'See You at the Flagpole': Mableton Church Hosts Prayer Walk for Schools

MABLETON — Prayers filled the air outside a number of south Cobb schools Saturday morning as the community gathered for the upcoming school year during the annual South Cobb Prayer Walk.

For the past six years, the walk has invited the community to visit local schools and offer prayers for administrators, teachers, students and their families as they prepare for school to start.

In the past, the event was held across Cobb County, with 113 schools prayed for by 19 churches, said Barry Smith, executive minister and worship leader at First Christian Church of Mableton.

For reasons unknown to Smith, participation declined at the county level. However, Smith and the members of First Christian were determined to keep the tradition alive in Mableton and the south Cobb area.

In response, the Mableton Pastors Collective took charge, uniting pastors across denominational lines to continue the prayer walk at a citywide level. This year, the collective adopted 19 schools in the Mableton area, with seven churches involved.

Rather than being the sole leader in the walk like in the past, First Christian handed the walk off to multiple churches, each of which visited three or four nearby schools Saturday morning.

“We have such great partnerships with the schools in this area and I think the principals rely on us and count on us and look forward to us coming and praying,” Smith said.

This support extends beyond the prayer walk, he added, with schools often reaching out throughout the year to request additional visits.

“The schools are where the community is,” Smith said. “Mableton has a lot of things going on that are positive but it also has a lot of needs.”

After meeting at First Christian, Smith, the church’s Spanish minister, Eduardo Escobedo, daughter Grettel Escobedo and church member Bob Lamb caravanned to Pebblebrook High School, the first stop on the prayer walk.

“See you at the flagpole,” Smith said.

In front of Pebblebrook, the four joined hands and prayed for the students and staff of the school.

After their prayers for safety and protection were finished, the four returned to their cars and traveled down the road to the H.A.V.E.N. School at Skyview, now known as Aspire.

Aspire, part of the Georgia Network of Educational and Therapeutic Support, provides specialized education and support for students with severe emotional and behavioral disorders and autism throughout Cobb County, Marietta City and Douglas County schools.

At Aspire, the small group was greeted by principal Isaac Kelly, who has been involved with the walk since its beginning.

Kelly said the community support means a lot for his school, adding that when it comes to sponsors and donations, the faith-based community is always there.

He also appreciates that the event is not exclusive or a disturbance in any way.

“No matter what a person believes in, spiritually, religiously or whatever, they get a chance to come out and pray for the building,” Kelly said.

Smith said their mission is to just pray for the schools.

“We don’t go in the school, we don’t pressure anybody in the school to do anything, we just enter the campus,” Smith said. “And if the gates are closed, we’ll stand and pray at the gates.”

Smith prayed for Kelly, asking that he be provided with strength, patience and perseverance this coming year.

“Give him kind words on tough days and tough words on fun days… help him be the leader that you’ve already developed,” Smith prayed.

After praying for a successful and safe year at Aspire, the group continued on toward Mableton Elementary, a school with deep ties to First Christian.

Mableton’s principal, Pamela Cain, invited staff preparing for the first day of school to join the prayer over the intercom, several of whom joined the growing group.

The Escobedos offered prayers in Spanish while Lamb prayed for the safety and well-being of bus drivers, cafeteria workers, teachers, and students.

The final stop of the walk was the SAE School, which operates year-round and started its school year on June 10. Despite a light drizzle, the group of four grew to nearly 20 as parents, teachers, administrators, and students gathered under an awning to join the prayer.

Shannon Tilson, the director of operations, expressed her gratitude for the community’s ongoing support.

Because the school is year-round, her staff and students have developed a better understanding of what to be thankful for.

“When something goes wrong they get to watch all of the parts and pieces moved to put it back together,” Tilson said.

Dash Cooper, whose child has attended the SAE School since pre-K, appreciated the faith-based community support.

“We very much are people of faith and we just love that the school gives an opportunity to be able to exercise that faith and to be able to pray for the school,” Cooper said.

On Wednesday, a community prayer night will take place at First Christian to pray for Mableton schools, students, and teachers.

During this gathering, the mayor, Cobb school board members and various principals are expected to attend, and churches will give a recap of Saturday’s events.

For more information about First Christian Church of Mableton and its community initiatives, visit www.fcc-m.com .