As We Pray, Taylor University’s annual week of prayer, invited worldwide Taylor family members, parents, alumni and Grant County residents to pray for the university Feb. 22-27.
Over 160 guests signed up to pray for the university. Students submitted over 1,100 prayer requests, President Michael Lindsay said.
Taylor hosted other spiritual events within the same month to build spiritual momentum, Greg Dyson, vice president for spiritual life and intercultural leadership and campus pastor, said.
If prayer is our spiritual food, February was a banquet, he said.
Events included a prayer breakfast, worship and guided prayer in the Memorial Prayer Chapel on Saturday, Feb. 21 and a Grant County worship night in Rediger Auditorium on Tuesday, Feb. 24. On National Collegiate Day of Prayer, Taylor hosted a sunrise prayer in Euler’s Legacy Room, a guided prayer in Habecker South led by Taylor Student Organization (TSO) and a sanctioned time of fasting from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26.
Some of the events fell outside of As We Pray’s calendar dates, because As We Pray is meant to contribute to an overall lifestyle of constant communion with God, Lindsay said.
“We would really like to amplify what we are already doing with prayer at Taylor … ” he said. “My hope is that this week would not be seen as a one-time event but as an encouragement toward ongoing rhythms of prayer.”
Taylor students are clearly hungry for more of God, Dyson said. Over 140 small groups meet for prayer and worship around campus, he said. These groups form organically from classes, halls, wings and athletic groups.
As students continue to seek God through Lent, As We Pray provided opportunities to intentionally focus on Christ throughout this significant season on the Christian calendar, Lindsay said.
Lent is a 40-day period of prayer and fasting for Christians worldwide, according to HISTORY. Lent 2026 is Feb.18 to April 2. It begins on Ash Wednesday, culminating in Easter. Lent’s 40-day fast models Jesus’ 40 days of prayer and fasting in the wilderness.
Jesus modeled an example of constant prayer we’re meant to follow, Lindsay said.
Remembering to pray can be difficult but important, since God uses it to align our hearts with God’s will, Lindsay said.
“If we are honest, many of us likely do not pray as much as we ought,” he said. “In a culture that values independence and self-sufficiency, prayer reminds us that apart from Christ we can do nothing.”
Marina De Castro Vasconcelos, junior business management major, agreed.
For a long time, she didn’t see why prayer was necessary and only read the Bible.Then she realized while Scripture is essential, so is prayer, De Castro Vasconcelos said.
When the Lord revealed to her his delight in listening to her prayers, she realized she could share her fears, desires and needs with him, she said.
“He is the Lord of the universe. But still, like every time I just say his name, he's closer than a brother, closer than my every breath,” she said. “And that changed my perspective.”
Both solitary and community prayer are essential, De Castro Vasconcelos said. God promises to uniquely manifest himself to believers gathered in his name, she said. Community prayer reminds us of God’s heart for the nations and inspires us to pray for issues beyond personal needs.
There’s also an element of wonder behind group prayer that can’t be put into words, De Castro Vasconcelos said.
“It changes atmospheres, it changes rooms, it changes communities,” she said. “Can't really tell you why, but I just know it works, and I just know that's something that I want to be doing for the rest of my life.”
Events like As We Pray are wonderful opportunities for communal prayer, she said. De Castro Vasconcelos hopes As We Pray challenged students to seek the Lord beyond February.
She prays it sparks a lifelong journey of glorying in Christ’s beauty.
“There's nothing better than Jesus Christ,” she said. “So I highly recommend just praying for more of him, for more revelation, for more encounters with him, and in seeking his face. And the Lord listens to our prayers.”
