ASU students will once more see a blue tent and bowed heads outside Danforth Chapel after Monday night's kickoff of 21 days of 24-hour prayer.
The idea of 24-hour prayer was started a few years ago by 2006 ASU graduate Chris Ngai along with the leaders of other Christian groups on campus. Ngai said this latest incarnation of the idea is a result of a call from God.
"It felt like God was leading us," he said. "We're really excited about what God's going to do this time."
Students can participate in 24-hour prayer either by signing up for hour-long shifts on the group's Web site or by joining in as they pass the group, Ngai said.
Kristin Carafano, a global studies sophomore, said she volunteers to pray out of her love for the campus.
"I'm a Christian and I love God and I love this campus," she said. "I want to bless this campus in any way I can."
A new addition to the program is that there will be specific time slots set aside for specific topics of prayer, Carafano said.
These topics will include safety for students living in the residence halls, Ngai said.
Carafano said she would be praying for her boyfriend's parents, both of whom have been diagnosed with cancer.
Students are asked to consider fasting as well as praying during the 21-day period, according to the group's Web site.
Heidi Ruth, an art senior, said she appreciates that the 24-hour prayer is not divisive.
"We're really hoping to come together, to be unified," she said. "When I first came, I had honestly been afraid to come because I'd been feeling rejected. It really changed my life."
The 24-hour prayer is not affiliated with any denomination or specific group, said Carafano, and all students are welcome to come.
Ngai said he personally thinks of 24-hour prayer as a way to slow down and find peace during his busy week.
"Sometimes we're so caught up in what we're doing we don't see the beauty in everything around us," he said. "I really want this to be a place where people can seek God."
Reach the reporter at emma.breysse@asu.edu
