Campus Choir to host 24-hour prayer and worship event
Christians cherish any opportunity to spend time worshipping, or sitting quietly in the presence of God. For believers in college, however, the business of life presents a challenge. Even at a Christian college such as Lee University, various academic and social demands make it hard for students to set aside time for God. This struggle is why Campus Choir, in partnership with Lee Prayer, is hosting a 24-hour prayer gathering at the end of March.
“It's really been just a burden of our heart to provide time in the semester for students to be able to come and pray for extended periods of time,” said Campus Choir Director and adjunct faculty member Dr. Rhea Marshall.
This event will be 24 hours full of prayer and worship. It will allow Lee students, or anyone who wishes to attend, to find a place of rest, and spend time with the Lord.
“The purpose is to create a place for the students to come and participate in prayer in whatever way they see fit,’” said Marshall. “Some come and just sit in the stillness. Some kneel. Some are standing and singing.”
The event is completely student-led, with weeks of preparation leading up to it. The gathering is divided into twelve two-hour sets, each with a specific emphasis, such as school, faculty, and nations.
“I can't tell you how many students come and just say they can hear the Lord in ways they've never heard him before, just in the quiet and the stillness … It's really just a time to go deeper in the Lord and know him more,” Marshall said.
Senior pastoral ministry major Chandler Verhine is a Campus Choir co-chaplain along with Ashlynn Jefcoat. While Verhine admits that these prayer events are fun, he also enjoys seeing the different ways in which people worship.
“There's often people that will dance. We'll have people that will draw. Sometimes they'll paint. They'll use flags in their worship. We'll have times where people will come up and they'll exhort and share different scriptures. I just love seeing the unity in the Spirit through the diversity of gifts in the room and in the different age groups,” said Verhine.
Young adulthood can be a time of uncertainty and insecurity. Verhine hopes that everyone who joins the prayer gathering will find self-assuredness and confidence through experiencing a move of God.
“[I hope] they'll understand … who they are as sons and daughters of the Most High King, that they'll experience freedom, the joy of the Lord, peace. Really, to sum it up, that they'll experience truly all that God is and who God has called them to be,” said Verhine.
Whether they choose to pray silently to themselves, or belt out songs of praise, those who attend this event will experience a unique time of peace in the Lord.
Campus Choir’s 24-Hour Prayer will begin at 4 p.m. on March 27, and end at 4 p.m. on March 28 in Pangle Hall on Lee University’s campus. Parking will be available in university lots.
