The Power of Prayer

Photo courtesy: Seoul Foreign School (Instagram)

In the midst of upcoming assignments and exams, it’s important to take a moment to catch a breath. Taking a break from our stressful lives as high school students to reflect on the things we are grateful for can work wonders for our mental health– and that’s the beauty of United in Prayer.

Every September, the entire student body and faculty can be seen on the field praying about four aspects of the SFS experience: family, SFS, Korea, and the world. This event began in the early 2000s when SFS high school students brought in “See You at the Pole”, a prayer gathering that originated from American high school students, during lunch periods. SFS soon adapted their own version of the event, calling on all student and faculty members to come together for supportive prayer and meditation.

Mrs. Jean Kim, who is in charge of the United in Prayer event, shares her experiences while coordinating the school’s UiP for the past fifteen years. “UiP is one of the most important events that I run at SFS,” she says. “Aside from all the planning that comes along with it, UiP really helps me to remember why I am working at SFS in the first place.” Mrs. Kim also expresses her personal goals while organizing UiP. “I had to make sure that my heart was in the right place throughout the entire planning process, as it can get very time consuming along the way. Not everything goes as planned!” Through UiP, Mrs. Kim wishes to provide a positive experience for all members of the SFS community. To achieve this, she experiments with creative ways to encourage higher participation before each UiP. This year, with the help of Mr. Paul Kim, Ms. Claire Francis and MIP moms, the Christian Ministries was able to create Prayer Stations for students and faculty to be able to pray and meditate for a week before the actual UiP. “It made quite an impact for the students,” she elaborates. Her main hope is that through UiP, students and teachers can get a glimpse of who God is through praying and meditating with one another.

Mr. Paul Kim, who is in charge of the music for UiP and the leader of the praise team, also recounts his experiences while preparing the school’s UiP. Mr. Kim describes his experiences leading UiP with the words of Jesus in John 15:15: “...I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” He explains UiP as a great platform to experience a glimpse of an invitation from God. Mr. Kim also shares about this year’s new Prayer Stations: “We wanted to secure an assembly for all sections before the UiP to introduce the event, go over the guidelines, and provide an opportunity for students to write down their prayers and wishes in advance to prepare for the UiP.”

This year, United in Prayer was slightly different from the other years. UiP held a special memorial for the late SFS’ first Head of School, Mr. Richard Underwood. The Christian Ministries incorporated a presentation about Mr. Underwood’s “Legacy of Faith” and speeches from guests such as alumni, past SFS staff, Peter Underwood (‘73), and also a special letter by the children of Richard Underwood.

Both Mrs. Kim and Mr. Paul Kim couldn’t emphasize one thing more: there are people in SFS who are always praying for you. They hope that the UiP can continue to be a great opportunity for everyone to experience the power of prayer. For prayer requests, please contact bit.ly/sfsprays, a 24/7 SFS prayer form!