Peter Thielbacked Instapray app passes the 30 million prayer mark
SAN FRANCISCO – Lord Tennyson once said, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” This still holds true for founder of Instapray, Fryderyk Ovcaric, a polish Stanford University graduate who has big dreams for his mobile application and social network service that allows friends and strangers alike to express their faith and share in instant prayer.
“I started Instapray to create a safe, supportive online community, a place free of the overwhelming negativity present across much of the web. ” said Ovcaric. “As online bullying has increased in recent years, with the rise of anonymous sharing apps amplifying this destructive and hateful behavior, I believe the world can benefit from Instapray now more than ever.”
This technology platform, designed to deliver instant, crowd-sourced positive feedback to all prayer requests, is already the world’s leading prayer social platform. Instapray serves users in 195 countries who are seeking to pray, engage with others who share their religious and spiritual beliefs, or to discover and discuss various world events.
A testimonial from the Instapray website helps understand the concept: “I was unable to sleep last night, missing my daughter. I was reading scriptures and web pages online trying to find some spiritual comfort. I posted prayers and within minutes I had over a dozen beautiful people praying from different countries. I no longer felt isolated and alone in my grief. What a blessing! So thankful for this app!
Members of the Instapray community can post prayers and encouragement publicly or create private groups. They can also join more broad-based groups that focus on global issues concerning peace in the Middle East, victims of natural disasters, or a cure for Ebola, for example.
The family-friendly app serves as a positive alternative to other social networks, which can sometimes foster an atmosphere of ego bolstering or divisive outbursts of intolerance.
“Instapray is an uplifting community where people don’t have to be afraid to express their faith or spirituality,” said Ovcaric. “They can be vulnerable, share personal struggles, or support others with a prayer, comment, or private message. And if they choose to request prayer, a caring global community will reach out and respond with love and compassion.”
Ovcaric’s altruistic vision is reflected in the Instapray Community Guidelines, which include “Treat others as you would like to be treated,” “Have meaningful and genuine interactions,” and “Make the world a better place.” The full list of guidelines can be found here: https://instapray.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/296286-instapray-comm unity-guidelines.
Instapray is free and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play. Download instructions can be found here: http://www.instapray.com/.