Universities Join Penn State in 40-Day Email Prayer Series
MEDIA ADVISORY,Nov. 22, 2011/Christian Newswire/ -- Students and faculty from other universities have joined Penn State in a 40-day email prayer series, according to State College writer CS Heinz.
The email series called "40 Days of Prayer for PSU," will help people pray for the crisis at Penn State including the alleged victims, their families, and abuse survivors. It is available at www.PrayPSU.org.
The prayer series was created by CS Heinz and is supported by area churches. "I started getting consumed by the news reports and opinions. Then I realized I hadn't asked God what He thought about the situation," Heinz said. "So I did and that's where the idea of starting this prayer movement came from."
In addition to students and faculty at Penn State, the prayer series has attracted people from universities like Ohio State, University of Virginia, Clemson, and University of Oklahoma.
"Universities that Penn State normally competes with in sports and academia are signing up to pray for Penn State," Heinz said. "Our need for something and someone greater than ourselves is uniting us in this dark hour. I think that's why many people are turning to prayer."
After signing up for the series, participants will receive a daily email with a devotional message, prayer point, and Bible verse. At the end of the 40 days, participants will have prayed 40 different things for the Penn State crisis.
"Many things need to change and that's why we're praying," Heinz said. Originally the series was 30 days long, but Heinz felt that 30 days wasn't enough. "In the Bible, 40 days often marked the beginning of a new season. That's what we need here, a new season."
Others agree. In addition to current faculty and students, members of the Penn State Alumni Association, one of the largest alumni groups in the world, have joined the series. Residents of State College, which is Penn State's hometown, have joined as well. And people who have been affected by sexual abuse are participating.
"Mark my words," Heinz said, "When we come together and pray, God will move."
Everyone is invited to sign up for the series atwww.PrayPSU.org.
About CS Heinz
CS Heinz writes often about prayer atwww.CSHeinz.com and is marketing director for EnergyCAP, Inc. He can be reached at CS(at)CSHeinz(dot)com or 814.574.4127.
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Prayer Called For in Challenge to Religious Freedom at Vanderbilt
By Michael Ireland
Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
MADISON, WI (ANS) -- A call for prayer in support of religious freedom at a top university has been made by a leader of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
Jim Lundgren, Senior Vice President and Director of Collegiate Ministries for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA has sent a letter to InterVarsity's Vanderbilt University chapter alumni, and others with a special interest in InterVarsity's campus ministry, asking for prayer in support of religious freedom at Vanderbilt University.
This special request has been made in response to the decision by Vanderbilt's leadership to place on provisional status InterVarsity's Graduate Christian Fellowship and three other campus Christian groups for non-compliance with Vanderbilt's anti-discrimination policy, according to a media release from IVCF.
The media release says the University policy, as it currently stands, would prohibit a Christian organization from using any religious criteria when selecting leaders.
InterVarsity believes such a policy not only flies in the face of common sense but is contrary to the spirit of the Freedom of Religion protections in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
"We love the university environment and we welcome all students and faculty into our chapter activities at Vanderbilt," Lundgren said in the letter.
"However, it is essential that InterVarsity student leaders be committed Christians who understand their faith as they seek to lead their peers. No organization of any kind can survive without leaders committed to its basic beliefs."
Lundgren is asking for prayers that Vanderbilt will change its position and allow religious organizations to choose leaders who believe in the principles and beliefs of those organizations.
A Town Hall meeting was slated to take place on the Vanderbilt campus on Tuesday evening, January 31, 2012. University officials said they would explain how the anti-discrimination policy will be applied to student groups at that time.
IVCF's purpose is to establish and advance witnessing communities at colleges and universities. Its vision is to see students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed and world changers developed.
For more background on the Vanderbilt situation check IVCF's Campus Access Concerns page. Links to statements by Vanderbilt's leadership, a response from an InterVarsity Campus Staff Member at Vanderbilt, and an open letter to Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education are posted at that site.
___________________________________________________________
For more information, contact:
Gordon Govier
ggovier@intervarsity.org
608/443-3688
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
6400 Schroeder Rd. P.O. Box 7895
Madison, WI 53707-7895
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