By Kristy Volmert | Staff Writer
One of the biggest spiritual events of the year kicks off at 8 p.m. Sunday on Fountain Mall and runs until April 2.
FM72 is an annual tradition where members of the Baylor community and beyond gather on Fountain Mall for 72 hours of prayer, worship, scripture readings and more. Beginning in 2018, FM72 has seen a nationwide impact, helping develop ministries such as Passion and the Journeyman Mission Program.
A large prayer tent will be set up and will be open to anyone for all 72 hours, with volunteers in and out, praying over attendees. There will be worship services at 8 p.m. each night with songs and sermons and evangelism training sessions held in the SUB.
San Mateo, Calif., junior Abe Yeager, a college ministry staff member at Highland Baptist Church, has experienced FM72 for the past two years and said his experience has been incredible.
“Every year there’s salvation,” Yeager said. “A lot of people who come in are not yet believers and leave with a faith in Jesus.”
Yeager said that the collaboration of seven local churches and several different campus ministries promotes an influential unity among the body of believers who make it possible.
“The unity is absolutely beautiful,” Yeager said. “You’re not going to find it anywhere else.”
Pearland junior Zachary Magno started attending FM72 his freshman year, right after returning from a mission trip.
“It was just such a sweet time to connect with the Lord,” Magno said.
Magno said during his mission trip, he felt called to pursue further missions and was “set aflame with a passion for reaching the lost.” He and his mission team met in the chapel room at the SUB to pray for FM72 weeks before it started.
“Prayers were answered,” Magno said.
One of his favorite parts of FM72 is experiencing the environment of the tent and seeing how it is a constant safe place for anyone to come spend time with God and in fellowship, Magno said.
One of the goals of FM72 is to fill attendees with a love that they will be passionate to share with others, he said. It is an environment that welcomes anyone and everyone, providing everyone an opportunity to better understand God’s word, no matter where they are in their faith.
“The truth is, everyone you’ll see there comes in with their own struggles and doubts,” Magno said. “Everyone is curious and just wants to learn more about Jesus.”
Yeager and Magno both recall a miraculous healing that they witnessed at FM72 two years ago. They said that someone came in with a leg injury, had many people pray over him and walked out completely healed. Magno said people saw him running around playing sports that same night and were blown away.
“We gave their testimony the next night, and it was a really amazing example of healing and of prayer,” Yeager said.
This year’s FM72 services will cover three main topics: the power of prayer, handling money generously and living out the fruits of the spirit. According to Yeager, baptisms will take place on the last night. He said there have been hundreds of baptisms over the past seven years.
“It’s gonna be a really exciting embodiment of the Lord working,” Yeager said.
