Campus America: Spring Term ReportRachel Wegner - 4 Apr 2010
Campus America is a simple call for a connected, unbroken Year of Prayer in 2010 on every college and university campus in the U.S., to give every student the opportunity to experience the presence of Jesus
Amidst the millions gathered worldwide on the cusp of 2010, a small band of students and university ministry leaders huddled together in a home in Birmingham, Alabama. They had come together to pray, worship and usher in the year together. Shortly before the clock struck midnight, they traveled to a prayer room at a nearby college campus and began to pray, officially launching the unbroken 2010 Year of Prayer for Campus America.
Ever since that night, campuses from coast-to-coast in America have rallied together to pray and seek God to bring revival on their campuses. Stories have poured in from all corners of the nation—from as far and wide as Southern California to Virginia. The Campus America National Team gathered students and campus leaders at their headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri from January 1-2 to commission them. The time was also dedicated to encourage those gathered as carriers of the vision of Campus America and to simply connect and dream with one another about the Year of Prayer at hand. Trent Sheppard, author of God on Campus: Sacred Causes & Global Effects, helped to lead the January launch. Now, a full three months into the Year of Prayer, Sheppard shared what he has seen and sensed God doing.
"The most critical thing for Campus America right now is to focus our faith and prayers in increasing measure towards the hope of a new movement of Christ-like living expressed in mission, mercy and marketplace,” Sheppard said, alluding to the passage found in Matthew 9:37-38.
As the first months of 2010 have unfolded, the prayer calendar on the Campus America website has steadily filled—sometimes at an exponential rate. Reports of everything from students hearing God’s voice to physical healings and salvations have steadily come in to the national team.
At Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, one group of students began their spring semester with a 21-day fast to seek God for revival on their campus. This group included Lance Allgood, a recent Iowa State graduate and who now serves as the university’s Campus Catalyst for Campus America. On the last day of the fast, they collided with another group of students who had started a 24-7 prayer room near campus the night before. The students who had been praying encountered God in a powerful way that night, and even saw a young man come to the Lord in the wee hours. Shortly after, they decided to continue praying 24-7 indefinitely and began to see more salvations, physical healings and the Spirit moving powerfully.
“It was like nothing I had ever seen before,” sophomore Matt Cline said, who helped to the prayer room with his friends. “God is sovereign. He is good and loves it when his people are humble enough to come to him in prayer. God pouring out His power and loving His children because He is good, and I love being a small part of the thing God is doing.”
Later in the spring semester, a report from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio came in that a tragic shooting had occurred on campus. By that evening, several students involved with Campus America had rallied others to join in prayer vigil. As the students met to pray outside the building where the shooting had happened, a local ABC station and the student newspaper were there to cover the event. Unswayed by the media presence, the students prayed whole-heartedly for their campus and for the families and others affected by the shooting.
“Even with the camera lights shining on us, students prayed without abandon that God would be glorified and the Holy Spirit would come,” said Paige Bailey, who helps lead a campus ministry known as LoveOSU and is actively involved with Campus America. “We prayed for the faculty and staff of the university to shine for Jesus and be the answer to the brokenness.”
As the Year of Prayer continues to gain momentum, the heart and vision of Campus America is quickly becoming a living, breathing reality. The story of Campus America, which began with two dreams God gave to 24-7 forerunners Pete Greig and David Blackwell one night in 2005, has been growing in the hearts of many since then.
“As I scan the horizon of this nation, I'm truly convinced that God is activating hidden seeds of prayers and promises that have been covered up for decades now,” Blackwell said. “This Year of Prayer that we are in is much bigger than believing every campus will participate. Our dream is to see every student in America encounter of the love of Jesus. It's not about tallying the number of praying schools for me. It is only and has only ever been about students praying to see more and more students following Jesus, for the glory of God in this nation, and the nations of the earth.”
To learn more about Campus America and to keep up with the latest news as students pray during 2010, visit http://www.campusamerica.org.