Paula Ruane: Phil’s Friends Prayer Team Coordinator

Sometimes, God leads people somewhere unexpected and invites them into a ministry that changes their lives while touching the lives of others. For one Phil’s Friends volunteer, that journey began with a simple decision to serve and grew into a calling to pray for cancer patients and their families.

As members of The Village Church in Dyer, Indiana, Paula Ruane and her husband, Mike, joined the church’s outreach ministry. Their group volunteered at Phil’s Friends in nearby Crown Point, an organization they had never heard of.

After that first visit, Paula felt led to return to volunteer there, where she enjoyed decorating Care Package boxes and meeting other volunteers. Soon, a Group Leader shared that Phil’s Friends needed additional Group Leaders.

“I knew God was giving me a very clear message that I needed to be part of this ministry,” Paula said. On April 26, 2022, she joined the staff as a Group Leader.

But God had another opportunity in store.

During a Bible study in the summer of 2023, Phil’s Friends’ Founder, Phil Zielke, led a group through Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby. During that study, Phil shared that he felt God was calling him to establish a Prayer Team that would be dedicated to lifting up cancer patients and their families.

Phil approached Paula, explaining that whenever he prayed about starting the team, her name kept coming to mind.

“If you have ever had Phil ask you to be part of anything, it is very hard to say no to him. And even more so to say no to God’s plan,” Paula said.

In February 2024, the Phil’s Friends Prayer Team launched with several dedicated volunteers, and Paula as the Team’s Coordinator. Psalm 46:10 became her guiding verse: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Today, Paula helps coordinate approximately 50 Prayer Team members. Each week, volunteers receive a list of Care Package recipients to pray for by name. Additional prayer requests are shared with designated team members, along with weekly devotionals written by volunteers to encourage the team.

Although Paula has not personally experienced cancer, she has walked alongside friends battling the disease and knows the heartache it brings to families. Prayer allows her to meet people where they are and to remind them that they are not forgotten.

One story in particular has left a lasting impression on Paula. Linda, a woman in her 80s, had considered foregoing a visit with her oncologist and letting things run their course. Then she received a Phil’s Friends Care Package containing a Bible and a letter assuring her that people cared about her and were praying for her. Linda was deeply moved that strangers cared about her when she had begun struggling to care for herself. Their kindness, she told Paula, gave her the courage to move forward, and she decided to pursue surgery.

Linda’s story reminds Paula and the Prayer Team that a Care Package is more than a box of thoughtful items. It is an opportunity to share hope when someone needs it most.

The Prayer Team currently has approximately 50 members, with a goal of growing to 500 over the next five years. Phil’s Friends also looks forward to expanding its Hope on Call program that connects patients with team members, who will pray with them and offer ongoing encouragement.

Paula hopes more people will join this ministry and experience the privilege of praying for those facing cancer. As she reflects on her own journey, she remains grounded in John 15:5 and the reminder to abide in Christ.

“I have been touched and encouraged by so many beautiful people who share their testimonies about how God has touched their lives through the power of prayer and receiving our Care Package of HOPE,” she says.

To learn more about joining the Prayer Team or requesting prayer, email prayer@philsfriends.org.

As constant encouragement for herself, Paula keeps Phil’s words close at heart, “Prayer is the engine that keeps us going.”