Howard Payne University issued the following article Friday afternoon:

What happens when a group of students gather once a week and pray for their fellow university students? On the campus of Howard Payne University, a group of Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) students gathered every Thursday for the past year to pray. This gathering wasn’t initiated by faculty, staff or administration, but by students who saw a need on their campus and filled it.

Nicole de la Houssaye, a senior from Cleveland, Texas, is one of the students who initiated the prayer meetings on campus. God increased Nicole’s focus on prayer after she served with GoNow Missions last summer. She felt a burden for those who didn’t know Jesus and realized that there was something she could do about it.

“Over the summer, God moved in so many marvelous ways,” said de la Houssaye. “I eventually understood that one of the ways was through people praying intently and consistently.”

Nicole knew that prayer was the first step in spreading the Gospel on campus, so she discussed the idea of meeting weekly for prayer with Bryan Pate, HPU’s BSM director. The BSM prayer group had been meeting for over a year, and the evidence that God is moving in the lives of HPU’s students could be seen across campus. From student baptisms in local churches to on-campus gatherings of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, students have been transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Dr. Nate Penland, HPU’s vice president for student experience, has noticed the change on campus.

“Howard Payne’s Chapel theme this year was ‘He is Good,'” said Dr. Penland. “Our students have experienced this in a real way and I am praying for it to continue!”

What has happened on campus is a testament to God’s faithfulness. The Gospel of Jesus has spread by friends telling friends. Students who have heard the Good News want their friends to know as well.

Trevor Bowers, a senior from Bangs, said that seeing his friends live out the Gospel played a big role in his decision to get baptized.

“I was a pretty lukewarm Christian until I got to Howard Payne and built relationships with people who truly loved Jesus,” said Bowers. “This helped me realize I was not living my life the way the Lord called me to be. I knew I needed to re-commit my life to Him and profess that through baptism.”

Gospel conversations have been at the center of many interactions between students, faculty, staff and alumni on HPU’s campus. What might have seemed like a random conversation at a football barbecue one afternoon turned into a student accepting Christ. What looked like a student struggling with attendance turned into a meaningful conversation about who God is. What started on a mission trip to Uganda continued with HPU students sharing at a local church how God moved in their lives during their trip.

What’s happening on HPU’s campus isn’t an accident, but the fruit of God’s faithfulness. God is using the dedicated people at HPU as His hands and feet, and He is changing lives.