By Colter Hettich, Features Editor

In response to increasing conflict on the island of Madagascar, about 40 people gathered in Chapel on the Hill on Tuesday night for prayer and worship. More than a dozen Malagasy students attended the devotional, several of them with family near Antananarivo, Madagascar, the island’s capital.

“Our purpose tonight is not political; it’s spiritual,” said Dr. John Tyson, vice president for development. “Our time tonight is to reflect on our God, our king, His sovereignty and encourage one another.”

Between songs, Dr. George Pendergrass, director of Multicultural Enrichment, offered consolation and read a passage from the Bible.

“If there is any word of encouragement that can be given, I thank God for bringing all of you into our lives,” Pendergrass said. “God has a wonderful will for turning bad into good.”

Dr. John Willis, Burton Coffman Chair of Biblical Studies and professor of Old Testament, led a final prayer over the Malagasy students, who are more than 10,000 miles from their home, before a closing song.

Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, said this kind of response to troubling events is a defining characteristic of the ACU community.

“This is not the first international crisis that we have addressed here at ACU,” Money said. “We try to remain sensitive to what our students are going through, particularly those who are so far away from home. This is very much part of ACU’s culture.”

The devotional was organized after reports reached newswires that militants in Madagascar had seized one of the presidential palaces and President Marc Ravalomanana had handed power over to the country’s military.

Ravalomana visited ACU’s campus twice and spoke at the May 2008 Commencement. He was first elected Malagasy president in 2002.