Haystack Prayer Group

I. Haystack Prayer Group’s Story

It was 1806 and divine circumstances were about to reveal to the world its new unlikely
heroes. Samuel J. Mills, James Richards, Francis L. Robbins, Harvey Loomis, and Byram Green were
about to decide their destiny. These five students at Williams College in Massachusetts found themselves
in a time when revival and awakening were sweeping across America and this small college town. There
were many prayer meetings being maintained by students. One, to which these five men belonged, met in
Sloan’s meadow north of the college. On a hot Saturday afternoon in August these five left to pray and
discuss William Carey’s small booklet, An Inquiry into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the
Conversion of the Heathen. It was a controversial book that laid on all believers the weight of
responsibility of world missions. There were threatening clouds in the distance, but the group met faithfully
despite the thunderstorm that was approaching.
As they discussed world missions and specifically the needs in China, their attention was focused
so intently on their responsibility to the unreached that they failed to notice the speed with which storm had
approached. The young men were too far away to run for adequate shelter and were soon trapped by the
angry thunder clouds. Within minutes the sound of the thunder was deafening and the pouring rain and
strikes of lightening drove the students to scramble for the first shelter available - a haystack. Even as the
storm rolled over the five continued their building discussion. Beneath the cover of the haystack, Samuel
Mills, the leader of the group, continued to insist that the gospel must be taken to the lost in Asia.
All were inspired to act by Mills’ passion except for Loomis, who argued that it was too dangerous
in China. “We must wait until they are civilized,” he maintained. Samuel suggested that they make it an
issue of prayer, and they began to pray over the wail of the storm. All prayed except for Loomis. Mills,
remembering the objections of Loomis, prayed, “O God, strike down the arm, with red artillery of heaven,
that shall be raised against a herald of the cross.”

Finally after singing a hymn, Mills looked at the others, and over the roar of the drenching rain,
and with flashes of lightening reflecting in his eyes, cried out, “We can do this, if we will!” Something
broke loose in that moment within the hearts of all five. All pointed back to that moment as the one that
changed them forever. The five later consecrated themselves to full devotion to the Great Commission and
taking the gospel to all the nations. They felt that it was the job of the American church to send its own
missionaries and proposed to the General Association of Massachusetts that the first American missions
agency be created, later given the name “The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions” in
1810. Adoniram Judson was among the first five men that the American Board sent to Calcutta,
India. Mills went on to inspire the creation of several other mission agencies and works such as The United
Foreign Missionary Society, the American Baptist Missionary Union, and the American Bible Society.
1
 This Haystack Prayer Movement became known all over the surrounding area, especially among
college students. Samuel had began a group in 1808 called the Society of Brethren, which bound its
members together by the single-minded purpose of giving themselves to extend the gospel around the
world. Several missions societies began to spring up on campuses all across the U.S. in the footsteps of
Mills.

Years later, several women purchased with one gold dollar, the spot of land which Bryam Green
identified as the location of the haystack that day. Today the Haystack Prayer Monument stands at Williams
college as a reminder of what God did, not only in the lives of the five, but also in the life of Luther Wishard
80 years later. Luther, inspired by the Haystack Prayer Movement, initiated the mobilization of 100,000
college students through the Student Volunteer Movement. That moment in 1806 under the haystack was
the spark for the greatest missionary movement that the world has ever seen.

They were ordinary young men - college students. Life forced them to search out their life purpose,
maybe before it was too late; before the world had a chance to steal away their passion and talents into
other great endeavors; before the roots of careers, and comfort grew too deeply into the American
dream. These five had no idea that all of history was watching that day and what weight of responsibility
lay on them. God uses moments like this, not to test our hearts, but to reveal them. He is unveiling to us
what holds our true loyalty. Neil McClendon says, “Life’s interruptions are God’s invitations.” Heroes
like this are made, not born. Let us press on to know Him deeply and know His heart so that in times of
testing and interruption it might be revealed that our heart has been replaced with His. Out of the overflow
of the heart the mouth speaks. Out of the deepening of our passion for His renown and glory will come an
overflow: our lives heralding a message to the world, “We can do this, if we will!”.

II. The Cambridge Seven

The Cambgridge Seven adalah persekutuan tujuh orang mahasiswa Universitas Cambridge, yakni
Charles Thomas Studd (meninggal 1931), Montagu Harry (meninggal 1938), Stanley P. Smith (meninggal
31 Januari 1931), Arthur T. Polhill-Turner (meninggal 1935), Dixon Edward Hoste (meninggal 1946), Cecil
H. Polhill-Turner (meninggal 1938) dan William Wharton Cassels (meninggal tahun 1925). Pada tahun
1885, mereka memutuskan untuk menjadi misionaris ke Cina dan meminta dukungan doa dari seluruh
masyarakat. Pekerjaan mereka ini diliput pers dan mereka lebih dikenal dengan identitas The Cambridge
Seven.

