FM72 Gathers Baylor Students for 72 Hours of Prayer for Revival and Renewal

March 24, 2022

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-709-5959
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by Kate Nelson, student news writer, Baylor University Media and Public Relations

WACO, Texas (March 24, 2022) – Baylor University’s Office of Spiritual Life, in collaboration with campus ministries and Waco churches, will again host FM72, a gathering of college students March 27-30 on Fountain Mall in the heart of the Baylor campus for 72 hours of continuous prayer, asking God for revival and renewal.

In addition, each night at 8 p.m., students will gather at McLane Stadium for worship, prayer and hearing from God’s Word. The worship services will be streamed live on the FM72 website.

“The goal of FM72 is to stir a passion for Jesus Christ in the Baylor community,” said Charles Ramsey, Ph.D., director of Baptist Student Ministries at Baylor. “It is a time to take inventory of one’s own journey, to linger in prayer, to recalibrate towards what is most important: our shared faith in Jesus Christ.”

The mission of FM72 is that each attendee experiences a clear and compelling call to know Jesus and find a spiritual community where they can grow.

FM72 is not the first event of its kind at Baylor. In 1945, Baylor students prayed for renewal for 90 days, and the impact of it was felt worldwide, igniting ministries like the Passion Conferences and Journeyman mission program.

“The 1945 generation experienced revival, a spiritual awakening that brought a searing clarity about what is truly important,” Ramsey said. “They understood that faith was not simply a good thing, but rather it was the vital element of a good life. Their motto, ‘I’d rather have Jesus,’ was a statement of defiance to the political, social and economic forces whose allure was drawing them away from a life centered on Christ.”

This experience of revival and spiritual awakening remains present more than 75 years later and is what inspired FM72.

“There is a wonder, and sense of joy in discovering prayer, and for many this opens the way to an ongoing and deepening devotional, a more personal faith and a love for the church,” Ramsey said.

This year, the aesthetic design of the prayer tent includes a custom-made banner on the outside by recent Baylor graduate Samantha Buller. The prayer tent’s theme – communion – is meant to remind attendees of a family dinner table as well as a heavenly banquet.

“It speaks of the altar, the presence of the Holy Spirit and also the fellowship of believers worldwide and across generations,” Ramsey said.

As people enter the tent, the hope is that “they will be able to slow down and spend time communing with God in a way that propels them to continue this communion even as they leave the tent,” said Katie Barbur, a senior art major coordinating the teams who are creating art for the stations.

More information is available on the FM72 website and on the FM72 Instagram page.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.