(Illinois)- A student group at Vienna High School is stepping out in their faith with a Back-To-School Prayer Walk August 10 at various school locations.
Youth For Christ, along with local churches, will come together will host the Back-To School Prayer Walk at 1:30 p.m. at the following locations (As Reported via WSIL News 3): Buncombe Grade School (Deb Goddard), Cypress Grade School (Jay Franklin), New Simpson Hill Grade School (Mona Akins), Vienna Grade School (Adam Hook), Vienna High School (Sherie Smith) and Dongola School (Victor Duckworth and Michael Cole).
According to their website, “YFC is a student led club so it differs from year to year. They meet once a week during lunch for some Pizza and Spiritual Encouragement. This encouragement comes from students, staff, and local guest speakers that the group requests. We also throw in some fun games to help us think about growing closer with Christ. We try to do a ministry project each year…”
What are Back-To-School Prayer Walks?
A prayer walk is just what it sounds like: you walk through your neighborhood, your school, your town—and you pray. Simple as that. You’re not putting on a show or checking a spiritual box. You’re showing up with intention. As you pass homes, sidewalks, classrooms, and storefronts, you’re lifting them up to God. You’re asking for peace, for healing, for hope. You’re not just seeing what’s around you—you’re inviting God to move in it. It’s presence over performance. Intercession over observation. And it’s one of the most quietly powerful ways to love your community.
Benefits of These Types Of Walks
When people gather for a prayer walk—like the ones planned at Vienna High School and nearby grade schools, it changes the feel of a place. You see folks walking together, heads bowed, maybe holding hands or quietly praying. It’s not flashy, but it’s powerful. It shows that faith isn’t just something you talk about, it’s something you live out, right there on the sidewalks and school grounds.
It also sends a message: we care. We’re here. We’re praying for students, teachers, families for peace, protection, and a fresh start. That kind of presence makes people pause. Maybe someone driving by sees the group and feels a little comfort. Maybe a student walking into school the next day remembers that someone prayed for them.
A Prayer For Vienna High School and The Churches Helping
Lord, Thank You for stirring hearts in Vienna—especially the students of Youth for Christ at Vienna High School. As they step out in faith on August 10, walking and praying through school campuses, we ask You to go with them. Let their prayers be like seeds planted in the soil of this community—seeds of peace, hope, and revival.
Bless every church that’s joining in. Strengthen their unity. Let this be more than an event—let it be a movement of love and intercession that ripples through Johnson County. May each step taken be a declaration that You are present in our schools, our homes, and our hearts.
We pray over Vienna High, Buncombe, Cypress, New Simpson Hill, Dongola, and Vienna Grade School. Cover every student, teacher, and staff member with Your protection and grace. Let these campuses be places where kindness grows, where learning flourishes, and where Your Spirit is welcome.
And Lord, bless the leaders—Sherie Smith, Deb Goddard, Jay Franklin, Mona Akins, Adam Hook, Victor Duckworth, and Michael Cole. Give them wisdom and joy as they guide others in prayer. Let their leadership be marked by humility and boldness.
We walk in faith, trusting that You hear us. Move in these schools, Lord. Make Yourself known.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Rick Penn is an ordained pastor, writer, and the founder of Get-Prayer.com, a resource built to help believers develop a consistent, grounded prayer life.
With more than 20 years of preaching the Gospel, Pastor Rick brings deep theological training and lived pastoral experience to everything he writes. He holds a Master of Divinity from Virginia University of Lynchburg, an M.A. with a concentration in New Testament Studies from Baptist Bible Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Averett University.
His writing reflects a personal commitment to making prayer accessible to everyday Christians. Whether he is writing a prayer for someone in a hospital waiting room, walking through fear about the future, or sitting down with a blank prayer journal for the first time, Pastor Rick writes from a place of both theological grounding and pastoral care.
Pastor Rick hosts In The Moment, a Christian television program airing on Roku through AIM Christian Television. Viewers can watch the show at aimchristian.com/yourmoment and listen as a podcast on Spotify.
Before founding Get-Prayer.com, he served in the U.S. Navy, where he built his communication skills as a writer, editor, and public affairs professional. He now applies those disciplines directly to ministry and teaching.
Every article on this site reflects his core conviction: Prayer is not a performance of faith. It is the daily practice that holds everything else together.
Pastor Rick Penn is the author of all content on Get-Prayer.com.
Rick currently resides in Pennsylvania, where he continues to teach, write, and encourage believers to deepen their walk with God through prayer and the study of Scripture.
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