In southern India a local Baptist Church includes an extended time of corporate prayer into their monthly church calendar. Dr. Chatla Devasahayam pastors the Bethel Baptist Church in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. When he and his wife moved to the area in 1980, they moved into a hut with a thatched roof. They began reaching out with the message of the gospel in their area which is 85 percent Hindu. God blessed His Word and their faithfulness. Today the Sunday gathering numbers 600-700. On that property God has raised up a Christian school with enrollment of 280 students from the surrounding rural villages. Of the 280 students, 44 are orphans who live and are cared for on the property. They have a four-year Bible college with 40 students studying for the ministry. The influence of this ministry continues to expand.

One of the keys to the expansion of this ministry is planned and purposeful prayer. The first five days of every month are set aside solely for prayer. The church family gathers at the church and, those who are able to stay, sleep on the floor for five days. Groups take turns praying throughout the day and night for the entire period. While one group sleeps, the other group prays, continuing an unbroken concert of prayer.

This church believes that nothing is accomplished apart from prayer, thus they faithfully beseech God for five days at the beginning of each month.