Spring 2009 - Lancaster Mennonite School

STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT A NEW MINISTRY OPPORTUNITYA walk of prayerBy Rebecca Kraybill, LMS seniorWho would thinkthat God would usea group of highschool students tobless LancasterCounty?- LMS Bible teacherJ. W. SprungerThis past fall, LMS Bible teacher J. W.Sprunger watched an idea come to life rightbefore his eyes.Also serving as director of church relations atLancaster Mennonite, Sprunger had the opportunityto attend five regional “plunges” or prayerwalks. Introduced by Lancaster Mennonite Conference,each plunge was a day where church leaderswent into local communities and prayed,talked, and visited with the people. The hope wasthat testimonies from the experience could beshared with congregations, to show how God hasbeen working in people’s lives.Each plunge Sprunger attended produced interestingstories and moving testimonies which hethen began to share with his Kingdom Livingclasses.After hearing multiple stories, several studentsexpressed interest in joining the prayer walks.Realizing it would be a great way to involve LancasterCounty youth in the ministry, Sprungerdecided to pursue the idea.“The pastors were very excited, also,”Sprunger said. “They said, ‘Just call me up ifLMS Senior Devin Troy (left, in group of three), senior Kori Wenger, and LMS Bible Teacher J. W.Sprunger connect with an employee at La Dolce Vita Courthouse Bakery on Duke Street in downtownLancaster during the school’s December prayer walk.you plan to go!’”Getting approval from Principal Miles Yoderand a school council, Sprunger took the idea to hisstudents. After 57 students showed interest and 28gave firm commitments, walks were scheduled forDecember 12 and January 8.Both prayer walks started at 8:00 in the morningwith an orientation by Clair Good, a bishopand representative of Eastern Mennonite Missions.Students were then split into groups of two, witheach pair assigned to a pastor. The groups traveledto Lancaster City, officially starting the plungearound 9:00.In general, both prayer walks followed a veryrelaxed, go-with-the-flow system. The groupswere encouraged to find a business or building thatthey thought would benefit from the prayer—anythingfrom a bakery to a sporting goods store to abank. Then the group said a prayer for the business,whether going into the building or just stayingoutside. In other cases, the group encountereda person on the street and asked if they wanted tobe prayed for.Of course, when interacting with a large varietyof people, different reactions resulted.Sometimes people simply didn’t wantto be prayed for. Instead there was conversationor dialogue in which the studentswere able to get a glimpse into theperson’s life—what their family is like,what their job is, maybe a hardshipthey’ve faced.“Above all, it’s blessing the people,”Sprunger said about the walks.The combination of prayer, blessing,and dialogue provided the participantswith a moving experience. More thananything, the walk was a hands-onexperience of meeting new people andgrasping a sense of the humanity withinthem.Senior Solomon Rudy attended theDecember prayer walk. He ended up inLancaster’s Central Market, talking toa man about his views on religion.“It was a great experience,” Rudysaid. “It was just good to get out andtalk to people. It was an effective wayto share faith through dialogue.”After the hour and a half walk, thegroups returned to Lancaster Mennonitewhere they processed what they hadexperienced.4 BRIDGES • SPRING 2009