what you've done and share your story and a picture.