Photo via humboldt.edu

Students gear up for worldwide prayer effort

University students around the world are gearing up for a worldwide prayer initiative, reports MNN.

Intervarsity Christian Fellowship is part of a worldwide movement called the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. InterVarsity's Vice President for Foreign Missions, Bob Grahmann says, "These are student Christian groups in 155 nations of the world. Many of those nations are what we call 'closed countries,' or 'creative access nations.'"

IFES has designated Friday, October 21 as World Student Day, a day to be in prayer for the students of the world.

Grahmann says students had a huge impact on the Arab Spring. "Students can change society, and students change countries. We really believe that Christian students, as they get together, can affect their entire countries, their cultures, their universities with the Gospel, and that will change the world."

IFES is taking a day to pray for them. While you'd think Christians students living in the United States would have it easy, "Think again," says Grahmann. "InterVarsity and other student ministries are under tremendous pressure from a number of universities. I hear a figure quoted: two a week are trying to kick off Christian student groups from their campuses."

They're citing a Supreme Court decision from last year that is being appealed. That case said InterVarsity couldn't discriminate against gay students from taking leadership positions within the fellowship.

However, that doesn't compare to students in other countries. "Two days ago, a dictatorship in Europe -- which I can't say the name of [because] I'm not allowed--passed a law giving their secret service all kinds of power to enter people's houses, to enter universities, and to shut down any kind of Christian activity at the universities."

Grahmann says thousands will be participating in the event this year. What will make this a successful event? "What we'd love to see and what we're praying for and working for is a worldwide revival of young people coming to Jesus, growing in Him, and being powerful witnesses. And that would change the world."

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TAGS: worldwide prayer Intervarsity Christian Fellowship International Fellowship of Evangelical Students Bob Grahmann World Student Day

[10/18/2011]

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