The Trinity community knows the power of prayer
Built on a foundation of Christian beliefs and values, Trinity has many opportunities available for staff and students alike to come together to learn from God’s word, pray together, worship and be strengthened in their Christian walk.
Prayer, in particular, is a significant part of Trinity’s day-to-day routine.
Mr James Harricks, Senior Chaplain, explains that the practice of prayer is integral to Trinity life, because it’s integral to Christian life, saying that the benefits of prayer are too numerous to count. Nevertheless, he offers up several ways that prayer is beneficial for everyone.
“Prayer helps us to practise thankfulness and gratitude,” he says “Psychologists report that giving deliberate and conscious attention to gratitude has a range of benefits to our health and wellbeing. At a spiritual level, thankfulness is an appropriate response to the goodness of God and the reality that there are people, events, and circumstances that we can thank God for. So much that we enjoy is a reflection of the goodness of God and the fact that he richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
1 Timothy 6:17
“Prayer is also an expression of trust,” Mr Harricks continues. “As we pray, we acknowledge that we don’t always see things clearly, or have the breadth of perspective we need. Entrusting our fears, our experiences and anxieties to God acknowledges this reality as well as the reality that God is God and we are not.
“Finally, prayer comforts us with the reality that we are not alone. We have a Father in heaven, who loves to hear the prayers of his children. Like children, we struggle to make sense of our own lives and the actions of others.”
Not only does prayer connect us to God, it also connects us with each other and there are plenty of opportunities at Trinity to join in prayer with one another.
One such example is the Staff Prayer Group that meets on Mondays at recess. Born from a desire to reconnect with one another through their faith during lockdown, the group was started by two staff members who were strengthening their own faith. Since then, the group has moved beyond the Zoom screen to meet on Mondays at Recess and it’s now headed up by Mr Chris Nixon.
“It’s a great joy to gather at the start of the week and share life and pray for one another, taking time to ground ourselves in God’s word and bring our concerns to him as a priority. I’m encouraged to work with so many people who share in the Christian ministry and take the time to care for each other in this way,” Mr Nixon says.
Parents and supporters also have their own prayer group that meets throughout the year, earlier in 2023 it was so well attended that there wasn’t enough space for everyone to meet in the HeadMaster’s Residence as is typical; the meeting needed to be moved to the Dining Hall to accommodate everyone.
“I find it encouraging to hear that people are praying for us, even though we may not necessarily know each other,” Mr Nixon
However you get involved with prayer at Trinity, it is a key component of spiritual growth.
“It’s an uplifting way to see that we are unified in this ministry. There’s always so much to pray for, ranging from the big picture of the Christian mission of the School to bearing each other’s burdens on a personal level.”
