History
Global Crises Call for Global Responses
In 1949, amid global unrest following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the end of World War II, a wealthy financier named Ferris Booth published a full page ad in the New York Times entitled, "God and the Atom." In the ad, Booth challenged President Truman to call upon the resources of God in solving the world's crises.
Carl Allison Evans and Kathryn G. Brown read the ad and agreed with Mr. Booth's assessment that spiritual resources were needed to respond to the human dilemma. They believed that a spiritual renaissance was necessary, and that it could be spread through grassroots education and increased awareness. Prayer would open the mind and heart of the person praying to a new understanding of and appreciation for the beliefs and values of individuals from different spiritual paths.
And while Booth's "God and the Atom" suggested that President Truman respond to the problems, Mr. Evans was convinced that every religious believer and practitioner in the United States and around the world was personally responsible for meeting the challenge.
Impelled forward by this vision of a “world united in prayer,” Carl Evans and Kathryn Brown published their own ad in the New York Times entitled, “Prayer: An Answer to ‘God and the Atom." Their response called upon people across all religious traditions, East and West, to come together to pray.
The response they received was overwhelming. Evans and Brown started publishing a newsletter to offer inspiration, enlightenment and support to those who expressed interest in becoming part of such a Fellowship of interfaith prayer. Small groups of people from all religions and all walks of life began praying and meditating together with a view to fostering greater peace and harmony in the world. Thus, Fellowship in Prayer was born.
A Journal is born
In 1977 Fellowship in Prayer received a generous gift from Mr. Eli Lilly in memory of his wife, Ruth, who had been a longtime friend and supporter of the group.
Over the years, Fellowship in Prayer's monthly newsletter evolved into a quarterly journal. Featuring voices from various backgrounds and traditions, Sacred Journey: The Journal of Fellowship In Prayer offered spiritual enrichment and challenge for religiously committed individuals and seekers alike.
Innovating for a New Age
As print media has evolved and people's patterns of consumption changed, Fellowship in Prayer has sought to reorient itself to the needs of the culture. After considering the ways the organization could continue to be relevant to the interfaith movement and its commitment to peacemaking and prayer, Fellowship in Prayer decided to move away from publishing Sacred Journey and reorganized itself as a grant making foundation. The final publication of Sacred Journey was printed in 2013.
Today, Fellowship in Prayer supports a variety of prayer and meditative projects and practices through its grant-making program. Grants are awarded to organizations engaged in promoting peacemaking through prayer, meditation, and contemplative practice within their communities.
Fellowship in Prayer continues to advance interfaith understanding and mutual respect among religious traditions. We promote multi-faith prayer and meditation in response to world crises, and support programs that promote prayer, meditation, and community service as acts of interfaith dialogue and steps towards global peace. We seek to empower individuals to explore the rich variety of spiritual resources and practices available to them through the world's religions.