On the Saturday night before Pentecost- all night long- teenagers around the world asked for God’s mercy for young people worldwide who have never heard that Jesus is the way to a life that is full and forever.
This year’s event May 14 was conducted in partnership with Global Day of Prayer, whose Ten Days of Prayer toward a Greater Pentecost culminated May 15 – Pentecost Sunday- with an estimated 200 million Christians on all six continents praying as the sun rose in New Zealand until it set in the United States, said Kelly Davis, a student mobilization consultant for the International Mission Board (IMB).
A demand for prayer
With more than 2 billion young people in need for Christ, intense prayer is urgently needed, said Daryl Nuss, international coordinator with the National Network of Youth Ministries (NNYM).
“The challenges and opportunities of our world demand this kind of prayer,” Nuss said.
“As Christian young people, we cannot continue with business as usual,” he continued. “Jesus modeled it. Jesus commanded it. It was not unusual for Him to pray all night and expect His followers to do the same. Prayer is life-changing for us- and the world too.”
“We believe strategies like this will ignite a fresh passion in young people to reach their generation for Christ.”
Last year’s “A Whole Night for the Whole World” stirred the hearts of young people on six continents, said Dave Bidwell of Youth for Christ.
“In 2004, groups in at least 128 communities, in 30 countries, on six continents prayed together,” Bidwell said. At least that many were expected to take part in this year’s event.
Although the IMB promoted the event among Southern Baptists, Alabama took a different approach, according to Keith Loomis, an associate in the office of collegiate/student ministries with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
Loomis said the state has been working with the IMB to delay its emphasis until the fall, explaining that it will take place during the state convention’s annual meeting Nov. 15-16 in Huntsville.
The change in timing allows Alabama Baptists to participate in Whole Night while the IMB holds its commissioning service in Huntsville Nov. 15.
“It is a call to students to consider being involved and responsive to that call (to missions),” Loomis said.
For more information about Whole Night, visit http://wholenight.com.
(BP,TAB)
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