The academic year begins with staff prayers. This is a short service in chapel at the beginning of the first of our two staff training days before full term begins. It provides us an opportunity to meet together, remember the Bible together and connect our interpretations to the world around us and pray together.
Today I mentioned some episodes from my walk along the Cleveland Way last month (http://cleveland2016.blogspot.co.uk/). My visit to Saltburn included the building that housed Silcoates school from 1904-1908 when the school was in exile, the building in Wakefield having burnt down. I also mentioned the Saltburn war memorial on which there are included two names from our own WW1 roll of honour.
Then there was a reminder of the way we remember the Gospel, recalling and retelling the stories and applying them to our current context. Today we used the phrase ‘the road to’ in order to recall stories of Jesus’ continuing presence with his first disciples after the resurrection. There was the road to Emmaus, in which two disciples later recognise that Jesus had walked and eaten with them. There was also the road to Damascus, relevant to our remembering the children of Syria, present to us through media reports and images.
We have a role as peacemakers, both in our prayers today and in what we do to nurture and develop the children and young people we work with so that they too may take up that role now and in the future.

A prayer for each other

From day one to everyday
From the first day to the last day,
May our minds be focused,
May we think, plan and act
In accordance with the values we share
And as we journey together
May we support and encourage one another,
As we too are encouraged
By the recognition of the Spirit
Present in each one here.