Pray for University Students

The Invitation, October 10, 2024

This month please join YWAM as we pray for every college student and professor in the world to have the chance to encounter Jesus. The future will be shaped by these students’ ideas and practices as well as by the events that occur on their campuses. Pray also for YWAM Campus Ministries International, which comprises hundreds of YWAMers “reaching the nations by reaching the university.”

Please pray for students and professors right now and please also pray with us on October 10, our prayer day for the YWAM prayer initiative called The Invitation.

1. Pray for a gospel witness in universities near your community. There are at least 25,000 universities worldwide. Nearly 14,000 are officially recognized universities in Europe, and about 6,000 are in Asia (source: National Center for Education Statistics). Pray for the gospel to be made known in the top-20 ranked university cities: London, Tokyo, Seoul, Melbourne, Munich, Paris, Sydney, Berlin, Zurich, Boston, Toronto, Vienna, Montreal, Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe, Singapore, Edinburgh, New York, Vancouver, Lausanne, and San Francisco (Source: ICEF Monitor). Pray for revivals on university campuses, as happened at Kentucky’s Asbury University last year.
2. Pray for students to know God and make Him known. As of July 2024, UNESCO estimated that there are 254 million students enrolled in universities worldwide, more than double the number of students enrolled 20 years ago. In a 2023 poll of over 90,000 students on 133 college campuses in the USA, 44 percent of all students were experiencing symptoms of depression, 37 percent had anxiety, and 15 percent considered suicide, the highest rate in 15 years (source: The Healthy Minds National Data Report, 2022-2023). Pray for the “Who I Am Weekend Intensive,” a YWAM Campus Ministries retreat that helps students overcome emotional and behavioural obstacles to identity and purpose.
3. Pray for the nations by praying for international students. When students are away from home, they need friendship and prayer. There are one million international students in the USA, including approximately 300,000 Chinese and 300,000 Indian scholars. Pray for YWAMers reaching internationals, like YWAM San Francisco’s ministry to 500 Chinese PhD scholars and their families at UC Berkeley and for YWAM’s Alpha Course for Internationals in Boston, where there are about 26,000 internationals at Northeastern University and Boston University. Pray international students would be empowered to reach their home countries with the gospel.
4. Pray for a new wave of YWAM workers. To date, participants at The Send gatherings (thesend.org) have made 22,623 commitments to help reach universities. Pray that they join or start new YWAM campus ministries, such as YWAM Potchefstroom’s (South Africa) Transformational Prayer, YWAM Philadelphia’s Prayer Stations at Temple University, or YWAM Madison’s Phos House ministry, which is a refuge for 14 students from six nations who need Christian community. Also, pray for laborers to join YWAM Puerto La Cruz (Venezuela) in this challenging time to assist with their RAICES seminars. Also pray for laborers to follow YWAM Toronto’s example, leading student outreaches and retreats. Pray for many more University Discipleship Courses with outreaches, internships, or fellowships that prepare students as witnesses for Christ in their sphere of influence. And pray for the next YWAM Campus Ministries International gathering in Thailand in November 2024.
5. Pray for former YWAMers studying in universities. Pray for their continued spiritual formation and commitment to Christ’s mission and that they study abroad as ambassadors for Christ. Pray that stories of faith and courage on campus would encourage a new generation to join Jesus’ mission.

Take Action

• Keep a prayer list of former YWAMers and others currently in university.
• Give hospitality to international students by providing transport, sharing meals, or offering language practice.
• Host a Who I Am Weekend Intensive for students in your community (ywamconverge.org).
• Pray on campus and post a video or blog about the prayer time (#PraytheCampus).

How We Prayed

June 2024: Pakistan

A participant wrote: “We…have responded to YWAM Pakistan through The Invitation as they pray, facing a mountain to move by their faith.”

Join The Invitation.

Sign up for prayer emails and find translations in many languages at ywam.org/theinvitation. Please contact us at [email protected] to let us know how you prayed, to recommend a prayer topic, or to request an advance copy of the prayer guide.