As We Pray is a Taylor University tradition that extends past the campus all over the world.
From Feb. 26 through Mar. 1, parents, grandparents and alumni gather to pray for Taylor students and faculty. This community-building tradition which has been going on for 14 years has impacted many people.
Amanda Wilson, director of special projects and equestrian team advisor, started As We Pray in 2011 as a way to develop meaningful programming for Taylor students’ parents. She talked about how, while growing up, her mom instilled in her a desire to make prayer a priority and spend time seeking God with others. Wilson is joyful that parents and alumni are still gathering for prayer one week each year.
Taylor's faculty sent a list of specific prayer requests to people who volunteered to host others at their homes for the event.
This year, over 80 people registered to attend the in-person events in nine different states as well as two international virtual meetings. The groups will pray around the same time for the well-being of the Taylor community.
Prayer requests are also sent to people who have registered to pray for one hour on their own during the week of the event. 201 people signed up this year, and approximately 330 anonymous student prayer requests were submitted.
Requests included various projects and prayers for leaders within the Taylor community. One such request was for faculty to lead by example and inspire students to pursue Jesus in their respective fields of study.
Taylor alumni Newell (‘88) and Colleen (‘80) Cerak were one of the hosts for As We Pray this year and have done it for the past three years. According to Colleen, the call to prayer is a wonderful thing because it is something that everyone can do.
“I think that prayer is the most important thing that we can do,” she said.
Cerak said that it is wonderful that the heart of Taylor is to train the youth to serve and love God. Having experienced Taylor, both she and her husband are grateful for the time they spent on campus.
Sara Brookshire, director of parent relations and strategic events, discussed the importance of connections with current campus students, parents and alumni through As We Pray.
“You just get emotion-filled because you see the hearts behind what our students’ needs are,” she said. “It's probably the best of ways to keep our Taylor family connected in praying for this campus that has impacted so many people for so many years.”
Brookshire loves to hear feedback from the people who went to the prayer gatherings and got to experience that connection with others. People got to connect with other Taylor people that they did not already know or lost connection with. She said it was very meaningful to sit down with other people to pray over the needs of the campus.
According to the Taylor mission statement, one of its goals is to have a vibrant community that is united in faith. As We Pray is one of the ways Taylor strives to achieve a supportive community that extends beyond the borders of campus. Even after graduation, there are still ways to connect with the campus community.
“I think the secret sauce of Taylor is the relationships and just how much alumni like myself really love and care about the Taylor University student experience right now,” Noah Huseman (‘22), graduate assistant to the president, said.
As We Pray is about connecting people to dedicate an hour a week to praying for the campus community. It provides a way for people to support and uplift Taylor University through non-financial means.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” - James 5:16b ESV.
