Have you ever experienced a small act that connected you to something incredibly vast? For Blake Ward, that connection came through Campus Outreach (CO) and a commitment to prayer that took him from a university campus in South Carolina to the other side of the world.
Blake became a Christian in college. While a student at Western Carolina University, a CO staff member simply introduced himself and invited Blake to read the Bible together. Through that relationship, Blake met Jesus Christ and eventually felt called to help other students experience the same life change. He graduated in 2019 and joined the Campus Outreach Columbia staff team in the fall of 2020.
Today, Blake is part of a ministry culture that places a deep emphasis on prayer. Campus Outreach staff observe a monthly Day of Prayer, setting aside time to seek the Lord for their own growth, the campus, and the world.
One Day Turned Into Something Bigger
In 2024, the Clemson staff team planned to spend their Day of Prayer together. For a change of pace, they joined the Worldwide Day of Prayer, hosted by CO SERVE, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Staff, students, alumni, and supporters logged on throughout the day to pray with Campus Outreach teams around the globe. As the hours passed and stories from ministries across the world filled his screen, Blake found himself wanting to hear more.
“I didn’t have anything else scheduled until that night,” he said, “so I just stayed.”
He remained on the call until 8 p.m. After a short appointment, he logged back in again from 10 p.m. until midnight to close out the day. What started as a normal staff prayer rhythm had turned into something even more meaningful.
Seeing the Bigger Picture
Listening to reports and prayer requests from ministries across the world changed Blake’s perspective.
“Campus Outreach can feel small when you’re focused on your campus or even your region,” Blake reflected. “Hearing from people across the world reminded me that God is infinitely greater than I perceive. He is using this ‘little’ ministry to impact the nations.”
The stories deeply encouraged him — and strengthened his faith.
The Clemson ministry had asked people to pray for a specific number of students to attend summer projects. By the end of the school year, God had specifically answered those prayers: 50 students attended summer projects, and 20 went on Cross-Cultural Projects.
For Blake, those numbers weren’t just statistics — they were reminders that God hears and answers the prayers of His people.
Making A Deeper Connection
The experience resonated so deeply with Blake that he decided to double down the following year. In 2025, he committed to being on the call from 7 am until midnight! Throughout the day, Clemson students joined him, creating a bridge between their local campus and the wider CO community.
The value of this global perspective was further solidified when Blake attended the CO National Conference (NatCon) this past January. He began recognizing faces he had seen during the prayer calls; people he had connected with and prayed alongside during the Worldwide Day of Prayer. “It made the stories come to life,” he shared, “seeing people I had prayed with from Michigan, Houston, and Dallas.”
Planning For This Year
Looking ahead to April 16th, Blake is already committed to participating in the next Worldwide Day of Prayer. He’s not just planning to attend; he’s dreaming big, brainstorming ways to expand its impact on the Clemson campus. He wants to involve more students from Clemson throughout the day — maybe even having a Clemson student represented during every hour of the prayer gathering.
His hope is simple: that more students will experience what he did! That their vision and faith will increase!
This isn’t just about another Zoom call. The 2026 Worldwide Day of Prayer is an opportunity to:
- Connect with the global Body of Christ: Experience firsthand the breadth and depth of what God is doing through Campus Outreach around the world.
- Fuel your own prayer life: Draw inspiration and encouragement from stories of faith and answered prayers spanning all corners of the globe.
- Be a part of something bigger: Add your voice to a chorus of believers praying for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done, on campuses and beyond.
Join Blake and hundreds of others this April 16th for the Worldwide Day of Prayer.
You might just find yourself, like Blake, transformed by the experience.Learn more and register today!