Mereka bertujuh melakukan pekerjaan misi di tempat yang berbeda satu dengan yang lain. Charles
Studd melayani di India dan Afrika, dan merupakan pendiri WEC. William W. Cassels melayani selama
10 tahun di Cina, dan menjadi Uskup di Cina bagian Barat. Stanley Smith melayani di Cina Utara, dengan
mempelajari bahasa Mandarin ia dapat menjadi seorang pendeta Cina yang fasih. Arthur juga melayani di

2
Cina sampai tahu 1928 saat terjadi pengusiran terhadap orang asing. Cecil Turner melayani kea rah Tibet.
Ia berhasil membantuk Pentecostal Movement di Inggris. Montagu Beuchamp melayani di Cina sampai
tahun 1911 sebelum melayani sebagai pendeta bagi tentara Inggris. Dixon Hoste bekerja sebagai direktur
CIM selama 30 tahun. Sampai tahun 1945 ia tinggal di Cina, walaupun telah pension tahun 1935.

III. Student Volunteer Movemen (SVM)

Student Volunteer Movement (SVM) is an international network of students, leaders, churches, and
organizations serving a grassroots mission movement among today's emerging generation toward the
fulfillment of the great commission in our lifetime.

This is achieved in unity through the following six components:

1. Serving the development of national and regional student mission movements in many contexts globally.

2. Challenging the emerging generation to abandoned devotion to Jesus Christ and sacrificial living for the
sake of the gospel.

3. Cultivating a prayer movement for the nations - campus by campus.

Student Volunteer Movement (SVM) is an international network of students, leaders, churches, and
organizations serving a grassroots mission movement among today's emerging generation toward the
fulfillment of the great commission in our lifetime.

This is achieved in unity through the following six components:

1. Serving the development of national and regional student mission movements in many contexts globally.

2. Challenging the emerging generation to abandoned devotion to Jesus Christ and sacrificial living for the
sake of the gospel.

3. Cultivating a prayer movement for the nations - campus by campus.

4. Facilitating campus mission movements resulting in multitudes of laborers being sent to the least reached
via their local churches or partnering agencies.

5. Equipping students and leaders with practical resources and training for the Student Mission Movement.

6. Networking like-minded students, leaders, churches, and organizations around a common mission
vision.

3
 IV. 10/40 Windows

The 10/40 Window is located from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator, which includes Africa,
the Middle East and Central Asia.

• Nearly 4 billion people live here, including 90 percent of the world's poorest of the poor. It is
estimated that 1.6 billion of these people have never had the chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus
Christ - not even once!
• The seat of every major non-Christian religion - Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Animism, Atheism,
and Sikhism - is headquartered in the 10/40 Window.
• In many of the 67 countries represented in the 10/40 Window, witnessing the Christian Gospel
means death. Truly, the 10/40 Window remains the darkest and most inhospitable territory to the
cause of Christ and represents the greatest remaining stronghold of Satan.
• Two-thirds of the world’s population (4 billion) live in the 67 nations of the 10/40 Window.
• 95% of the people are unevangelized.
• 90% of the people are the poorest of the poor, averaging $250 per family annually.
• 43 of the 50 worst countries in the world for persecution of Christians are here.
• Five pennies out of every $100 spent on missions goes to this desperately needy area of the world.
• Illiteracy is widespread.
• Terrorist organizations and child prostitution run rampant in many of these nations.
• Horrific abuse of women and children remains unchecked.
• Children as young as 18 months old are trained to be Jihad soldiers.

It is estimated that 1.6 billion people have not heard the Gospel one time.

Prayer moves the hand of God. Once there is sustained, strategic, and informed prayer in the 10/40
Window, we will witness massive numbers of unreached people coming to Christ. Pray that it will
happen in our generation.- Beverly Pegues

The 10/40 Window is located from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator, which includes Africa, the
Middle East and Central Asia.

The 10/40 Window is a rectangular-shaped area extending from West Africa to East Asia, from ten degrees
north to forty degrees north of the equator. Often called "The Resistant Belt," this specific region,
encompasses the majority of the world's Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists - billions of spiritually
impoverished souls.

4
Sumber: Internet
www.thetravelingteam.org