[1]MOBILE, Ala. (BP)–What would happen if Christians throughout the nation united to pray for a transformed America that recognizes and honors God? A prayer initiative led by the University of Mobile aims to find out.
The Baptist university is calling Christians to pray for and work toward a national spiritual and cultural transformation during the month leading up to America’s mid-term elections.
“We are asking Christians to pray for our nation each day at 12:23 a.m. or p.m. from Oct. 1 through Nov. 2,” said Joe Savage, director of the university’s new Center for Leadership which has launched a “twelve23 Prayer Movement for America.”
The movement’s aims are outlined in the “twelve23 Contract” online at www.twelve23.org. Savage said the numbers 12 and 23 refer to three significant events which call individuals to action:
— the bravery of a World War II private on Dec. 23, 1944, who dug a foxhole in the sand with the intention that no enemy soldier would get past him.
— the Bible verse John 12:23: “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”
[2]— a city-wide prayer meeting in Mobile, Ala., on Dec. 23, 2009, which drew together individuals of all denominations and races and has started a spiritual movement in the city.
The contract, which can be signed online, calls individuals to action in “shaping, promoting and influencing individual, regional, and national policy.”
UMobile President Mark Foley said the time is right for American Christians of all denominations and political parties to take a stand for what they believe.
“The ethics, values and character of our nation’s soul are in dire straits,” Foley said. “We need great leaders who will not retreat into a place of apathy or cowardice, but instead will lead with godliness, character and selflessness.”
Foley, who tells each graduate to “go change the world” as he hands out diplomas, said he and the university’s trustees believe it is possible for one small college focused on godly values to be a voice for change.
Savage said the prayer movement is an initial step in a continual process of helping and encouraging Christians to take a stand and lead in all areas of public and private life.
“We are drawing together leaders from a variety of fields to help each individual answer the question, ‘How do I fulfill my responsibility to God as an American citizen?'” Savage said. The university’s Center for Leadership will develop and provide seminars, webcasts and other tools to help Americans who are Christians to maximize their influence in transforming the nation.
“We are finding patriotic Christians everywhere who want to see a return to the values and freedoms with which our nation was formed. We are inviting these individuals to unite together and to become the influential leaders which our nation so desperately needs right now,” Savage said.
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Kathy Dean is director of media relations at the University of Mobile. For more information about the twelve23 Prayer Movement for America, visit www.twelve23.org, or call the University of Mobile Center for Leadership at 251-675-7551.