Parents in Prayer, LHSON Group, Launches 16th Year
The Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) is proud to launch its 16th year of Parents in Prayer. Hosted virtually via Zoom on the first Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m., the meetings are led by parent volunteer, Mrs. Andee Coppell, and provide the opportunity for Baylor family to come together online and share resources and offer encouragement as they navigate college life for their student. Joining LHSON parents via Zoom are LHSON administration, faculty, staff, Board members and friends of the nursing school. The first virtual meeting for this academic year was hosted on Tuesday, September 1 with 21 parents of Baylor nursing students, two LHSON faculty and four LHSON staff in attendance.
“We are honored to host this special time of prayer and fellowship for the parents of our nursing students,” said Dr. Tanya Sudia, Dean of the LHSON. “Through our legacy of caring, we offer spiritual support to these families as they lift up their student as a future Baylor nurse who will serve as the hands and feet of Christ.”
Living life alongside fellow Baylor parents in Dallas-Fort Worth, Parents in Prayer has parent groups around the Metroplex in Northeast Dallas; McKinney; Fort Worth; Frisco; Flower Mound; Northeast Dallas and, at the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing. Around the state, Parents in Prayer groups are located in: Central Texas (Temple and College Station); San Antonio; Boerne; Houston (including Sugar Land and The Woodlands) and Tyler. Nationally, Parents in Prayer has parent groups geographically based on the west coast, southwest, Midwest, northeast and southeast and internationally.
“The LHSON Parents In Prayer group has had a profound impact on families and students, serving as a hub for connection and support. It fosters a nurturing community center where parents can come together in prayer and fellowship,” said Ms. Joey Peterman. “As an alum of the program and the proud parent of a current level 3 senior who is finishing the nursing program, I feel a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction knowing that everything has come full circle.”
“Each meeting provides an opportunity for parents to connect, share personal experiences, and offer support to each other and their children as they navigate the challenges of attending Baylor,” said Peterman. This prayer time strengthens the bond among parents and plays a crucial role in providing spiritual and emotional support to students during their rigorous nursing program.”
Parents in Prayer originally began in person as 'First Call to Prayer'. The idea was inspired during the early 2000’s by a Waco parent, Barbie Williams, who approached Judy Maggard, Director, Baylor Parents Network at Baylor University (who is now retired after serving 36 years at BU). Barbie was interested in establishing a group in Waco to pray for BU students and the University community.
“The initiative grew from there to other parent groups across the country,” said Maggard. “It was fueled by parents wanting to support their students through the power of prayer emphasizing that they cannot always be there in person for their sons and daughters but they can pray for them and for the administration, faculty and staff with whom they are surrounded during their college careers. Parents would tell me that their students would reach out to them and ask for specific things to pray for when their groups met.”
In 2010, the LHSON group of Baylor Parents Network (now titled, Parent Engagement) was formed. It was the only Baylor unit (out of 12 BU schools and colleges) with its own Parents In Prayer group but proved successful thanks to great volunteers, such as longtime leaders, David and Shirley Quine. The LHSON group later transitioned from in-person meetings to virtual during COVID which continued afterwards providing more parent involvement across the country.
“Parents in Prayer is one of the clearest pictures of what makes Baylor LHSON different,” said Reverand Tony Brown, Chaplain and Student Ministries Coordinator, LHSON. “Parents come together as a community, not just to check in, but to talk honestly about their students’ struggles and concerns and lift those needs up to the Lord together. That kind of support matters, because we don't see nursing as just a set of skills or even a profession. It's a ministry and a calling,” said Reverend Brown. “We're training young men and women to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a healthcare setting, and prayer is woven into every part of that formation. We pray over each student, we pray before every exam, and through Parents in Prayer our families labor alongside us in encouragement and prayer”
“From a student's first day of class through their career, Baylor Nursing students are supported academically and spiritually by people who care about them and want to see God's will fulfilled in their lives,” said Rev. Brown. “They know they're prayed for, and when they succeed, we celebrate together as one community. That's the power of prayer and partnership — it makes the Baylor Nursing experience something truly unique.”
“Baylor Parents in Prayer provides a fantastic opportunity for Baylor parents to connect with other parents to share and pray for each other through the difficulties of supporting their kids through the ups and downs of college life at Baylor,” said Dr. Keith Wickliffe, Director of Student Services, LHSON. “In particular, the LHSON Parents in Prayer allows Baylor nursing parents across the U.S. to come together to talk through the unique experiences of their students. From moving and living in Dallas, to the fast-paced academic classes, to the hands-on experience in hospitals…parents who participate in Parents in Prayer receive comfort in coming together to share their stories, learning from each other, and praying for each other’s students.”
Learn more about Parents in Prayer at, https://parents.web.baylor.edu/parent-events/parents-prayer