Ben Padilla, a mechanical engineering freshman eager to participate in a prayer set, received a surprise when he met the members of his team earlier this semester. He had been placed in the Portuguese set.

“I was really excited at first,” Padilla said, “but I was also like: ‘Portuguese? I don’t know Portuguese!’”

The number of students passionately engaged in a prayer set and assisting the prayer room has been growing, and more than ever, the Prayer Movement feels intertwined as part of Oral Roberts University’s essence.

“Just like him, approximately 400 students from all classes are involved in Prayer Movement this year,” explained Lucas Ariza, the Prayer Movement coordinator. “Also, there are approximately between 20 and 40 students inside each prayer set team.”

The Prayer Movement consists of prayer sets: spaces where the community gathers in prayer and worship, which is led by young leaders. Within each prayer set, scriptures are shared with those in the room by the group leading the intercession side, while the worship side of the prayer set sings and plays music according to what is shared.

Padilla was placed in the first fully Portuguese set in ORU history. Its leaders include Juliana Fleege, a junior double major in international relations and translation/interpreting, and a minor in music production; and Kaleb Lima, a biblical studies major.

The mission of the prayer room is “to see Jesus glorified in everything,” said Fleege.

“I pray that every prayer set will behold Jesus and minister to His heart,” Lima said during a recent rehearsal. “And as we behold Him, He will transform our hearts, and we will become more like Him.”

Testimonies create a buoyant atmosphere of joy inside and outside the prayer room, Fleege says.

“During one of our sets from last year, someone felt literally a physical hug from behind, but then he turned around and looked, and there was no one,” said Fleege. “And just like that, there’s been countless other testimonies.”

When the Portuguese set had its first rehearsal on Sept. 7, the deciding day for Padilla had arrived. Did he still want to be involved?

“It was amazing,” Padilla said. “We spent most of the time discussing the heart of the set, which I appreciate a lot. What does our prayer look like? What do we want to accomplish? Also, just the fact that our leaders poured in so much time to preparing their hearts and preparing well, for students and for our set; it was really awesome.”

After the rehearsal, Padilla felt peace with his placement.

“God speaks all languages,” he said, “and we all speak the universal language in God.”

Students can join prayer sets in the Prayer Tower Auditorium and attend any of the following schedules:

Tuesday through Friday:

6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.  – 9 p.m.

9 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

10:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Tuesdays 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Gospel set

Wednesdays 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Asian intercession set

Thursdays 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Portuguese set

Fridays 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Spanish set