"Pray at the Pumps" Prayer Vigils

The headline caught my attention.

Gas price falls during prayer at the pump

What did what, during what?

Gotta say that drew me in, like a fish on a line.

Here is a portion of the article:

When the prayer vigil started at 4 p.m. Friday at the corner of Madison Boulevard and Shelton Road, a gallon of Texaco unleaded gas cost $3.92, as it had for a few days.

But even before the praying stopped, the price dropped three cents.

"Prayer works fast," said Rocky Twyman, a 59-year-old public relations consultant from Maryland who has organized Pray at the Pumps vigils in eight cities across the country.

At one time during the half-hour event, 18 people were holding hands, praying and singing, doing what their faith recommends. They were asking God to fill their needs.

Dustin Durain, 21, was at the Madison Quick Stop Texaco when the praying was about to start. When asked to join the group, he said he didn't have the time, but as he showed Twyman his multiple tattoos of Jesus and the crucifix, he said he was with them in spirit.

"As Christians, we need to do what we can do, and what we can do is pray," said the Athens man who manufactures Mercedes parts.

Twyman said that while God hears silent, solitary prayers, praying with others "brings us together and makes us feel better."

The timing of the vigil added some fuel to Twyman's already raging fire about gas prices. On Thursday, Exxon Mobil reported second-quarter earnings of nearly $11.7 billion, the largest operations profit ever by any U.S. company.

"Nobody is doing anything," he said, "but we do have a hope in prayer."

Twyman said he and other activists have been asked to leave some gas stations where they've had their vigils, but they saw nothing but cooperation Friday. Some people honked and waved as they passed. And the convenience store manager gave them his blessing.

"I just talked to the owner of the oil company, and he told me to lower (the price of gas) three cents," said Santos Pokhrel, 35. "If it helps, go right ahead and pray."