As the economy continues to suffer a growing number of people are opting to publicly pray about their every day tribulations. In Rockville, Md., local resident Rocky Twyman, 59, had heard enough from both fellow peers and the Holy Spirit.
"We want people to realize that prayer is the answer to every problem in life," he said. "I also hope to raise awareness about the fact that God sometimes allows unfortunate circumstances to make us turn to Him, and not man."
Twyman continued, "I constantly tell the press that the high gas prices and the natural disasters are signs that the Lord is coming soon."
After hearing complaints about the rising gas prices from fellow volunteers at a local soup kitchen, Twyman, a long time activist, said he needed to do something.
With a reported calling from God Himself, Twyman hit the streets and began campaigning for what now is nationally called the "Pray Down The High Gas Prices Movement." Beginning in the Maryland area, he and local and spiritual supporters went to gas stations with permission from the owners, gathered around the pumps cipher-style, and sang, prayed and also recruited paying customers.
Once the media caught wind of Twyman's effort to introduce religion as a solution to the suffering economy versus bureaucratic dialogue, the prayer gatherings grew both nationally and internationally.
Television and radio stations in France, Germany, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia tuned in to show support.
"We had Rocky on our show a couple of times in April," said Ethan Youker, executive producer and co-host of "The Buckethead Show," which airs on WXTB 98 Rock in Tampa, Fl.
"Mostly to have fun with the whole concept of praying at the pump," he said. Youker admitted the show's hosts did not believe prayer would work in response to rising gas prices.
"We just thought it would be good radio, and it was," Youker said.
"However, the following day, we received several calls from listeners who had heard our interview with Rocky and they said that gas prices had actually dropped in their areas by as much as 10 cents." Youker said that he and co-workers were surprised, so they invited Twyman back for a second interview. "The second time we had him on we didn't get as much of a response the next day, but Rocky is a great guy and he has the best of intentions and I hope it works for other people, however short-lived," he said. Twyman looks to personal experiences with prayer in response to doubts that the method actually works. "My church started praying for a woman with breast cancer," said Twyman. "We saw God heal this woman right before our eyes. Members danced in the aisles when they found out that the doctor had given this woman a clean bill of health," he said. Twyman continued, "God uses these disasters and gas crises to make us depend on Him more. We constantly exalt the power of feeble man. A rock radio station in Tampa is reporting that listeners have called in saying that when they prayed the lines I taught them to use at the pump, the prices started falling in their area," he said. "Our prayer is so simple: Oh, God [Allah, Dalai Lama, and Jehovah] - Deliver us from these high gas prices." Twyman, a public relations consultant and devout Seventh Day Adventist, has been a bone marrow activist for over 16 years, recruiting people into the bone marrow registry. Twyman said all the credit of his successes through the dozens of fundraisers to save lives of those with bone marrow disease, and being awarded honors, such as a salute from The Congressional Medal of Honor Society this past March, goes to God.
"This movement is giving hope to people in a time of crisis," he said. "The price at the station in Petworth went down eight cents from the previous week." Plans for a June 20th ecumenical vigil to pray down the high gas prices are en route to Toledo, Ohio. It will be a 12-hour prayer event at The First Seventh-day Adventist Church. Twyman says that he and supporters intend to give individuals from all over the country the opportunity to give suggestions on how to solve this crisis, combining prayer with what he calls "deep activism."
