Mississippi Coordinator Builds Kingdom Relationships and Rallies Prayer
"From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Ephesians 4:16 NIV
NDP Coordinator Ginger Magruder (center) stands alongside a local pastor and student leaders of the Greyhounds for Christ club to pray over the young believers at the National Day of Prayer gathering in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
In the last two years, Ocean Springs, Mississippi has seen their annual National Day of Prayer gathering grow from 30 to over 350 prayer participants, as God has given a fresh vision and outpouring of His unity!
For many years, a small but faithful group gathered at city hall each year on the National Day of Prayer to ask God to pour out on our nation and their community, seeking revival and a fresh desire for prayer.
These prayers that were faithfully sown for decades have now been answered by the Lord with an explosion of prayer and unity in this town on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.
At the 2025 Ocean Springs National Day of Prayer, coordinator Ginger Magruder stood in awe of God’s glory on display as the local high school football stadium was filled with the sounds of worship and intercession.
The gathering included believers from all the denominations in the city, as well as students, families, and community leaders.
“There was just a sense of unity among those who came,” said Magruder. “It was exciting to see unity across denominations and generations.”
For the last two years, the Lord has been faithfully leading Magruder to help usher in this new season of increased prayer in Ocean Springs.
In early 2024, Magruder stepped up as the new National Day of Prayer coordinator for Ocean Springs. She had been a regular attendee of the annual gathering for many years, and her first order of business in the new position of leadership was to humbly seek God in prayer for His direction.
Believers from all different denominations gather in prayer at the Ocean Springs High School football stadium.
“As I began to pray about it, the Lord gave me a vision of [the National Day of Prayer] being held at the football stadium,” Magruder recalls.
This was a completely new direction for the Ocean Springs National Day of Prayer! Magruder reached out to the Mississippi National Day of Prayer State Coordinator Debra Brown, and the two women set up an appointment with the Ocean Springs’ new district superintendent.
As the meeting began, the superintendent and assistant superintendent seemed quiet and reserved as the women outlined their request to utilize the high school football stadium for an evening prayer gathering. However, as Magruder explained the rich history of the National Day of Prayer and the opportunity for the entire community to be blessed by praying together, the two leaders caught the vision and jumped on board. They explained to Magruder that by partnering with a student group, they could use the stadium for free and began to make many supportive offers.
Magruder connected with a Christian student group on campus, Greyhounds for Christ, and was delighted to discover the club was full of incredible young believers who were thrilled to participate in the National Day of Prayer. For the last two years, the club members served as ushers, a welcome team, and led segments of prayer during the gathering.
“Those kids are so on fire,” Magruder said.
A mother and son duo, Rebecca O'Neal and Bradley O'Neal, lead worship together at the 2025 Ocean Springs National Day of Prayer gathering.
Ahead of the National Day of Prayer in 2024, Magruder felt the Lord calling her to host the gathering in the evening, in an effort to include community members who work and students who attend school during the day. She began connecting with local church leaders, business leaders, and school district staff, who united to make the 2024 National Day of Prayer the most-attending prayer gathering in recent memory!
After seeing the outpouring of unity and increased participation from growing these relationships, she redoubled her efforts to build positive, prayerful relationships throughout the year ahead of the 2025 National Day of Prayer. She now has a point of contact in every church in town to engage each congregation in prayer.
“It gives others some ownership,” Magruder said.
Magruder and her team stayed in touch with the district superintendent and staff, and in the months ahead of the National Day of Prayer, she put together baskets to place in teachers’ lounges with sweet treats, NDP prayer guides, and an invitation to attend the prayer gathering. She intentionally connected with the pastors and youth pastors in each church and reached out to business leaders in Ocean Springs.
When it came time to plan the details of her prayer gathering, provision flowed from the Lord. The school system pressure-washed the stadium, provided seating options, and coordinated for the football team to clear off the field a bit early that afternoon. A local church brought in and set up a sound-system, and business leaders around town allowed her to place signage and invitations in their establishments to generate increased publicity.
“He kept providing favor, favor, favor,” said Magruder.
Over 350 believers from Ocean Springs united in prayer at the 2025 National Day of Prayer, covering all seven areas of influence, with a special segment of prayer to lift up the young people of the community. Magruder saw participants stepping out of their comfort zone in participating in the prayers, and rejoiced as their prayer lives grew before her eyes!
As Magruder and her team celebrated and glorified God in the days following the National Day of Prayer, they have already begun seeking God’s guidance for the 2026 National Day of Prayer. They are praying about how to equip teachers with a lesson plan for covering the National Day of Prayer in civics classes at the schools, and how to encourage participants to keep praying with fervor and passion throughout the year.
God has truly answered prayers for a new hunger and passion for prayer in Ocean Springs!
