Atmospheric Conditions: A brief history of a Zoom prayer meeting
Published: December 19, 2022
Author: Doug Newton
No one likes to work in the pouring rain or freezing cold. Poor atmospheric conditions make everything more difficult. So when it comes to supporting GU in prayer, perhaps nothing is more important than praying for the atmosphere on campus and beyond.
For that reason, members of the GU Board of Trustees began meeting for 30 minutes of prayer every Sunday afternoon via Zoom more than two years ago. We did not expect to keep going this long. But so many board members and even their spouses kept showing up week after week-why quit?
I wish you could hear the prayers-
- Firm faith.
- Godly wisdom.
- Fervent petition.
No one is going to take credit or make big claims, but we do believe we’ve been part of numerous miraculous developments in the last couple of years. In fact, on a weekly basis GU President Suzanne Davis typically shares or prays something that leaves us wowed by God’s blessings (and yes, she’s been present almost every Sunday no matter where she is in the world). How could a small Christian university be so successful and have so much forward momentum in these challenging times when many schools are floundering or failing?
We’ve prayed for-and the Lord has provided-generous donors, growing enrollment, entrepreneurial and collaborative opportunities, community goodwill, and many advances in our academic and co-curricular programs. He has recruited remarkable students, along with gifted and dedicated faculty and staff-all things a thriving university needs.
But even with all these blessings, still the greatest need is for GU’s atmosphere to be conducive to making the most of these blessings.
That’s why we get the ball rolling each week with one “atmospheric” element in mind as revealed in scripture. One week it might be “forgiving attitudes.” The next it might be “true unity” or “expressive gratitude.” On other occasions we’ve prayed for outpourings of divine wisdom or hearts to understand and value one another.
We often pray for what we imagine are the felt needs of students in a culture of anxiety and stress. We pray for faculty and staff to be encouraged. We get really specific asking for things like notes of gratitude to be sent by a student to his or her professor. Can you imagine the difference it makes when people like our leaders, staff, and faculty put out so much effort in an atmosphere of respect and mutual support?
Most importantly, we always pray for the outpouring of God’s Spirit doing His reviving and transforming work. We imagine and ask for all these things each week knowing that we bring those prayers to the One who does abundantly more than all we ask or imagine.
How long will this Sunday afternoon “Pray for GU Zoom Call” keep going? We don’t know. But we do know the prayers we have been praying for the last couple of years will continue to echo and have effect long after we are gone.
Doug Newton serves on the Greenville University Board of Trustees. An ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church, Doug has authored 12 books. In addition to pastoring local congregations, he served 15 years as senior editor of the award-winning Light & Life Magazine and co-founded a national prayer ministry.
