Contact :        Brenda McGann
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LOCAL MINISTRY ANNOUNCES PRAY FOR LA 5K RUN

Inaugural Event to Focus on Initiative to Pray Without Ceasing for Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, February 5, 2007 – Pray for LA, a ministry administered by Life Connections International, announced today the ministry’s Inaugural Pray for LA 5K Saturday, May 5, at Hansen Dam Recreational Center in Lake View Terrace. Entry fee is $40, with $15 from each entry benefiting the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. and the race will commence at 8:00 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., children 12 and under will run a 1K course. Cost for children is $25, with $15 going to the mission. Organizers are seeking church and corporate sponsors for the race.

The purpose of the event is to encourage people to pray for the city of Los Angeles and its residents, and continue at a local level the momentum begun on the National Day of Prayer, May 3.  Organizers are urging participants to “raise prayer requests” instead of the typical fundraising for similar events. Participants will then pray for those specific needs as they run or walk the course surrounding the lake.

Arnel Aguilar conceived and is coordinating the Pray for LA 5K with Life Connections International. Aguilar began running and praying two years ago after he lost his wife in an automobile accident. As he ran to conquer his own grief, he became aware of the host of other grieving, lost and lonely people in the city. He started to pray for these strangers as he ran. When running 5K’s and marathons, he would pray for the needs of friends and family, marking the miles by prayer requests. As he began to heal, he considered how his idea of “prayer running” could help others rise above their seemingly hopeless circumstances.

Aguilar brought his idea for the 5K run to Tyler Lennon, founder of Life Connections International, which runs the Pray for LA site. Lennon welcomed the idea as a chance to introduce more people to the concept of regularly praying for the city and its people. Aguilar and Lennon formed a committee and the 5K was launched.

In addition to promoting prayer, the committee hopes the event will raise money for the Union Rescue Mission. A collection of canned goods and wearable work clothing is planned at the race site on the day of the event. For more information about the Pray for LA 5K, log on to www.prayforla.org.

About Life Connections International
Life Connections International is a nonprofit ministry that supports the work of churches and para-church organizations worldwide by facilitating global short-term volunteer work and connecting ministry partnerships among individuals, churches and organizations. For more information, go to www.lifeconnectionsintl.com.

About Union Rescue Mission
Union Rescue Mission (URM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the poor and homeless through a comprehensive array of emergency and long-term services  including food, shelter, clothing, medical and dental care, recovery programs, transitional housing, legal assistance, education, counseling, and job training to needy men, women, children, and families. Established in 1891, URM is one of the largest rescue missions of its kind in the United States and the oldest in Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.urm.org.