Evangelist Tony Campolo joked Friday that as a Baptist, his prayer life isn’t always what he’d like it to be.
“All we’re good at is asking God for stuff,” he said.
But at the 19th annual Colorado Prayer Luncheon on Friday, Campolo joined Mayor John Hickenlooper, Gov. Bill Owens and other leaders in Colorado’s faith and political circles to ask a little something of Coloradans – to give of themselves to make life better for the poor, single mothers and youth.
“How many kids rot away because nobody cares. God can use you,” Campolo told the more than 1,500 people gathered.
The prayer luncheon, held at the Colorado Convention Center, was started by members of the Denver Leadership Foundation, a group of Denver-area Christians who came together to pray and support each other, said Don Reeverts, one of the founders.
One of the goals is to turn attention toward the poor, Reeverts said.
Several speakers urged residents to tutor a young person, mentor a struggling single mother or volunteer in a homeless shelter.
Hickenlooper encouraged the audience to participate in a city plan to end homelessness.
That plan involves getting 1,000 churches, synagogues and other congregations to adopt 1,000 homeless families.
“You envelope them with support. You call every day or every two days,” he said.
Campolo, who left the crowd laughing with stories about being hugged by a homeless man on the street in Philadelphia and the lively preacher he heard when he attended his first African-American funeral, told the group not to pray for someone else to help others, but rather to get involved themselves.
“(God)’s not looking for people who are perfect,” said Campolo. “He’s looking for you to say, ‘Here I am, use me.”‘
Hickenlooper also used the occasion to ask members of the audience to pray for Lt. Richard Montoya, the Denver firefighter caught in a burning home last weekend.
“With so much prayer power in one room, I would be remiss” not to ask, he said.
Owens called the power of prayer “indisputable.”
“When we come together as people of God … it helps to order our priorities,” he said.
Staff writer Karen Rouse can be reached at 303-820-1684 or at krouse@denverpost.com.
