“We didn’t even know.”

We prayed over the one-year anniversary of the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan. A person on the line was actually a family member of a journalist who reported at the incident and was still feeling the pain of trying to understand it.

Kennan Rooney has been with his employer for 22 years. He fills a national role for a company with 4,300 consultants at 75 health care offices across the country and works within a team of 400 inside sales reps. As such, he was well positioned to initiate a program to the company and, like many attending their first Endeavor information meeting, said, “I could totally do this.”

Real World Impact

Rooney and Markee Johnson met with his company’s Chief People Officer about “Faith at Work” and the CPO said they could create an interim, informal prayer group until a DEI director was hired.

On September 6, Rooney opened his Teams app, anxiously awaiting the results of his word of mouth invitations to his first Every Wednesday 11am National Prayer Group He says, “I wasn’t sure whom to invite because I didn’t know if the people I emailed were Christian. But then there was a tone, then another, and ‘ding, ding, ding...’ it was as shocking as it was compelling to hear the sounds of people getting online to pray.” Now more than five months in, he reports the group still invites newcomers via word of mouth and he typically has between 15 and 50 people onscreen.

The Wednesday Prayer Group Rooney opens meetings with a book prayer and, following, participants typically share what is on their heart. “Prayers move from praise reports to tragic needs like a potentially stillborn child,” he says. “People are touched to know they are being prayed for by some who don’t know them but care that someone in the world is hurting. They are also pleased and amazed to hear it is employee-driven.” He adds that many express appreciation for their employer allowing them to do so during work hours.

After every meeting, he summarizes the meeting content so those who regularly participate can see what the prayer requests are. He often receives texts from people who say, “I had no idea I needed something like this.” He adds that the growing sense of understanding and empathy among colleagues has created a new sense of excitement in their work.

Prayer for Everyone

Rooney says he was inspired by the Endeavor speaker who spoke about Intel’s inclusion programs. The tech giant has ERGs for Christians, Hindus, and even atheists. He says, “When we get our DEI person, I will be able to drive this faith at work program because when those who pray read about needs, religion doesn’t matter. We pray to Jesus, but everyone prays for those who are hurting and lifts people up based on personal connection and degrees of separation.”

Rooney says much of the positive feedback comes from those who appreciate being able to be their authentic selves on the screen, in full view of people they work with. “Having that encouragement from the group is a new source of uplift because they realize a co-worker has been struggling and 'we didn’t even know,’ ” he says.

“Sometimes we are engaged in conversation about a person or a need and we will stop in mid-sentence to pray on it. It is an open forum so we are able to address things with urgency because the person in need is present.”

Bottom Line

Rooney is not a singular pioneer launching a prayer group for fellow employees. Endeavor Ministry has seen dozens of team take simple, courageous steps to integrating their faith in their place of work. By and large the sentiment shared from team members leading in this area is the receptivity and positive impact on work relationships and overall connection to their employer has increased.

IT HAPPENED ON FULTON STREET • While Endeavor’s format is unique, it is not the first time God has commissioned those with means and creativity to empower faith-based activity in the workplace. In 1857, Jeremiah Lanphier was moved to host a daily prayer meeting and provide a space for businessmen in need of spiritual uplift in a Manhattan suburb. Six people attended his first “Businessman Prayer Meeting” and within two weeks participation began to grow exponentially. His meetings were from 12-1pm to allow businessmen to come and go on their lunch break and prayers were not allowed to include “controverted points.” Over time he moved to larger buildings to accommodate as many as 3,000 faithful. It was estimated that more than one million people were saved in his first year. History remembers it as the Prayer Meeting Revival of 1857-59.

Regular meetings take place at Celebration Church in Georgetown. Attendance is free and open to everyone in the marketplace*, whether you are in your first job or the CEO of the company.

eorgetown Health Foundation CEO Scott Alarcón says the idea of being able to live out his faith at work drew him immediately to Endeavor; “For me, the idea of leaning into the workplace and helping Christians be more bold in sharing their faith sounded interesting.” He wanted to be a part of it and asked to be put to work in service. As a result, his is the first face many people see at an Endeavor meeting.

At his day job, Alarcón helps provide nearly $1 million in annual grants to the community, but says he enjoys rolling up his sleeves at Endeavor as a parking lot greeter. “For some, their first impression may be that seeing a few hundred cars is intimidating. I’m glad to have the opportunity to put them at ease, set the tone, and get their hearts in the right place to be inspired.”

What To Expect

Meetings take place after standard work hours and upcoming dates are posted on Celebration’s website and social media when speakers become available. Attendance is free to all and typically tops 250 people from at least 30 industry groups, including aerospace, entrepreneurs and owners,