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Marissa
Martinez (left)
and Alicia
Heatherly in
prayer for the
nation.
Student James
Leschied
meditates on
the Word prior
to the rally.
A
CIU Students Join Franklin Graham in Praying for America
By Melissa McCutchan, CIU Student Writer
CIU students appreciated a day to focus
on God, and consider their role in the
political process.
“[Our] prayer group got involved with
planning the prayer day after the news
of the prayer rally caused excitement in
the group!” said Lindman, the student
body president. “The chance to pray
corporately as a city was something that
we could not pass up. To hear the gospel
preached on public property and to
confess our sins as individuals, a city, and
a nation was incredible!”
Sophomore Rachel Joung was moved by
the events of the day.
“This prayer day showed me the beauty
of unity within the body of believers, and
I was reminded of the responsibility that
Christians have to shine as lights within
the community.”
Emily Nichols, Kelsie
Puttbach, Rachel Hust and
Katie Perry at the South
Carolina Statehouse
little louder now, so we can hear
it!” CIU student body president
and junior Drew Lindman called out
in a crowded church meeting room in
downtown Columbia. “God is good …”
“All the time!” responded his audience
of over 100 CIU students, faculty, and
staff.
That’s how an off-campus CIU Prayer Day
began on Feb. 9 designed to coincide
with the South Carolina stop of the
Decision America Tour with evangelist
Franklin Graham, a statewide rally that
called people to pray, vote, and engage
in the political process.
Prayer days are celebrated throughout
the school year as classes are cancelled
to concentrate on CIU’s core value of
Prayer & Faith. A CIU student-led prayer
group organized and facilitated the day
that began with a time of corporate
prayer at First Presbyterian Church
featuring Scripture reading, individual
and small group prayer, worship, and —
affirmation that God is good all the time.
After the morning prayer time, CIU
students braved 40 degree
temperatures and 30 mile per
hour winds as they broke into groups
to prayer walk from three different
directions to the statehouse. There
they met over 7,000 other people to
join Franklin Graham leading South
Carolinians in prayer for the United
States.
“We’re here today because we see that
our nation is in trouble,” said Graham,
the son of evangelist Billy Graham.
“It’s in serious trouble. We’re in
trouble spiritually. We’re in trouble
racially, economically. We’re in
trouble politically. And no political
party is going to be able to turn this
system around.”
Graham called on his listeners
to confess the sins of the United
States, and to confess their
individual sins. He shared the
gospel, and allowed people a time
to ask Jesus Christ to come into their
hearts. And finally, he called his listeners
to engage in the political process.
“I believe God honors leaders in high
places who honor Him,” he said. “We
need today men and women who will
honor God in public office.”
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PRAYING FOR AMERICA
CIU Today
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