(kristinjanelle/ Instagram)
Hundreds of thousands of Tennessee residents recently got postcards in the mail from strangers telling them they have been praying for them. But not everyone has welcomed the prayers, with some even calling it "creepy."
More than 410 churches participated in what is called Awaken Nashville last month in which church members got lists with the names and addresses of Nashville residents and spent February praying for every person by name. At the end of the month, they were encouraged to send the people they prayed for postcards.
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Awaken Nashville is “a city-wide movement of prayer and fasting,” which is intended for every person in the city, according to a promotional video.
"If we caused any offense I would genuinely say 'we are sorry' but the whole purpose was just to love and bless people through prayer while letting them know they matter to Jesus."
Some Nashville residents saw the prayers as an act of kindness while others thought the prayers and postcards were intrusive and an invasion of privacy.
Andrew Brumel of Nashville received a postcard in the mail and told Religion News Service he was glad to know someone had been thinking of him.
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“I had been going through some things right about the time I got the postcard, so when I got it, it was almost like a sign from God that things would all work out,” he said.
Not everyone felt the same.
“I just couldn’t believe that some creepy guy I don’t even know was taking time out of his day to tell me how to live my life,” Nashville resident Cory Johnson told RNS. “I genuinely believe the project is a form of trespassing and a huge invasion of privacy.”
Front of postcard (Awaken Nashville )
One resident, who did not want to be identified, told RNS the card sparked confusion.
“In the card, an anonymous person indicated that for nearly a month, they had been praying for me to let Jesus Christ into my heart,” the person said. “What creeped me out was not just that the person was sending well wishes my way, but instead praying for me to make a religious conversion.”
One person on Twitter wrote, “I’d love if y’all prayed for me!” Someone else tweeted, “How deeply offensive. And how arrogant and galling.”
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Clayton said they were just trying to be thoughtful.
"The purpose of this project for us was about prayer not about the postcards or any one church," Clayton said. "If we caused any offense I would genuinely say 'we are sorry' but the whole purpose was just to love and bless people through prayer while letting them know they matter to Jesus."
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