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Sometimes the sounds of cell phones and pagers can be annoying, but one Pennsylvania family has come to appreciate the noise for a new reason.  The Culps have a son who is recovering from a wreck in Mississippi.  A church there has given them a “prayer pager” so people can send a signal, to let them know they’re not alone. Kim Riemland reports.

 
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SCRIPT:

Every time this pager goes off … (pager vibrates) … it's another prayer for Brandon.


Brandon Culp / Accident Victim: “It’s kind of hard to grasp sometimes that that many people care.”

 

23-year-old Brandon Culp’s car was demolished by a truck January ninth near Jackson, Mississippi.  He was hundreds of miles from his home in Pennsylvania, driving back to college in Texas.

Anita Culp / Brandon’s Mother: “It’s a miracle he’s even alive.”

Brandon was in intensive care for 11 days and had three surgeries.  Helping the family through their darkest hours was a prayer pager from Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson.

Jack Culp / Brandon’s Father: “I held the pager against his wrist.  And I said, Brandon, every time this pager vibrates, somebody’s praying for you.”

 

Church members sent e-mails asking friends to pray for Brandon, dial the pager number, and enter their zip codes. 

 

Thousands of pages are coming in from across the country.


Anita Culp: “All the time.  Especially at first.  It was like, it wouldn’t stop.”

Brandon is still paralyzed, but doing much better than doctors expected. 

Ginny Allen / Christ United Methodist Church: “We’ve asked people to pray for complete restoration of Brandon.”


Brandon is now at Mississippi’s Methodist Rehabilitation Center.

Brandon Culp: “I hope to get out of rehab this summer, or sooner if possible, and get back to school and graduate.”

Brandon isn’t giving up his dream of being an airline mechanic, either.  And he knows countless people he’s never met will be praying for his success.

 

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This is actually the second time Brandon has been paralyzed.  Two years ago he was injured in a fall at college.

 

The toll-free number for the prayer pager is 888-287-6249.  Christ United Methodist has also been getting calls from all over the country from other churches interested in setting up pager ministries of their own. 

 

For more on this story, see Prayer pager brings hope, healing in trying times.