February 18, 2005
By John Gordon

JACKSON, Miss. – Hundreds of miles from their home and friends, Jack and Anita Culp felt numb, watching their son cling to life after a wreck. As they prayed for his survival, a stranger brought something that would give them hope in the family's most trying time.

It was a prayer pager.

Soon, the family's prayers were joined by thousands from across the country.

"It's kind of hard to grasp sometimes that that many people care," said Brandon Culp, 23, who is now undergoing therapy at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson.

Brandon, from Harrisburg, Pa., was injured Jan. 9 when a large truck hit his car on Interstate 20 near Jackson. He was returning to college in Texas.

"It's a miracle he's even alive," Anita Culp said.

The prayer pager is a ministry of Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson. Church members sent e-mails to friends asking them to pray for Brandon, call a toll-free number for the pager (1-888-287-6249) and enter their ZIP codes.

As the e-mails were forwarded, pages began coming in from throughout the United States. The pager buzzed constantly, at all hours of the day and night.

Even while Brandon was on a respirator in intensive care, his family wanted him to know about the nationwide prayer chain.

"I held the pager against his wrist, and I said, ‘Brandon, every time this pager vibrates, somebody's praying for you,'" said Jack Culp.

"And I said, ‘It's people that you've never met. And they're just praying that God will do just the best for you that he can.'"

Brandon spent 11 days in intensive care and underwent three surgeries at University of Mississippi Medical Center before being transferred to the rehabilitation hospital. Though he is still paralyzed, his parents said he has made remarkable progress-considering his heart stopped three times on the way to the university trauma center.

"Most of the time when people say, ‘I'm going to pray for you,' you don't really know if they really do or not," said Anita Culp, who is a nurse and teacher.

"But with this prayer pager, every time it pages, you know somebody has consciously prayed for you and then called that number. And that, to me, is amazing."

Brandon was beginning his senior year at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. He was studying to become an airplane mechanic.

It hasn't been an easy road. He was born with a spinal defect and, two years ago, an accidental fall at college left him paralyzed.

Doctors gave him little hope of a full recovery from the earlier injury, but he was able to walk again and return to school.

"I get down a little bit, sometimes," he said. "But I have my parents here, and having all these people's support has really been a big help."

The Rev. Ginny Allen delivered the prayer pager after a friend of the Culp family in Pennsylvania called a church member about Brandon's accident. Christ Church was already planning to start the new ministry. A member found the unused pager in a desk drawer, and Allen took it to the family at the hospital.

"People really want God to be real," she said. "And a prayer pager is one of the ways that they have something tangible to see that God has heard their prayer."

Jackson residents were quick to show the Pennsylvania family plenty of southern hospitality. A church employee lent them a car. Others brought food and offered clothing, donations to help with expenses and a place to stay.

Someone even paid the wrecker and storage charges for Brandon's demolished car. The church also sponsored a blood drive.

"This experience will change my life forever, I can say that much," said Jack Culp. "When I go home, I hope I never pass up an opportunity to be kind, to stop and pray for someone."

Brandon is trying to regain his walking skills on a weight-assisted treadmill, supported by a halter. Doctors are not sure how much progress he will make. Though his spinal cord was damaged, he does have feelings below the injury. And despite a serious head injury, doctors found no brain damage.

He is determined to walk across the stage to receive his college degree.

"It's kept my hopes up," he said. "My goal is to get out of rehab this summer or sooner if possible, and get back to school and graduate and find a job, hopefully."

His parents believe Brandon will rise to the challenges.

"It's not the end of his life," his mother said. "He'll go on. God has a purpose for him. Maybe it's different from what we thought it was."

And Jack Culp is grateful to everyone who has helped show the power of prayer.

"I mean, ‘thank you' isn't really enough," he said. "It's made a difference."

While Brandon continues his rehabilitation, the church has activated two more prayer pagers.

One is being given to a child who is hospitalized in Memphis, Tenn.

Another went to a Christ Church member who went to California for specialized treatment for prostate cancer.

"It's going great," Allen said of the California case. "It was already vibrating off the receptionist's desk before they even got it. He said it was just so encouraging to know people from home are praying for him."

United Methodist News Service
John Gordon is a freelance producer and writer in Marshall, Texas.