A MARATHON FOR THE LORD | KAIROS GLOBAL | FEBRUARY 2020

Author: Scaria Zacharias

Intro: Scaria Zacharias shares a testimony of how abiding faith in the Lord´s magnificence can bring deep change to the lives of those we serve in His name. A story of team work, prayer and growth

It all starts with a dream, one big enough to reach lofty heights. In Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), like many of the campuses in India, the JY prayer group, started in a small way in the year 2012. At the outset, it was a small group of four members gathering weekly for prayer meetings. Regular follow ups and a growing fellowship with our collegemates helped us expand, both in number and in faith, eventually. We grew to a sizeable 25, all in a year´s time. We would gather for a weekly prayer meeting beside the volleyball court, even when the court was in use and often we got stared at by students who passed by.

In September 2013, the members of the prayer group decided to organise the VIT Marathon, an earnest effort at presenting and projecting the Christian theme of Pro-life to everyone on the largely secular campus. Much deliberation and thought went into the conceptualisation, planning and execution of the Marathon. The whole campus came together in an extraordinary show of support and many participated in the organisation of the event. There were times I was bewildered by the selfless service and dedication shown by all for the success of the event. 

It was not an easy task - permissions and approvals had to be sought, finances had to be secured, tasks had to be assigned and groups had to be managed. The management of the college was extremely supportive of the idea and even though there was some hesitation over the chosen theme, they eventually came around to offering us their full and hearty support. Our most ardent supporter was the Vice-Chancellor himself, who cheerfully backed us on the name of the event - PROLIFE MARATHON. 

“The mass is the most perfect form of Prayer”. We believed, that if we prayed for the right intentions in Mass, it would be granted. We offered daily Mass with prayer intentions for the Marathon. This is when I encountered the importance of Holy Mass. I took it as an opportunity to praise God and to thank Him for all that He had done for us. 

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion”- Ecclesiastes 4:9. 

Success is a collective effort. Individuals banded together as a group and contributed their talents, efforts and time to make this event a tremendous success. Our relationship did not end with the Marathon. Juniors who worked for the Marathon later became Regional leaders and the seniors always looked into their progress giving essential instructions and motivations. Each committee was headed by a senior and included 3-5 juniors. Each of us worked round the clock for around six months. Slowly more people joined the prayer meetings, Holy mass and rosary groups. These were people who worked tirelessly for the event and those who got to know about this event with the intention of giving or gaining spiritual support. We were dazzled to see the dedication that every Jesus Youth had for this event. They never missed Mass or Rosary in spite of their bustling charts. 

We had organised promotional events such as a flash mob and music and dance performances to spread the information about the Marathon amongst VITians and it had the added benefit of showcasing many hidden talents of the students. Promotional events helped us in forming the Music Ministry and many other ministries on campus leading more people to the movement and to Christ.

The most challenging part of the exhibition was to deliver the message to the apt audience. The audience might have included some individuals who were pro-choice or were indifferent to our topic. We had to review common pro choice arguments and be alert. We did not forget the fact that there may be someone in our audience who has had an abortion or has been impacted by it in some other way. Hence the tone that we had to choose was extremely important. It would influence how our audience responded and how open they would be in listening to what we would deliver. Our presenters had to research the development of the unborn child, the scientific and medical arguments used for abortion, and the science behind pregnancy and labour. 

The Pro-Life exhibition was held for four days and thousands visited it. I witnessed hundreds of parents leaving the booth in tears. One father told me that he was holding a girl that he had planned to abort and that he now regrets even the thought, because being the youngest she is the one who fills his life with joy when he returns home after a long day. It was an enriching experience, both for the participants and for the VIT JY who had organised it. Time forms a wonderful testimony. It happened so that years later, that a collegemate could be of help to her colleague who got pregnant out of wedlock. She convinced her not to abort and supported her mentally and financially for about 6 months and helped with the adoption procedures until the kid has been adopted into a catholic family. This was indeed an incredible testimony for all of us.

Blessings came in abundance. We were expecting a crowd of 1000 people but we hit the 2000 mark so quickly that we had to stop new registrations. We had so many who were to participate without registering as well. We were blessed with enough financial support so as to provide all contestants with free T-shirts and certificates to all those who completed the marathon. The winners were provided with prize money worth a lakh. “And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full” Mathew 14: 20. After all the expenditures were taken into account, we had a surplus of almost Rupees two lakhs. 

After the marathon, our fellowship increased - around 70 students started attending the prayer meetings regularly, 40 attended the Holy Mass daily and around 120 students attended the daily rosary which took place at 6 different locations inside the campus. The music ministry, the intercession ministry and the prayer group started gathering weekly. The Outreach team started helping the poor by feeding them. Different initiatives came up to help the needy. The blood donation drives and the classes for the less privileged are to be highlighted. We started having sports and games events to bring together families, and to break bread together. Cell groups emerged in college and all these ministries and gatherings helped us grow more and more in Faith. 

Our VIT JY Family grew in faith and fellowship. Many still find time to visit this family which helped them grow more deeply rooted in Christ. A family was formed out of faith in God’s love and care, proving to the world around us that we are followers of Jesus Christ. 

Scaria Zacharias Vazhayil is an entrepreneur living in Kottayam, India. He has been involved in Jesus Youth since college days and is the coordinator of the Jesus Youth National Campus ministry in India.