How did Year of the Haystack begin?
SVM2 is committed to serving a student mission movement in our generation. In May of 2005, as we realized the approaching 200th year anniversary of Haystack Prayer Meeting, we began to contact student and mission leaders across the US and Canada to discuss how we could corporately celebrate the Haystack Prayer Meeting in 2006. Through those interactions, we decided that instead of trying to organize a gathering at the place where the Haystack Meeting happened (Williams College), that God was leading us to bring the haystack to as many campuses as possible. As we have pursued this, we have decided that the best way to do this is to tell the Haystack story in a compelling way to as many students as possible, and invite them to respond in the same way that other generations have responded to the same story: a personal committment to pray for our generation's involvement in reaching the unreached and a committment to become personally involved in bringing the gospel to those that need it most.
How can SVM2 and Year of the Haystack help me tell the Haystack story?
SVM2 can help you by partnering with you and your church, fellowship or campus to sponsor a Haystack Night. We have developed the model and have all the resources (video, marketing materials, speakers, etc) to help you facilitate a quality and effective event to cast the vision of prayer and a committment to the great commission in our generation.
What is a Haystack Night?
A Haystack Night is an event that can be brought to a campus, church, conference or other community. The Haystack Night event is designed to last about two hours and tells the story of the Haystack prayer meeting and how God's used the Haystack in other generations. The Haystack night also includes worship, small and large group prayer and two specific challenges to the audience: a challenge to join a campus based global prayer team and an invitation to make a longer term commitment among the unreached (at least two years).
What's the first step to hosting a Haystack Night on my campus/church?
First, contact us at yearofthehaystack@svm2.net and request an info pack. In the meantime, be thinking about the following:
- What date would work well in your context?
- What venue/context would work the best?
- Who else should I get involved to help organize the Haystack event and see a prayer and mission movement birthed on our campus?
What happens after the Haystack Night?
SVM2 is committed to serving your campus based prayer group and keeping you connected with other likeminded students as well as connected to relevant materials, resources and trainings. The vision of Year of the Haystack is that it will help to birth a network of likeminded students and campuses regarding prayer and missions.
How much does it cost to host a Haystack Night on my campus?
The average cost of a Haystack Night is somehere between $250-600. The main costs include materials and admin ($100) and marketing and speaker transportation costs (these vary according to location of event).
