Encompass Encourages Students to Pray for the Unreached

By Jewell Strock

Matthew 9:38 says, “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” This verse is the focus of Encompass, a small business started by junior Marketing Major Chloe Largent. Encompass is a nonprofit organization that serves to remind Christians to pray for the unreached countries around the globe through small, physical items. 

Largent created the idea of Encompass the spring semester of 2021 for her marketing class with Dr. Jon Austin.

How did Chloe come up with the idea? “I realized how little I prayed for unreached countries,” she said. “I knew they existed, but not by name.” Largent did surveys when she formulated her idea and realized that many people felt the same way. From there she was determined to encourage others to remember the unreached countries.

“We wanted to make products that reminded people to pray for unreached countries,” Largent said. “When you would see the product, you would think of the country and pray for them.”

Encompass consists of six team members. Caroline Kemp and Faith Triplet are the heads of marketing. Jonathan Rathbun, Samuel Schoch and Zachariah Kitzmiller are in charge of finance. Largent is the operator and team leader.

“I joined Encompass because I liked the mission,” Kemp said. “I like the daily idea of praying for the unreached.” She also said, “It’s something outside my major, and it really pushes me outside of my comfort zone and has helped me grow.”

The team designed mugs and journals as their product. “People drink coffee, and as students, we bring journals to Chapel and use them for devotions. So they seemed to be the best products to promote our mission,” Largent explained.

The journal has a world map on the front with lesser-known countries, including ones that didn’t have a Bible translated into their language. The mug has a compass engraved on it, but instead of North, East, West and South, the compass has the letters P-R-A-Y in place, reminding the user to pray for the unreached countries.

Largent and her team mainly rely on social media to spread the word about their company. Instagram serves as their main form of communication and promotion. They also created a website where people can buy their products and read more about the team and Encompass itself.

“Brian Burns with Campus Experience has also been a huge help,” Largent said. “We ask permission to set up tables in the Steven Student Center to sell our products or hand out things.” Encompass is also spread by word-of-mouth.

Encompass is a company that hopes to not only reach the students of Cedarville University but also the parents as well.

“I want to help with missions, but I don’t feel called overseas,” Triplet said. “Encompass is something that helps me spread God’s Word and pray for those globally, while remaining in a local area.”

The team has learned a lot about working together and working outside their comfort zones. “Doing something completely different from my major has helped me grow,” Triplet said, “and it’s given me job opportunities.”

“I’ve learned that passion drives marketing,” Kemp said. “If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, then the end result won’t be as great as it could be.”

Students can help Encompass by purchasing products, spreading the word, following Encompass on Instagram, @encompass_ptn, or checking out their website, https://neos.cedarville.edu/about-us-3/. They can also stop by their pop-up shop on November 11 in the lower SSC to learn more.

Chloe Largent has been continuously amazed by how God uses them and something she struggled with to bring prayer to the unreached. “I’ve been in awe of how much this has been created and become a company, and to actually create the products and help the mission. That’s been a blessing.”

Jewell Strock is a sophomore International Studies major and a writer for Cedars. She enjoys drinking matcha and listening to music 24/7.