Kansas City: tabernacle of prayer amongst protest on campus - 31 May 2005
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What would happen if you put a 24-7 prayer tent right in the middle of a student protest likened to the wild days of the 70's? Marisa writes from Kansas City. |
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In April we launched our most unique week of 24/7 prayer right in the heart of Kansas City at our local university, University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC).This took place along side of one of the biggest protests the university has ever seen. Passionate people were coming out of the woodwork of a seemingly apathetic campus.
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They called themselves tent-state (in reference to the Kent State University protests in 1970)– rallying against injustice, the war on Iraq, tuition prices, and our infamous cafeteria food. |
"Throughout the course of this week of protest and prayer many people would be changed, including us." |
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So we went along for the ride with these zealous people. We set up our 20 by 20 foot prayer tent – a few of our gifted friends turning it into a most beautiful refuge. Our small tents surrounded it – it was great. We were reliving the Israelite lifestyle, camping around our makeshift tabernacle.
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Our journey with the protesters and each other began under somewhat challenging circumstances. It was pouring with rain . . . but this did not dampen our spirits. It forced us to pull together and watch our attitudes. Praying long hours in a cold damp tent with cranky, sleep deprived people, causes some interesting conversations.
I remember walking down early one morning, the sun was rising and my heart was filled with joy that we were actually getting to be apart of some grand plan of God. I walked into the prayer tent to take my two hour shift. A song was playing and I was immediately brought to tears.
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I was overcome with thankfulness, overcome with the reality of Jesus’ transformation in my life and in the lives of my friends. And at the same time I was deeply burdened for my friends on the campus who were adamantly against the pursuit of God, whose lives were a broken mess, empty and without substantial answers. |
"We stood back in awe of God’s work among these future revolutionaries....
One protest leader would, out of this time, write an article about “finding your passion and changing your reality”; in this article he mentions this group of friends who pray together." |
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As the week of protest and prayer progressed we became more and more encouraged.
As the protesters became discouraged by the weather as well as by the lack of staff and faculty response to their wishes they began to let their guard down with those of us there to pray for the campus. After a particularly discouraging senate meeting, the main leader of tent-state wandered down to our prayer tent and asked if he could just hang out with us for awhile.
His attitude had softened and his heart was open. Moments like these rapidly accumulated throughout the week. We stood back in awe of God’s work among these future revolutionaries. One of the other protest leaders would, out of this time, write an article about “finding your passion and changing your reality”; in this article he mentions this group of friends who pray together. He was amazed that this type of passion and commitment actually existed.
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For the 24/7Transit crew the week was filled with all aspects of our day to day life and the spirituality that we’ve come to believe in – we’re convinced that Jesus delighted in everything from our honest prayers to our fun-filled dance party. |
"It seems that these students who haven’t seen Jesus face to face were drawn to Him as much by our lively interactions, dancing like crazy, as they were to our sincere drive to pray." |
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It seems that these students who haven’t seen Jesus face to face were drawn to Him as much by our lively interactions, dancing like crazy as they were to our sincere drive to pray. We believe that the Spirit of God has, is, and will respond to our prayers and the years of prayer that have gone up before us. Throughout the course of this week of protest and prayer many people would be changed, including us.
One of the key results of this time was that it became a catalyst for the networking of believers across campus. The Vice Chancellor recently invited us to the leader’s bi-weekly prayer meeting geared specifically toward the campus. She was overwhelmed at our story, God’s story for himself and his glory, and she has asked us to begin praying with them consistently. At the first prayer meeting she began by praying “Jesus, thank you for bringing each of us to this campus, I thank you that at the foot of the cross we are all the same, . . .” ~ We believe and see that God has a plan for the lives of the students at this university as well as for the many students across our nation.