Andy Martínez was suffering from depression and anxiety. The condition had plagued him for three and a half years and showed no sign of going away. His doctor prescribed some medications, but he decided to look for another solution. 

“One day, God impressed me that if someone prayed for me, He would take it all away, but I didn’t understand what it meant to have someone praying for me,” Martinez explained.

So, he began asking people to pray for him. They would call him and pray. Then he was invited to attend a camp where there was a prayer room. There, he understood that beyond receiving prayer from someone else, he needed to pray intensely himself for four days straight, pausing only to sleep.

“When I finished, it was all gone,” he recalled, noting that this experience happened more than 10 years ago.

While it is important to utilize the resources offered by medicine and psychology, which are valuable allies in the recovery process, trust in divine power makes all the difference, Martinez said. And that same life-changing experience of being in a prayer room is offered at the 62nd General Conference Session in St. Louis, United States.

Each day, a large number of people visit this space to spend an intentional moment exclusively in prayer and communion with God during the meetings held at The Dome at America’s Center. While activity unfolds in the hallways, this space serves as a refuge for many.

A Place of Peace

“I came to pray for my sister, for my family, because they are going through very difficult times. I needed to pray; I needed a place to go and pray. I came here and felt like I met Him. So, this environment is very important,” said María Teresa Chavez, tears streaming down her face.

Although she does not speak English, Chavez entered the spacious room and sat down. There, she participated in the activities that took place in a circle of chairs, an arrangement that allows participants to see each other, interact, and build connection.

Attending a GC Session for the first time, Chavez, who lives in Lima, Peru, said she was amazed to see that there are people continuously praying not only for their own lives but also for the leaders and decisions of the global Adventist Church.

That is one of the key characteristics of this Prayer Room: offering a space where people can pray for hours for those guiding the denomination’s direction. While delegates, administrators, and special guests take part in discussions in the plenary hall, there is always a group of people dedicated to asking God for wisdom.

Focus on the Power of Prayer

“I see more fervor and passion, which shows that God’s people are hungry and eager,” said Melody Mason, coordinator of the initiative and a staff member of the GC Ministerial Association in the United States. “They are preparing for His coming. And it’s been very special to meet different people from all over the world, from all different languages. It’s truly beautiful. Every year has been very, very good, and people are even more excited to come together and pray,” Mason added. 

This is not the first time a prayer room has been made available during the church’s global gathering. At the last two Sessions, in 2015 and 2022, these spaces also contributed to continuous moments of prayer in support of key decisions being proposed.

Meetings are held daily in Room 120 of the convention center, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and a team of volunteers is available to welcome guests, guide them, and provide any needed support. Andy, a massage therapist from Panama who lives in the U.S., is one of them. He shared stories about how God has sustained him in every area of life. But that comes at a cost—and it’s not about bargaining. He has learned to live a life of intense prayer. And these very principles are taught in the same place where he now receives people from around the world.

“God has [at least] 345 attributes, and we hardly mention any of them because we don’t pray. We don’t thank God for what He has done for us. We just ask. We don’t confess our sins or ask for the Holy Spirit,” he noted.

One way the team helps people grow in prayer is through two programs offered in the Prayer Room from July 6 to 11. The Elijah Revival series, held at 9:30 a.m., and Back to the Altar, from 3 to 6 p.m., are educational initiatives that help participants deepen their connection with God.

“Back to the Altar is a revival series, and it’s based on seven principles of discipleship,” Mason said. “Seven principles that teach us how to be a disciple of Jesus, how to live daily as His disciple. So, when we talk about Back to the Altar, just think of Elijah on Mount Carmel. He rebuilt the altar of the Lord that had been broken down, and God showed Israel who the living God is.”

From the perspective of José Luis Perez,a pastor who serves in an administrative office of the Adventist Church in southern Belize, prayer initiatives like these are especially vital during important moments for church members—such as the selection of leaders for various roles.

“When we pray, we give the matter to God so that He, through our minds, tells us who the right person is. For example, for the General Conference, now that we are naming the treasurer, the secretary, and others in the division. This shows us that if we pray, God will take first place in the process. And for me, prayer is the most important thing that has happened during this 62nd General Conference Session,” he said.

For more coverage of the 2025 General Conference Session, including live updates, interviews, and delegate stories, visit adventist.news and follow ANN on social media.