Instapray is a social networking app that allows users to share their prayer intentions with users from 195 countries across the world. Photo courtesy of Instapray

Social networking app helps connect people through prayer

By  Kathleen Kennedy, Youth Speak News
  • July 3, 2015

With more than 195 countries using the Instapray app, the world is more connected through prayer than ever before. 

Every year, more and more people join, making it easier for everyone to share their prayers through a status on social media and enabling people to pray, share and comment on others’ prayer. It is a global community available to all, and it’s free. 

Although many would argue Instapray is just another thing to distract us from the real world, it is a tool that can enhance technology’s reputation. It will keep you in touch with the people you care about, but in different ways than Facebook or Twitter: it will connect you through your faith and prayers, a far stronger way to keep in touch with friends and family.

“I dreamt of a community where everyone is welcome and accepted, free to explore their faith and spirituality without fear of retribution,” said Fryderyk Ovcaric, the founder and CEO of Instapray. “The goal behind creating Instapray was to create a shared space where people could join together in prayer, encouragement and support for one another and the world around them.”

Ovcaric is overjoyed with the growth of the app.

“It has been truly amazing and heartwarming to see the whole world embracing our platform and coming together in prayer, love and support for one another.”

Instapray allows you to talk about something that isn’t always easy to talk about in this day and age: struggling in life and asking for help. The easiest way to do so is to ask for prayers and positive thoughts while enduring life’s challenges, and that’s where Instapray comes into play.

More than 42 million prayers have been made through the app since its launch in spring 2013. The goal is to widen the online utility so that one day it’s everyone’s first instinct to go straight to the app when asking for prayers and support.

Rachael Weisinger, a 20-year old student at Furman University in South Carolina, was in awe after joining the Instapray community. Although it can be overwhelming at first, Weisinger found it very easy to understand and figure out how to use and set up.

“It is humbling to know that they didn’t need my name or photo to pray for me. My prayer in itself received a community,” she said. “It is an indescribable, soaring feeling to see that people are praying for me, especially from all over the country.”

Danielle Schyle, a 23-year-old student at Montreal’s McGill University, not only uses the app to connect with the world, but more importantly, it connects her with her family and friends.

“It’s really cool because you can connect with people from all over the world, or simply hook up with your close friends and family,” she said. “It’s also really useful especially when travelling. In today’s society, travelling is very popular among young adults, whether it’s for university or for vacation, hence this is a great way to keep in touch with loved ones while out of the country.” 

(Kennedy, 20, is a second-year political science student at McGill University in Montreal, Que.)

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