Org Highlight: Antioch

The Antioch Society of NCU, a student org at North Central University, hosted an event called “10 for 10, 24-hour prayer” for the Muslim world. NCU joined together throughout the 24 hours to pray for the Muslim world and to hear missionaries speak.

The Antioch Society of NCU is run by NCU Representative/Missionary Nick Robertson, and co-lead by two student directors. The “10 for 10, 24-hour prayer” event started from a dream that several missionaries had in 2017. One woke up and had a dream that 10% of the Muslim world come to know Jesus in 10 years; it happened to be that other missionaries had a similar vision. The event is to help make that happen by taking 24 hours to pray, support, and intercede with students and be a part of the change in the Muslim world. Every hour they target a specific country for prayer and for every hour they light a lantern. For every hour they had a missionary from that country speak and lead prayer as well, which gave students the opportunity to connect with missionaries from all over. At the very end of last year’s event, a group picture was taken with all 24 lanterns lit, symbolizing all 24 hours of prayer for the Muslim world.

In an Interview with Josiah Swanson, last year’s co-director of the Antioch Society of NCU, we asked what some of his highlights at the event were. Swanson said, “It’s fun seeing the community grow and stay committed after 8/10 hours and into the graveyard shift and into 4 or 5 in the morning and seeking the lord.” He continued, “We had a group of students at like 4 am lead worship with Kazoos, it was a good time worshiping and talking to a missionary from Saudi Arabia at 3 in the morning.”

Here is a painting made and put out by the entrance of the event. 

It says, “24 hours of prayer for the Muslim World”.

After an interview with last year’s co-director of Antioch Society, Tobias Sanders, he briefly described Antioch’s mission statement: “We exist to provide students with service opportunities for the unreached, especially students not in global studies.” Swanson further explained it as, “a partnership between North Central University and AGWM, founded by Dr. Gordon Anderson-the former NCU President. Its mission is to engage students with the unreached within their local communities.”  

Current NCU President Scott Hagan, seventh president of North Central University, said, “The Antioch Initiative is one of the most compelling and creative aspects of North Central University. NCU has long been a leader in mission’s education. Our commitment to developing leaders for unreached people groups is precisely the hope behind the Antioch Initiative. Our partnership with AGWM brings a depth and quality of education and training that is unmatched anywhere in the world.”

Sanders’s hope is to have more events like this where they are geared towards raising awareness to missions and giving people the opportunity to pray and talk with missionaries even without being in the Global Studies Program. Antioch Society gives all NCU students the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and meet people of different cultures. Downtown Minneapolis is a perfect place to start.

Didn’t make it to the first 10 for 10, 24-hour prayer event? That’s okay! Antioch Society has one per semester. The next 24-hour prayer event will be in March, so don’t miss it. For more information on what Antioch Society is about, check out their website and stay up to date on future events like this at Antioch Society’s Instagram page.