24-7 Prayer Movement Sweeps Campuses
Prayer movements, such as the May 5th National Day of Prayer, have swept the nation and college campuses.
InterVarsity Campus Fellowship just yesterday reported several campuses involved in on-going prayer movements.
Students at Central College in Pella, Iowa, have logged more than 2,400 consecutive hours in a dedicated movement dubbed, "24-7." Students take shifts to pray without skipping a beat in a prayer room set up in the student center, according to an InterVarsity news article written by Gordon Govier.
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Govier quoted InterVarsity campus staff, Jon Hietbrink, who had said, “[24/7] demands sacrifice and perseverance, both of which can all too often be lacking in students. "But not only have the 75 students involved deepened their devotional lives, they have also drawn closer together through the experience. And it’s influenced those around them."
The article listed several schools whose students have taken the initiative to engage in the 24-7 movement, which has now reached 56 countries worldwide.
At Valparaiso University in Indiana, all Christians on campus were invited to join in a continuous 24-7 prayer for two weeks. At Stanford, InterVarsity's fellowship of graduate students held a 24-7 campaign for one week in April. The University of Wisconsin-Madison held a 24-7 prayer campaign during Lent, and over 30 local churches and ministries participated. Lastly, University of Utah students in Salt Lake City also did a 24-7 prayer campaign for 21 days during Lent.
“Twenty four-seven brings unity to the body, purification of the body, and a new heart for outreach,” area director Peter Horton told Govier.
“I think the 24-7 model has really been a helpful one for our college students,” said InterVarsity staff member Jon Hietbrink.
“When they signed up for their first one hour slot students repeatedly said they didn’t know how they would fill it,” added Seth Neal, campus staff. “But soon they felt they needed more than the one hour and would sign up for two hours!”
"There are students who are deeply committed to prayer, not just one day a year but, in some cases, on an ongoing 24/7 basis. These students are serious about prayer because they're serious about God and God's purposes in this world," Govier told the Christian Post."
For more information, visit www.Intervarsity.org
