A Whole Night for the Whole World

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)—A network of youth ministries and missions organizations has issued a call to prayer challenging student groups across the world to spend a night in prayer for 2.1 billion teenagers, most of whom have never even heard the Good News of God’s love.

“A Whole Night for the Whole World” aims to unite millions of young people around the globe in prayer Saturday, May 29, for global revival in their generation, said Kelly Davis, a student mobilization consultant for the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.

“Everywhere I go, I meet young people whose hearts are broken over the lostness of their generation,” Davis said. “A Whole Night for the Whole World is a call to reach this generation, in this generation, by this generation.”

May 29 is the night before Pentecost, a time of great symbolism for Christians around the world, Davis noted. “Before His ascension, Jesus told His followers to assemble and pray. It was during that time of prayer that the Holy Spirit came in great power, and the church was born.”

Prayer is the first step toward a worldwide movement of God’s Spirit among young people, said Richard Ross of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of the founders of the True Love Waits sexual abstinence program that has made a significant impact on young people around the world.

A century after prayer ignited revivals in the 1900’s and two centures after the Second Great Awakening, Ross said: “I sense God is moving in an unusual way among students again. As we see students call themselves to worldwide prayer on May 29, we shout, ‘Come, Lord, and do it again!’”

A night of prayer could bring an entire generation into alignment with God’s heart for the nations and make a major difference all over the world, said Susie Lipps, director of “next generation” mobilization for http://www.wynet.org, Wycliffe’s international youth network.

Lipps told how a junior high group from Philadelphia on a mission trip to Mexico were so struck by the spiritual needs of the people there that they began to pray God would use them to reach the Tarahumara with the Gospel. “To make a long story short, Wycliffe helped them get the Scripture translated and now this church is working with others to reach the Tarahumara. There will be Tarahumara young people coming to Christ in this generation as a result of the prayers and vision of a junior high youth group!”

The Web site for “A Whole Night for the Whole World,” http://wholenight.com, offers ideas and resources for youth groups that want to be part of the worldwide night of prayer. It also provides a place to register a group’s intention to participate and a way to share what God does during the event.

The youth emphasis immediately precedes May 30 when Southern Baptist churches across the U.S. will unite in a day of prayer for 43 million people in seven countries of the Arab world (http://ime.imb.org/dayofprayer).