Photo by Monika Haskell
Pepperdine students are preparing to pray for 50 consecutive hours starting tonight.
“Our goal is to unify our campus [and] all the different ministries in a time of prayer,” senior and co-organizer of the event Skie Osborn said.
50 Hours of Prayer kicks off tonight in the Stauffer Chapel from 10 p.m. – midnight. Osborn said during the opening session students will worship, take communion and, of course, pray.
After the beginning celebration, students will take turns leading prayer and worship for two-hour time blocks. Osborn is encouraging students and faculty to stop by the chapel to pray, even if only for a few minutes.
“We want people to get excited about prayer and challenge them in their own personal prayer walk,” Osborn said.
There will be other mini-events throughout the 50 hours. On Friday at 8 p.m. there will be a “Prayer for the Nation” event where students will pray for other nations and global issues like the ISIS conflict and Ebola.
On Saturday at 6 a.m., there will be a sunrise service. Finally, the event will wrap up Saturday night with a closing session from 10 p.m. to midnight.
Students are hoping the event will help renew the Pepperdine community.
“It really puts the focus back on God [and] back on what the school’s mission originally was made to be,” senior Jennifer Skidmore said, who is planning to help lead prayer during the event.
Throughout the 50 hours, students can also leave anonymous or signed prayer requests on the chapel wall. Prayer leaders and students will pray for all of the requests during the event.
“We believe that everyone needs support, needs time for prayer and needs somebody to talk to,” Skidmore said.
This is not the first time the student-run event has been held at Pepperdine. In February 2012, Osborne attended 50 Hours of Prayer.
She said she remembers watching people grow and gain deeper relationships with God, which encouraged her to start up the event again.
Besides Osborn, juniors Jenna Johnson and Douglas Throop are the co-organizers of the event.
Three different ministries are working together this year to sponsor 50 Hours of Prayer. Student leaders from the Well, Campus Ministries and Image Ministries have been planning it together. It is also supported by UM at Malibu Presbyterian.
Osborn said students can sign up by going to tinyurl.com/fiftyhours. Anyone is welcome to sign up as a worship leader or prayer leader. No previous experience is necessary.
“It would just be really wonderful to see who can be involved and so that it is something that doesn’t just last 50 hours, but continues on after the event and hopefully years to come,” Skidmore said.
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Follow Gretchen Andsager on Twitter: @gmandsag
