Powerful and Effective

Thank you for praying for students throughout 2025.

In this Prayerline – as we hear back from those for whom we’ve prayed – words about prayer being “powerful and effective” might come to mind (James 5:16).

Praying has many benefits – it deepens our relationship with God, it sharpens our perspective on the world, it opens a space for our steps to be guided. But James’ flashback to Elijah’s efficacious prayers (vs.17-18) focuses on one fundamental truth: it changes situations.

In 2025, when you brought the requests in Prayerline to the Father through the Son in the power of the Spirit, you impacted lives, ministries, and campuses.

Take a look:

Opportunities Arise

We prayed for the ongoing crisis in Haiti and for staff worker Descheny as he continued to encourage and equip students there. This year, Descheny was appointed GBEUH General Secretary and was able to attend an IFES regional training event in St Lucia – the first time he’d ever travelled outside of Haiti. Ever mindful of his calling to student ministry, he writes:

“When I returned to Haiti, gang activities blocked my bus route home and left me stranded in Cap-Haitien for more than a week. However, I took advantage of the setback and truly experienced how “all things work together for good”: while I was stuck there, I laid foundations for starting GBEUH ministry in that northern region.”

Witness Strengthened

We prayed for the undeniable advance of the gospel in a sensitive country in South Asia and for practical steps towards a sustainable movement. Savithri, Regional Secretary, notes:

“At a recent three-day Indigenous Support Development meeting with this and another movement in the region, I sensed much expectancy and a learning that went way beyond skin-deep. There was a spirit of generosity that seemed infectious.”

Godly Leaders Raised

We prayed for Landing and his fellow student leaders in The Gambia – that their engagement with Scripture would help shape Christlike character. Julien, FES General Secretary, reports:

“The Lord is raising student leaders who are hungry for him and willing to learn the ways of Christ. It is evident from their character that Christ is being formed in them.”

At that time, we also prayed for “The Work of his Hands” – IFES Global Giving Day 2025. It was thrilling to see that over 400 supporters, staff, and students from over 100 countries and territories reached the $110,000 USD target. With additional support from a generous matching fund, a total of more than $230,000 USD has been boosting 26 leadership development initiatives across IFES.

Hunger Grows

We gave thanks for the successful reimagining of outreach at one Christian Union (CU) in New Zealand and prayed for their ongoing dinner-with-Bible-study gatherings. They tell us:

“We’ve explored gospel encounters with Jesus, God’s heart for the nations in Jonah, the priorities of the early church in Acts, and the new kind of kingdom found in the Sermon on the Mount. It was amazing to see the hunger for God’s Word grow, with many sticking around to ask more questions. And several non-Christians have been regularly attending. These evenings have provided valuable opportunities for gentle, intentional gospel conversations and ongoing spiritual exploration.”

Commitment Deepens

We prayed for engaging outreach and authentic witness in Honduras, especially among student leaders and graduates. They share:

“Carlos has continued to grow in his leadership and will be presented as the new student representative at our January 2026 Assembly. And all 11 student leaders who participated in the training in Mexico have faithfully served throughout the year. They’ve shown a level of commitment that only the Lord can cultivate in their hearts.”

“We thank God for the 24 graduates who took part in the ‘Connected in Love’ retreat – including 10 first timers. All are contributing to the ministry according to their gifts and abilities – some financially, some with time or expertise, and others with practical help like transport for camps. We give thanks to God for this growing team of committed professionals and for the generous ways in which they’re serving the movement.”

New Life Takes Root

We gave thanks for God’s work in Srey Leak and prayed for the next chapter of ministry in Cambodia. The General Secretary writes:

“We’re going to invite Srey Leak to join the student leadership team in 2026 because we have seen her faith mature and her heart filled with love, with a desire to serve the student movement. We hope that this opportunity will help her grow in her understanding of the Bible, life, and mission.”

“We plan to do a prayer walk in a new city. We don’t yet know how it will happen, but we trust in God’s timing and calling. We want to learn from Genesis 22 – to obey God’s calling and wait for His provision.”

Enthusiasm Sustained

We prayed for campuses in French-speaking Canada, where we reported a growing spiritual interest and more initiative from student leaders. Staff worker Tommy shares:

“Despite a series of transport strikes that forced Montreal universities to return to online classes, the students have persevered in meeting together, edifying and encouraging one another.”

Newcomers and New Places Reached

We prayed for evangelism in Moldova, including September’s ‘Welcome to the university’ outreach in Chișinău and Bălți. Overall, 700 students were welcomed with friendly conversation, a gift, and invitations to English club, Grill-a-Christian, and Bible study and prayer groups. One of the students on the team said:

“I’m so happy to welcome the first-year students, to step out of my comfort zone and get close to them because I know the difference it makes.”

We also prayed for the 16 student leaders who were attending the IFES Eurasia Formacion training in Georgia. A CSC Moldova staff worker shares:

“A great encouragement for us has been Dana, a student from the north of the country. She returned with fresh vision from Formacion, saying it had helped her get closer to God. She planned to gather some Christian students to meet for prayer at her college in the north, where no CSC group yet existed. When I recently contacted her, she told me they’d already started a Bible study with some girls!”

Energized and Equipped

We prayed for the European Student Festival in Latvia, for God to work through the planned and the unplanned.

“We’ve received so much… it’s been amazing to be in unity. That’s something we want to bring to our country – to be able to worship together with passion and fire for the Lord.” Elena, student in BCSU Bulgaria.

“The festival has equipped me to answer hard questions like ‘Why is there evil in the world if God is so good?’ This is a very topical question for Ukrainian students. It’s prepared me to lead Bible studies and discussions with believers and unbelievers.” Anna, student in CCX Ukraine.

Global Partnership Spreads

We prayed for a team who visited IFES ministry in Eurasia as they returned to their North American campuses to pass on a deeper concern for God’s worldwide work. Some of them say:

“We had a 7pm-7am worship and prayer night on IFES World Student Day in October. We prayed for different movements on a map we made out of tape, and wrote prayer letters to God for a sensitive country that we’d visited during the trip.”

“We were able to lead prayers for IFES with 400 students at our fall conference and raised $12,000 for three other IFES movements.”

Testimony Shapes Ministry

We prayed for International Student Ministry (ISM) in the Philippines, following the inspiring story of Justin, a Nepalese student who started an impromptu Bible study with his Filipino classmates. The ISM staff worker in Cebu reports:

“I’ve been able to continue using Justin’s story to cast the ISM vision among others, including staff workers in Taiwan and a Filipina staff worker from another campus ministry here in our city. She said it was the first time she’d ever thought of international students as missionaries to their host campus.”

Keep Praying

As you discovered how your prayers have been answered, what stirred your heart? What brought you joy? James 5:13 says: “Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise”.

Spend some time in worship, giving thanks to God for all that he has done on campuses worldwide this year.

James 5:13 also says: “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray”. In the year ahead, we will need to bring many more needs before God. Thank you for being a part of that, for standing with students, interceding with them and for them.

By the grace of God, may all our prayers be “powerful and effective”.

Make sure you’re subscribed to Prayerline so that you can be praying for IFES grassroots ministry every fortnight through 2026. You can also access Prayerline and our Daily Prayer Guide on Prayermate.