Freshman Steven Ruzzin believes in the power of prayer.
He thinks sharing a prayer is important and believes the more people praying, the better.
“It doesn’t take a lot of time, and it’s easy and helpful,” he said.
Ruzzin, along with more than 140 students, faculty, staff, clergymen and women and Board of Trustees members participated in a prayer vigil on Monday and Tuesday. The vigil was organized by Minister to the University Ira DeSpain.
“This was kind of a pilot project and I wanted to see if it would work,” DeSpain said. “The response has been very good.”
The prayer vigil went along with the theme of convocation, which was sustainability.
“From my perspective, it’s important to include the faith as a sustaining property, as a sustaining tool,” DeSpain said.
Those who prayed could do so for 30-minute increments from 10:45 a.m. Monday, until 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, before convocation began at 11 a.m. Although some prayed in the chapel on campus, others prayed in their rooms.
“I did one of my times in my room,” Ruzzin said. “To me, it’s just about spending time with God. It’s something I need to do more of and by signing up, it holds me accountable.”
DeSpain sent an e-mail to Kansas United Methodist Bishop Scott Jones, asking him to pray for Baker University. Jones forwarded the request to clergy all across the state.
“It’s just spread that way,” DeSpain said.
At the family worship service during Family Weekend, DeSpain encouraged parents to pray as well.
“The turnout was small, but I asked parents to sign up to,” he said.
DeSpain was overwhelmed with the response of those who signed up to pray. There were people in England, Haiti, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Cambodia who were also praying for the university.
“We have a student whose mother is a secretary at a convent and (Tuesday) night during their daily convent prayer, [they lifted] Baker University up in prayer,” he said.
Those prayers were encouraged to pray for the students, faculty and staff at the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Nursing, School of Education and the School for Professional and Graduate Studies, as well as the financial health of Baker.
“What I’m convinced from, and the one thing that has been the greatest sustainer of the school, is the sustainer of a belief in God and that God is calling us to be here and to do this work of education,” DeSpain said.