The Walker “Prayer Room” may be found next door to the Office of Christian Formation, merely a few steps away from the entrance to the second floor of the building’s residence hall. The space is welcoming and cozy, filled with cushioned chairs, pillows and lamps around the area. A beautiful and modern rendition of the cross made with real nails hangs high on the farthest wall. Another key feature of the room is its whiteboard, available to all students seeking or offering prayer, encouragement or inspiration. Many have written prayer requests for wisdom, faith, courage and love. Some students have annotated these requests with related Bible verses. Others have responded by “answering” the requests, acknowledging they have been lifted to God. “You’ve been prayed for. Jesus sees you and loves you and is proud of you,” writes an anonymous Prayer Room attendee.
According to Tracy Balzer, Director of Christian Formation, the Prayer Room was first installed in 2002. “Walker was originally designed to be a sort of “all in one” building: a residence hall, offices, post office, bookstore, café, and student gathering space. It seemed natural to provide a prayer space that could be available to students 24 hours a day since it would be such a high-traffic building. The Prayer Room itself was a gift from JBU alumna Madge A. Schimpf, in memory of her husband, Stuart R. Schimpf, who was the university pastor at JBU from 1945-1962.”
The prayer room has recently completed Phase One of its renovation. According to Dr. Keith Jagger, Chaplain of Christian Formation, “We are in the process of refurbishing the space to help deepen our culture of prayer on campus.” The room is already beloved by students, says Balzer, “Because our office is right next door, some stories we literally hear: it is wonderful to hear various groups come into that room, lifting their voices and even their musical instruments in lively worship and prayer. We also know that it has been a special space for students to use to get away from the noise and bustle of campus and just have time to rest in God’s presence.”
One of these students is junior Sophia Schwarz, who commented on her experience with the space. “It’s been helpful in my relationship with God to remove the barrier of finding a place to spend time with Him by having the Walker prayer room. And the same goes for having a communal space to pray and worship with others.”
The prayer room is available at any hour of any day, except for Wednesday morning from 8-9, a time slot that is reserved for the Office of Christian Formation and Student Leadership. Otherwise, the prayer room is not available for reservation, unlike a study room in the library. However, any questions or concerns may be directed toward the Office of Christian Formation next door. “It is a well-used space, one that we hope anyone at JBU—certainly not just students who live or have class in Walker—would feel free to use,” says Balzer.
Photos courtesy of Anna Palacios