JO B-W, chair of our support group, writes:
Happy New Year to you - our amazing prayer supporters. 

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
by Minnie Louise Haskins 

As we have come to learn all too well recently we can never be sure what is around the corner. No matter how 'known' the future feels, it is always a step into the unknown. This January the unknownness is I imagine much more of a felt reality for us all - not least those involved in the world of education.      

The piece I have always known as "The Gate of the Year" actually starts with the words God knows and I have only just realised that this well known section is just the start of a much longer piece. Can I encourage you to look it up and use it in your prayers for our NISCU staff, for teachers and for young people facing so much that is unknown at the start of this New Year.   
With so much thanks for your prayers, 

Jo B-W 
Area Chair NISCU North Support Group

RACHEL AND HAYLEY WRITE…
PRAISE POINTS
	•	Thanks for all those churches that have put together some care packages for their local schools and for others who are planning them over the coming weeks. Pray that even more churches get involved so the whole of the North Cumbria area is covered.
	•	Thank God for how well the Advent calendar was received. Pray that these messages can be a lasting message of hope in these days and not just for Christmas.
	•	Praise God  for the positive outcomes some are having because of reduced class sizes. For example. child saying 4 or 5 words in the last 2 days! 
	•	Thank you God for another miracle: Matt (Hayley’s husband) has not only had the surgery but has confuddled doctors again with the progress he has made. The dizziness is a lot less (not gone but manageable). He even managed a walk of 3 miles the other week – the furthest he has walked in over 12 months!  Please continue to pray for him (and the family) as he looks to go back to work in a slow phased return next month (something we didn’t think would happen, so really “thank you God”)!

PRAYER POINTS
	▪	Never before have school staff been under such pressure. Balancing the needs and providing lessons for key worker children in school and others at home means much more prep to be done in an already demanding profession. Many staff are extremely tired with some not having had a real break since all this started 9 months ago.
	▪	General anxiety levels are high, both with staff and pupils. With numbers very high locally many know people with Covid. Please pray especially for the head teachers and Senior Leadership Teams as they work especially hard to keep everyone safe.
	▪	Pray for those in year’s 11/13 who have had their exams cancelled and have uncertainty about how they will get assessed. Pray for those making decision and schools as they implement those decisions.
	▪	Wisdom on how to best we can support schools at the moment. We are praying daily that God will guide us as we reach out and support.

——————————__THESE POINTS WERE TAKEN FROM __—————————

RACHEL

General prayer points.
	▪	 Never before have school staff been under such pressure. Balancing the needs and providing lessons for key worker children in school and others at home means much more prep to be done in an already demanding profession. Many staff are extremely tired with some not having had a real break since all this started 9 months ago.
	▪	General anxiety levels are high. Both with staff and pupils. With numbers very high locally many know people with it. Please pray especially for the head teachers and Senior Leadership Teams as they work especially hard to keep everyone safe.
	▪	Pray for those in year’s 11/13 who have had their exams cancelled and have uncertainty about how they will get assessed. Pray for those making decision and schools as they implement those decisions.
	▪	Wisdom on how to best we can support schools at the moment. We are praying daily that God will guide us as we reach out and support.
-          Thanks for all those churches that have put together some care packages for their local schools and those who are planning on over the coming weeks – pray that even more churches get involved so the whole of the North Cumbria area is covered.
-          Thank God for how well the advent calendar was received and pray that these messages can be a lasting message of hope in these days and not just for Christmas.
Just a few ideas as a starting point…………………..

HAYLEY
‘Thank you God for another miracle: Matt (Hayley’s husband) has not only had the surgery but has confuddled doctors again with the progress he has made. The dizziness is a lot less (not gone but manageable). He even managed a walk of 3 miles the other week – the furthest he has walked in over 12 months! 
Please continue to pray for him (and the family) as he looks to go back to work in a slow phased return (something we didn’t think would happen so really “thank you God”) next month!

MICHELLE
Praise God  for the positive outcomes some are having because of reduced class sizes. E.g. child saying 4 or 5 words in the last 2 days!