“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
^{Ephesians 6:18}

The presence of dynamic prayer at Urbana 06 and the involvement of 24-7 Prayer/USA, which co-sponsored The Journey prayer room with InterVarsity and Student Volunteer Mission 2 (SVM2), fueled 24/7 prayer movements at the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. More than 50 students from the two schools attended the convention held this past December 27-31, 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri.

At the University of Arizona, 24/7 prayer began on February 12, 2007 at 7 a.m. The time of unbroken prayer continued until March 10, when students left for their spring break. The 24/7 prayer resumed on March 19 and will continue through Easter Sunday, April 8.

A spirit of unity is present among the different organizations that spend time praying every day. Each organization has particular days on which they are assigned to pray. The involvement of 24-7 Prayer/USA, a worldwide, nonstop prayer movement, has also been instrumental in establishing the prayer movement on campus. “The folks from 24-7/USA have been really available and open to meet with and encourage the students in Arizona as they worked to get these prayer events going,” said Sue Mills, InterVarsity area director for Arizona.

The prayer movement at these universities in Arizona originated at Urbana 06, and “many students from different Christian organizations on campus are heavily involved in the 24-7 prayer movement,” said Mills.

“We will be praying in a tent on the mall in the middle of campus,” said Theo Davis, InterVarsity chapter president at the University of Arizona. “At night, the Catholic Newman Center has offered to house us in an empty apartment they have.”

According to Mills, school administrators were very supportive of this movement. To maintain a safe campus and protect the students, school administrators asked that from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m., the prayer be held indoors. This is when the Newman Center stepped up and offered their building.

“I guess we feel like there’s a lot at this campus that really needs to be prayed for,” Andy Hall, a freshman involved with InterVarsity at the University of Arizona told the Arizona Daily Wildcat. “I feel like the campus is kind of a place of darkness and that the power of God can help. There are a lot of people who are hurting; there are a lot of people who are lost.”

A 24/7 prayer movement similar to the one at the University of Arizona is taking place at Northern Arizona University. “For [both] campuses every prayer slot has been covered,” Mills said.

Prayer at Urbana 06 involved three distinct avenues for reaching God – the Intercession Team, the Prayer Ministry Team, and two prayer rooms. The Intercession Team prayed without ceasing for those working on the convention and for each attendee. The Prayer Ministry Team offered four seminars that were attended by over 4,500 people. Urbana attendees could also seek personal prayer with a Prayer Ministry Team member.

The prayer rooms at Urbana gave students the opportunity to encounter God by praying in unique ways. The Reflective Worship Room was a quiet space where scripture and music prompted worship directed toward the heart of God. Also, The Journey prayer room featured personal prayer opportunities, musical worship, and guided intercession designed to foster prayer intervention for college and university campuses, cities, and the entire world.

Prayer at Urbana 06 transformed the lives of students from both the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University, and they are now using what they learned to renew their campuses. For more information about missions opportunities and the Urbana Student Missions Convention visit www.urbana.org.