Unterwegs Tübingen: ‘Take a virtual prayer walk with us!’

“Much like you in the U.S.,” says Globalscope campus minister Tim Crabtree “our lives and work have seen drastic changes recently.”

In Tübingen, Germany, home of an Unterwegs campus ministry, strict measures are in place for people to stay at home and most businesses are closed. And non-profits like churches and Unterwegs cannot open again for meetings until mid-June, which will be about halfway through the summer semester.

“All that to say, in doing ministry we find ourselves in a time and place where God’s guidance and mercy are needed in abundance,” said Tim. “We face a lot of uncertainty, and we are in need of a reliable God to stand beside us in the present moment and guide us through these uncertain times.”

Tim and Ansley, his wife and teammate, would love for you to take a few minutes and pray for them and their ministry in Germany, and have created a “prayer walk map” to help you focus on their requests.

“We've made a small map of the Tübingen city center (the "Aldstadt", or old city) with some numbered points along a walk around the city that start and end at Unterwegs,” said Tim. “We invite you to trace the map with your fingers and ‘walk’ with God in prayer concerning these topics.”

Start in the upper right corner at #1 and end there at #8.

1) For the Unterwegs team. It has truly never been a more challenging time to engage in community-based relational ministry than now. Pray for encouragement and for creativity in rethinking our approach to ministry in this time.

2) For the health (physical, mental, and spiritual) of our students. Pray especially for those with mental health concerns, who will be particularly affected by the weeks of isolation.

3) For connection with God outside the Internet. While communicating online is the main medium all churches and ministries can use right now, we are praying for creativity in how our students can experience God in the real world right now, and not just the virtual world. Pray for inspiration as we seek to point out God's presence in an ever-changing world.

4) For our family. Our older daughter is currently out of school for the foreseeable future, so the four of us spend a lot of time together each day. So far it has overall gone fairly well —knock on wood! Pray for patience in parenting and for eyes to see the special moments we are sharing together in this time.

5) For Ansley's language learning. She is doing online language learning five days a week with our local language school. It has provided lots of good structure to our days but is still a mentally taxing task! Pray for continued energy and motivation.

6) For students (both in Germany and all over the world) who are graduating this year into a world of uncertainty. Pray for peace and guidance as they enter into this next phase of life.

7) For the University of Tübingen. The current summer semester will be taking place almost exclusively online, the first time ever that the university has offered a course online. It is requiring lots of restructuring and flexibility to change for both students and staff. Pray for learning and growth for all students despite the challenges, and peace and grace for professors and administration.

8) For the form and movement of ministry at Unterwegs following this pandemic. Pray that God is using this time to grow and shape our community to better bring about God's Kingdom, in Tübingen as it is in heaven.