When last year’s ministry leaders organized the 24-hour prayer event last spring, they sent a flurry of emails back and forth, generating ideas for possible event names. The group ultimately chose to call the event the Prayer Odyssey, and though the name was fitting, they had no expectations that it would survive them (that is, their roles as ministry leaders). Nevertheless, it has.
Prayer Odyssey returns to campus for the second year consecutively, and participation in the event is open to all students and faculty during the coming week, beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and ending at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 15.
The 72-hour prayer event is a unique opportunity for Goshen students and faculty to participate in a wider experience of intentional, focused prayer.
According to Bob Yoder, campus pastor, “It’s an opportunity … to come together in round-the-clock prayer. To lift up our campus, families, friends, and places and people around the world.”
The purpose of the event is to provide a space and time to slow down, to realign body, mind, and spirit, and to rest in silence and prayer with the Creator.
The 2013 Prayer Odyssey is similar to other round-the-clock prayer events Goshen has hosted in the past. In fact, many of this year’s ministry leaders were inspired to do a fall event because of their experiences with the Prayer Odyssey last spring.
Kiernan Wright, ML of Yoder 2 South, said “It’s on a community level, but it’s also on a really personal level. Last year, my experience was really powerful. I’d just want a couple other people to have that experience.”
For others, however, it is also a powerful community experience.
“There’s something nice about a concentrated time of prayer that our whole campus is involved in, and that in itself is a unifying community experience,” said Yoder.
This year’s event will take place in the basement of Kulp. To sign up for a slot, visit the following website, or see the announcement in the Communicator.
