Students at Commons 1 Launch 24-Hour Prayer Initiative

A student led prayer initiative, “Commons 1 Prays,” is creating a ripple effect across Liberty’s campus. Hundreds of students sacrifice sleep, busy schedules and social demands to engage in 24 hours of prayer each Monday.

“This prayer event happens every Monday for 24 hours straight,” Tanner Petty, a resident director and founder of Commons 1 Prays, said. “Students sign up for 30-minute time slots and 40-60 students each hour participate in gathering and praying around our building.” 

Petty started this prayer initiative at the beginning of the 2020 Fall semester. His goal was for students to desire a personal relationship with God, pursue holiness and cultivate rich community. What started as an unnoticed, small act of faith has evolved into a building-wide movement in Commons 1. 

“Whenever I would leave to take my trash out across the Commons 1 parking lot, I would pray for 5-10 minutes over the building and the students as I walked,” Petty said. “Over time, my small prayers grew into a desire to start something bigger; that’s when I had the idea for a 24-hour prayer day.” 

Through this event, Petty urges students to step out of their comfort zones, sacrifice time in their day, and meet with God. From the day it began, “Commons 1 Prays” has opened the door for students to discover a relationship with God. 

“On the very first Monday it started, I was out praying at 7 in the morning for revival and salvation to take hold of our building and invade the spaces of these student’s lives,” Braden Kranz, a residential assistant of Commons 1, said. “That night, one of the students on our hall who participated in the prayer walk came into our room and told us that he didn’t really know God but wanted to dive into a relationship with Him.” 

“We sat together. I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with him, and he proceeded to give his life to Christ,” Kranz said. 

Petty has seen these types of conversations occur throughout Commons 1.

“God is continually revealing himself to students through prayer,” Petty said. “It has (only) been three weeks of Monday prayer, and we have been blessed to see three young men give their life to Christ.”

Whether it is 5 a.m. or 11 p.m. on a Monday, you will find students walking and talking with God around the Commons 1 building. The impacts of this prayer initiative exist not only in the personal lives of the individuals who participate, but in the community as a whole.

“The guys on my hall sit down every night, read Scripture and pray together,” Kranz explained. “In only three short weeks, I am seeing these guys grow closer together in their friendships by really digging into the difficult questions about their faith.”

Both Petty and Kranz discussed how they are expecting to see the Lord open more doors for this prayer movement to spread across campus. 

“We pray anticipating what the Lord will do.” Kranz said. “We take prayer seriously because we know our God is faithful. He will have his way in Commons 1 and throughout this entire campus.” 

Students who participate in the prayer walk are also provided the unique opportunity to address the tough questions surrounding prayer. According to Kranz, this has been the most fruitful aspect of the initiative.

“I’ve had a lot of students ask, ‘Why pray? Why pray if God is already sovereign?’” Kranz said. “After three weeks, this question has become so much easier to answer. We pray, not so our will may come to pass, but so that we might be instruments in God’s faithful plan. And prayer is how he uses us, the vessel, to bring that plan to fruition.” 

Jessica Green is a Feature Reporter. Follow her on Twitter at @jessigreen0.