Missy Johnson, YFC Prayer Coordinator
“..if my people…will humble themselves and pray.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
“..pray in the Spirit on all occasions..” Ephesians 6:18
“Be..faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
We know and talk about these verses..but do we practice them? This question is not one intended to spark guilt or condemnation. Instead, I hope that it stirs a curiosity and opens your eyes to the amazing invitation that prayer is for the followers of God!
I have been a Youth for Christ volunteer for 12 years. Starting out, my husband and I helped with the Campus Life South club meetings weekly. However, as our family grew, we had to pull back and would help from the background with things such as providing occasional meals. I was really excited to jump back into a more hands-on role when I was recently asked to be the YFC volunteer prayer coordinator.
As I prefaced in the opening, prayer is a conversation that God invites us into as we join Him in seeking His will on this earth. We know that it is His will that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9) and this includes the teens of Darke and Preble counties. He desires for them to become life-long Christ followers – which is exactly what YFC is on mission to do. This end result begins with a foundation built by prayer. How many of you know that you had people praying for you as a teen? I know I did! And I firmly believe those prayers were the foundation that propelled me into the relationship I now have with Christ.
If this sounds as exciting to you as it does to me, then I invite you to get involved!
Preble County is already off to a great start with their prayer initiative. This fall Pat Fozo led POPS (Prayer Over Preble Schools) to pray for the school boards, teaching and administrative staff, those who served the meals, cleaned the buildings, drove the buses and volunteered, as well as the students and their families. POPS met at local coffee shops in five Preble County school districts. The prayer effort was blessed by the presence of local pastors, past school employees and family members of current employees joining them in prayer. After prayer, notes were sent to the schools to inform them that people had gathered to battle for and strengthen their school.
The fruit of POPS was seen almost immediately. At the “See the Story” YFC tours, Preble County Director Jake Robinson remarked about how God provided a much needed location for Eaton Campus Life meetings simply from curiosity of an onlooker of a POPS meeting being held in Eaton. If you would like to know more about getting involved with prayer in Preble County contact Pat at 440-969-8530 or annas.house5628@yahoo.com.
We also have opportunities to get involved in the prayer initiative in Darke County. There is currently a prayer meeting the 2nd/4th Friday of each month at 6:40am at Snap Fitness in Greenville. Another option to join us will be the 1st/3rd Tuesdays of the month at 9:30am, at The Coffee Pot. We are also always in search of volunteers to lead prayer times in their areas of the county. This can be a new meeting, or can coincide with an already existing gathering. Even if you simply decide to be more intentional about praying for teens in your current Bible study, we would love to know that you are joining us in fighting for these souls!
Individuals can of course still sign up to receive the weekly prayer emails, or the bi-weekly mailings, containing specific prayer requests for the different ministry areas. Our vision is to also eventually have individuals committing to intercede for our students, staff and volunteers during each weekly meeting in both counties. To learn more about these opportunities contact me at melissajohnson1212@gmail.com or 937-417-8163. If you know you are ready to get involved and would like to begin to receive notifications about prayer gatherings and urgent prayer requests, you can join the group on the Remind app by texting “@yfcmvpray” to “81010”.