Christian Union: The Magazine Summer 2017 | Page 52
the spiritual climate on campus
P E N N | On Campus
‘Pray without Ceasing’
PENN FOR JESUS ORGANIZES TENT OUTRE ACH
By James Supplee, Penn ’17
I
t was 3 a.m. on a typical April
weeknight and six students sat in
a circle on the floor of a tent right
off of the Compass on Locust Walk,
listening intently as “Sophia” poured
out her struggles. Raised in a Chris-
increasingly sporadic. Now she depicts
herself as on the verge of unbelief,
while asking challenging questions of
the God whom she once praised.
The rest of the students, all members
of different Christian ministries at Penn,
The Prayer Tent on Locust Walk was organized by Penn For Jesus.
50
tian home, she was deeply involved
in the church, served in youth group,
faithfully attended Sunday worship,
and experienced the presence of God
in her life.
Yet, she tells an entirely
different story of her life at
Penn. During her freshman
year, she began to doubt the
goodness of God and His
work. Though she had found
a church home in Philadel-
phia, she did not experience
the awe and wonder of the Lord as
she had in her earlier years. Eventu-
ally, though she had faithfully attend-
ed church throughout her childhood,
her regular church attendance became
offered her words of encouragement
before earnestly praying for her.
The apostle Paul exhorted the
members of the church in Thessalo-
nica to, “Rejoice always, pray without
interpretation of that verse in the 24/7
Prayer Tent. Organized by Penn for
Jesus annually since 2006, this event
provides a space in Stiteler Plaza ded-
icated to drawing near to God through
prayer, worship, and fellowship every
hour of every day during the week
leading up to Easter Sunday.
The tent features many aspects
designed to encourage all who enter.
The walls, lined with paper, provide
a space for entrants to write powerful
passages of Scripture and prayer re-
quests. One corner features a confes-
sion station, which allows anyone to
write a confession and then shred it,
symbolizing God’s forgiveness of our
sins. Nevertheless, the primary attrac-
tion of the tent is the fellowship of
believers from all across campus, unit-
ed together in community to draw
near to the throne of grace.
Throughout the week, members
of various ministries at Penn signed
up for shifts in the tent in order to
pray and minister to all who entered,
including students and non-students,
believers and unbelievers alike. These
Throughout the week, members of various ministries
at Penn signed up for shifts in the tent in order to pray
and minister to all who entered, including students
and non-students, believers and unbelievers alike.
ceasing, and give thanks in all circum-
stances; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians
5:16-18). Every year, during Holy
Week, Penn students take a literal
visitors ranged from pre-freshman on
campus visits to seniors who had seen
the tent from their bedroom windows
for three years and had never checked
it out. The prayer tent also provided