Collegiate Prayer Day was a Huge Success

Thanks so much for your prayers for our National Collegiate Day of Prayer events in Greater Philadelphia. We were blessed to join over 1,000 college campuses, and church groups praying for the 20 million students on the 4,200 college campuses.  This day of prayer was first started 200 years ago and at the time, every major university and church denomination participated. We were blessed to have students and teachers praying with us throughout the day at  Gwynedd Mercy University, Montco, Chestnut Hill, and Del Val University. 

I heard stories at different campuses and it sparked my plans for next year. At JMU, there was a group of mothers, all with college-age students, who got together and prayed on their campus. At UC Berkeley, they had a prayer chain that had people praying 24/7 for three days prior. Other universities did what we did: prayer walking, worship, and prayer circles. 

A couple of highlights for me was:

1. At Montco, another student and I were able to lead a girl Jillian through the salvation prayer during our lunchtime prayer meeting. 

2. At Del Val, I was able to go prayer walking with a football coach and hear his heart for his campus and for the athletes he cared about, as he cried out to the Lord on their behalf.  

God is doing something amazing among this generation of college students. Students showing up for a prayer event can only mean one of two things: there is a big exam or they really want to see God do something special in their lives and the lives of their peers. Our prayer time during the Livestream from Asbury University went much later than usual. I knew the football players had a 6 am lift and were getting up at 5:30 am, yet they were compelled to stay and pray. I loved watching students pray for one another around the auditorium. I loved hearing the prayers of students, praying for their roommates, families, professors, their college, and the nation. 

To show you how raw and new this is for students, the leaders (20-year-olds) have students leading "popcorn" prayers which for me meant we are like popcorn praying randomly around the circle. However, their idea is for new students to say popcorn after they are done praying, so the next student knows they can pray out and not be interrupted. It is great to hear these heartfelt prayers to God and at the end, "Popcorn!" It is such a joy to minister with college students. I am not sure I will ever tell them the real meaning of popcorn prayer. 

Now is the time we as adults, prayer warriors, parents, and church leaders intercede for these students around the nation because the evil one wants to kill, steal, and destroy them.  We need to pray for strength, discernment, growth, endurance, and continued personal revival. What I like to do is during my personal devotions, pray whatever the text says over myself, my family, and over college students, asking God to do the same things on our local college campuses. 

Please keep our Montco group of students in your prayers, specifically as we do a Disaster Relief/Rebuild trip during their spring break next week. Please ask God for more adults to come alongside these students to mentor and disciple them. Please pray for our college students to get involved in the local church and the local church will welcome them.  

We are so thankful for your partnership with us in Campus Missions Work: if your church has a missions-themed week or Sunday, please ask if we can have an information table to share what God is doing among college students.

Blessings!