New York City, 1857. It was a very difficult time in the City of New York. About 30,000 men over a period of just a couple of months lost their jobs. It was a very difficult financial time. People were in dire straits. A guy named Jeremiah Lampere was designated as a missionary, just a quiet businessman. He was put in New York City to be a missionary there. So, he sent out an invitation for businessmen who would like to gather together for prayer at noon on Wednesday of each week. The invitation went out. The day was set. The first Wednesday comes. He gets there at noon and he sits down. At about five minutes in, nobody is there. 10 minutes in, nobody is there. He starts to pace back and forth in the room. Is anybody going to come today? 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes.
Finally, after half an hour he hears somebody come up the steps. One person comes in, then a second and a third. Eventually six guys ended up praying for the rest of that half hour. The next week 40 guys showed up. Then they said, well, we don't need to just pray once a week. We need to pray every day. So, they started to pray daily. Within two months, over 10,000 businessmen in New York City were gathered together every single day for prayer, and God began to pour out his spirit. And within two years approximately a million people were converted into the churches in the United States because some businessmen believed it was important to pray.
Finally, after half an hour he hears somebody come up the steps. One person comes in, then a second and a third. Eventually six guys ended up praying for the rest of that half hour. The next week 40 guys showed up. Then they said, well, we don't need to just pray once a week. We need to pray every day. So, they started to pray daily. Within two months, over 10,000 businessmen in New York City were gathered together every single day for prayer, and God began to pour out his spirit. And within two years approximately a million people were converted into the churches in the United States because some businessmen believed it was important to pray.