One of the greatest acts of love we can carry out on behalf of others is prayer. Thousands of believers in Christ are exhibiting that truth by committing to pray for 250 million college students for the College Day of Prayer that is to be held on Feb. 27. This is an amazing way to ask God to prepare the soil of their hearts for the seeds of the gospel.
Thai Lam, the director for the organization, CDP, recently sat down for an interview with reporters to discuss the impact the group is having on young people. During the conversation, Lam explained the history of the CDP and what his vision is for the future.
“By 1823, every major denomination and every college campus of that day had adopted the last Thursday of February as this national day of prayer for campuses,” Lam told reporters. “It went on from about 1815 to about World War I or so. At that point, it fell out of the church rhythm. The world was changing. War, Spanish flu, different things.”
“We just looked at each other and said, ‘Hey, what hinders us from doing this again today?’ And so, we registered a domain and mobilized our spheres and networks. Year one, we had 450 campuses adopted. Year two, 900,” he continued.” Lam then stated that it was “the oldest day of prayer in American history” and said that since 2009, “every year, it kept on growing.”
“We’ve been mostly focused on prayer for 20 million students on 4,200 college campuses [in the U.S.], and we had over 2 million engaged from the nations,” he said, according to The Christian Post. “It’s been a point of prayer for us since Asbury. So, the big change this year is that we’re launching the Collegiate Day of Prayer global, where we’re shifting from just 20 million students in the U.S. to 250 million students in 195 countries.”
Lam then asked what would it look for communities located around college campuses to adopt said campus and begin praying for the students attending classes there? He then posited rhetorically what it would look like for older individuals, between the ages of 40 to 60, to really develop a heart for young people and actually start praying for them sincerely.
For this year, according to Allan, Cru has invited supporters “to adopt three campuses in prayer — one close to their heart, one near their home and one in another country,” he said. “The impact is evident in the ministry results displayed at the bottom of the CDOP website, where you can see a noticeable jump from 2022 to 2023 in the number of campus ministries, churches, and individuals committed to praying,” he said.
Cru is Campus Crusade For Christ, an organization that has been around for a very long time and focuses on ministering to college students on campus. They have been instrumental in reaching out to a very under served demographic of our population and has witnessed numerous folks surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.
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“We are trusting God to stir hearts and raise up many who will take the next step in campus ministry — whether by supporting an existing ministry in their community or stepping out in faith to start something new,” the pastor concluded. “Ultimately, we pray this day ignites a lasting commitment to intercede for students and faculty, believing God for transformation on campuses across the nation and beyond.”