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Dates set for Prayer Focus for International Students in the US

Nearly 700,000 international students are believed to be enrolled at American colleges for the new academic year, breaking all previous records, reports Michael Ireland, chief correspondent, ASSIST News Service.

Now, a special prayer focus will be held for the 75-80% of these students who never experience hospitality in a Christian home or visit a Christian church during their stay in the United States.

Following a national survey of international student ministry leaders, the dates for the 2009 Week of Prayer for International Students have been finalized for October 18-24, 2009.

Nationwide, partner churches and pastors are being asked to mark Sunday, October 18 as ISM Sunday. A closing prayer luncheon is planned in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, October 24.

International Student Ministry Sunday (ISM Sunday) will first focus prayer on local church programs designed to reach out to international students such as “Welcoming the World Churches”, “Friendship Partners”, “Friendship Families” and the annual “Set an Extra Plate” Thanksgiving guest outreach.

Many of these programs are organized in co-operation with local ministries on campus as well as national organizations such as Bridges International, Cai Alpha, International Students, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, the Navigators and Overseas Students Mission (OSM).

Finally, prayer will be focused on Urbana09, a huge Christmas break student convention in St. Louis that this year will include a program track for international students. This is said to be the first time in the history that an entire track of the famous student convention has been set aside for overseas students and visitors.

Future dates for the annual prayer emphasis were set for August 8-14, 2010; August 7-13, 2011; August 5-11, 2012 and August 4-10, 2013. Most international students arrive for orientation on university and Bible School campuses in mid-August. For more information about organizing local prayer focuses, contact your local international student ministry leader or the OSM All Nations Prayer Team in Charlottesville, Virginia. The phone number is 434-295-6488.

Staff at the OSM coordinating office in Charlotteville said that the October dates were decided upon after a survey of international student member ministries at the Association of Christians Ministering among Internationals (ACMI). Feedback, which begun in June at their annual conference at California’s Azusa Pacific University, sparked the setting of new dates.

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TAGS: USA Prayer Focus for International Students ministries on campus

[09/08/2009]

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