The signs are the brainchild of Vanessa Frazier, founder/director of Christ Teens, a Columbia non-profit outreach to young students and teachers in the area. Frazier told CBN News that the mission to reach young people for Christ was born years ago as she worked behind the attendance desk in a local high school. As for the signs, she spent three years developing them with the SC Department of Transportation, and she's hopeful they'll encourage people to pray for students and teachers, and in her words, "create a wall of prayer around the schools."

For those concerned about church/state issues, The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) says the signs, which look quite official, are placed on private church properties located near schools and are outside the highway rights of way. WIS reports the agency says the signs are legal, and Frazier agreed. "This is a perfect example of church and state. We're staying out of the area of the state but we're bringing it on the land of the church."

Why encourage prayer? For Frazier, the idea of signs pointing people to prayer came out of her own prayer life as she asked God for ways to help kids in public schools today. She refers to the Bible where God uses various kinds of signs to emphasize His promise to help His people. For example, the rainbow was a sign of God's covenant to bless the earth and to never judge it again with a flood. With the struggles and special challenges facing young people today, she says, prayer is the only way to touch and change hearts. And she believes it's a key to success in life. "We want this next generation coming out of our public schools every 365 days to be productive citizens with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, skills, and ability. You know, everything you would want from a graduation class," she told WIS.

Jane Jorgenson is the wife of Daniel, the pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Blythewood, SC, which is located a short distance from Blythewood High School. She told CBN News that when Vanessa Frazier approached them earlier this year about purchasing a School Prayer Zone sign and placing it on their church's property, she knew she wanted to do so immediately. "Literally on the spot I said, we're interested."

Jorgenson reports there's been a lot of positive feedback from the sign, and everyone seems to be noticing, from her server at lunch to the women in her own prayer group. And she told CBN News she hopes the emphasis on prayer will bring meaning and peace to students' lives that may be troubled. "God brings peace to hearts and lives if we ask. If high school kids see this sign as they go to school, if they could get into the habit of praying for their problems, it could help them get through the day. God is all-powerful. Why not bring Him into the situation?"

Vanessa Frazier sees herself as a servant to the public schools and is working with other states to see if their laws allow such School Prayer Zone signs in their communities. She's heard from people from Florida to California who are interested, and her Facebook page has received more than 200,000 "Likes" since the word got out about the signs. In her own community, eight to ten signs have gone up in Richland and Aiken counties. Frazier's ultimate goal is to make a long-term difference in the public schools, as stated on her website: "to build an earthly army of soldiers who talk and walk with the Lord of the Harvest, Jesus Christ, on the grounds of public schools-all within the law." School Prayer Zone signs to encourage the community to pray are just the beginning. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

'The Way, The Truth and The Life': Direct Descendant of Muhammad Now Follows Jesus

Food for Thought: The Rich Do Not Get Rich at Expense of the Poor [Video]

Mamdani Erases Little Italy ... and (Of Course) the Jews

A Lesson from King David, and a Call to Prayer from Give Him 15

Prayer Alert: Israel Has Informed the US of Another Specific Plot to Assassinate Donald Trump

Marco Rubio Steps in After Tim Walz Pardoned Illegal Alien Child Rapist before Deportation

Prosecutors Present Texts of Alleged Confession by Tyler Robinson in Hearing for Charlie Kirk Murder

'The Resurrection and the Life': Navy Vet Comes Back to Life After Family Prays

Are Weight Loss Medications Right for You? Pros and Cons of GLP-1s

Company Issues Voluntary Recall of This Specific Kind of 'Pedigree' Canned Dog Food

Prayer Alert: Hundreds of Thousands of Acres Burn as Fires Spread in West

HHS Announces $281 Million to Expand Addiction and Mental Health Programs

Results: In Turkey, Trump Ordered a Trade Halt with Spain, Now They've Suddenly Agreed to Boost NATO Payments

As Billboards Promoting 'Birth Tourism' Pop Up Along Border, Trump to Ask SCOTUS to Reconsider 'Insane Decision' in Birthright Citizenship Case

Charlie Kirk Conspiracy Theories Suddenly Disappear as Video Evidence is Shown in Court

Donnie Wahlberg: 'The Most Important Thing I Ever Did Was to Give My Life to Christ'

'Fourth of July Miracle': Missing 4-Year-Old Found Alive after Walking Nearly Five Miles Along Oregon Coast

Christian Hollywood Star Exposes the Perverse, 'Demonic' Fraud Inside Foster Care System

Brazilian Judge Sentences Parents to Prison for Homeschooling Their Daughters

Little Sisters of the Poor Return to Court Again over Obama Contraception Mandate