The impact of PHC's Parent Prayer Group

"Is there a PHC parent prayer group on campus?" Kathy Harvey asked. That was the question that set the snowball rolling for PHC's Parent Prayer Meetings.

Keith and Kathy Harvey were on campus because of their daughter, Cheryl, who was about to start a new phase of her life as a student at PHC. Kathy put the question to someone waiting to answer any questions that parents might have. 

“I'm not sure, but the person you should talk to is Mrs. Haynes,” was the reply.

Kathy and her husband made the short trek across campus, from the Barbara Hodel Center to Founders. They headed to the office of Mary Haynes, former secretary of President Jack Haye and wife of Dr. Michael Haynes, the former head of PHC’s Government Department. For the second time that day, Kathy asked, “Is there a PHC parent prayer group?”

“No,” Mary replied. “The closest we’ve been to that is when someone would send out a prayer request via email.”

A couple of things flashed through Kathy’s mind. It was Fall 2021, and the COVID pandemic was only just starting to let up. Kathy taught high school and worked at a community college. Right when the pandemic hit, she was one of the many people who said, “Guess what, everybody? We’re going online!”

Now, she had the same idea. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just get together on Zoom?”

“That sounds like a great idea!” was Mary’s reply. She gave Keith and Kathy a list of parents of PHC students to reach out to.

Keith and Kathy emailed the parents a spreadsheet, and the parents picked times that worked best for them to meet. They reviewed parent availability and then commenced the meeting. The prayer group has now met once or twice every week for the past four school years.

They find things to pray for by reviewing PHC’s calendar, looking at PHC’s website, and listening to their students. The content of their prayers ranges from the new dorm, Shiloh, the Moot Court, Mock Trial and Debate Teams, various professors, soccer games, exams, spiritual health, and even the dining hall.

The parents have seen a lot of impact on their own lives and the lives of their students through these meetings.

Hebrews 10:24-25a says, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together." Through the prayer group, this verse has come alive for Keith and Kathy. 

“Left on our own, all of a sudden, a whole week’s gone by. Did we pray that much for the school? We had good intentions, but would we have? Coming to an actual meeting with the express intent to lift up Patrick Henry College, the students, and the faculty, we knew that at least once or twice a week we were doing that,” Kathy said.Jennifer Creel, a member of PHC’s Parent Prayer Group since 2024, said, “We’ve had 2 other kids, both of whom have made it through college and have done great, but I’ve never seen something like this before. The fact that there is a prayer group for parents of students at PHC is exceptional.”

On May 10, 2025, Keith and Kathy were again at PHC, this time for Cheryl’s graduation. They talked to parents they had met to pray with over Zoom and watched together as their children walked down the aisle, were prayed over by professors, and received their diplomas.

It was a happy time, but also a time of change.

With Cheryl’s graduation, Keith and Kathy are passing on leadership of the prayer group to another regular member, Ben Banks, father of senior Catie Anne.

“Prayer for a lot of the Christians I know is like taking their sword to battle. They’re looking after their kids and take it very seriously,” Banks said. He is glad to use prayer in this way through the prayer group and to encourage other parents as they do the same.

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To all parents of students at PHC or those who will soon be, if you are interested in joining the PHC Parent Prayer Group, email Ben Banks at docpaladin1@gmail.com. To learn of other ways you can support PHC, contact Scott Bedrosian at smbedrosian@phc.edu.

 Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.