The InterVarsity Christian Fellowship group hosted a prayer meeting at 3 p.m. Dec. 6 in Room 324 of the Central Academic Building.
The fellowship meets throughout the semester for events including Bible studies and worship nights.
Members met to pray for the campus, community and victims of national tragedies on Nov. 1 in Room 324.
Student members discussed the topics of the prayers for the meeting. Before the meeting started, they prayed silently by themselves and then opened with a group prayer. Ana Goolesbay, A&M-SA junior, led the meeting and introduced the points of discussion.
The group not only prayed for students, faculty and staff at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and the surrounding community, but for all people who may need a little prayer, for all the victims and injured people and families impacted by negative and violent acts, for the victims, families and loved ones from a shooting in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Oct. 24 and in Pittsburgh at a synagogue Oct. 27.
“We should spend time praying for these communities and those involved,” Goolesbay said.
The group got deeply involved in discussion about the horrific events and prayers. They started popcorn praying, in which one person said their prayer and then another person prayed about the prayer at hand, and it went on until each one of them had the opportunity to say a prayer out loud.
The group showed compassion in their prayers. Goolesbay prayed for peace for the families who have been injured and for mental and emotional health for those families. They prayed for each other and prayed for each of their own needs and prayers. They took prayer requests going around the room and asking if someone needed a prayer and jotted it down for the big prayer that they said at the end of the meeting.
“I ask that you just help the wounds that have been made by the decisions of those who for whatever reason — help heal the community by those who have been impacted,” Matt Renfrow, secretary of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, said.
The group continued to pray for peace and healing and for fear in the hearts for all affected by the shootings and violence in the world. The atmosphere of the prayer meeting was relaxed and serene as they sat quietly and said their prayers.
As the meeting ended, they went over Psalm 34 and each person picked their favorite verse and read it aloud. They reiterated previous prayers and prayer requests and were given messages of members’ prayers who were unable to attend. All were said in one huge prayer.
For more information, visit the fellowship’s page on JagSync, the university’s online student student portal.
