Northwest Christian College was the site for the first Global Day of Prayer held in Lane County. Approximately 750 people filled the Morse Event Center on the NCC campus to pray for local and national leaders, educators, young people, addicted persons, and the military.

Sgt. Bruce Cutshall gave a moving report of his experiences as a medic in Iraq’s Sadr City. He asked the gathering to pray for soldiers who need strength to carry out their missions.

The prayer event also featured pastors and Christians from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Josh Marshall, a University of Oregon student from Nigeria, offered a prayer in his native language, as did pastors from community Korean and Japanese churches.

The Global Day of Prayer was a world-wide movement that began in South Africa in 2001. 2005 marked the first Global Day of Prayer, and more than 220 million Christians from 156 countries joined the African nations in prayer.

Organizers of the prayer gathering stated that attendance exceeded their expectations. “The whole evening was a great success and it truly brought the churches of our community together in a unified way.” said Craig Curtis, pastor of Camp Creek Church. Next year, the Global Day of Prayer will be held on May 27, 2007. Plans are already underway for a gathering in Lane County.