Mothers Day, abortion, Ukraine, government, education, military, emergency personnel — all were subjects of the many prayers spoken aloud Thursday on the steps of the Montgomery County Courthouse on what has been proclaimed the National Day of Prayer since President Ronald Reagan solidified the date in 1988.
Dozens gathered to make their voices heard and their presence felt, despite soggy weather and mild temperatures.
New Ross Christian Church Pastor Ivan Brown led the event, calling pastors from the region to support the cause.
“If they say that they’ve heard enough from us about our Lord and Savior, then we need to stand up and shout it even louder, because this world needs educated,” Brown said, noting the eight established categories of prayer for the annual event. “But we’re going to add one today, because this weekend is a special holiday.
“Every one of you has a mother. We have two fathers — we have our physical father, and we have our spiritual father,” he said. “But you’ve only got one mother. Only one. And I lift my mother up who gave me the knowledge to love God.”
WIMC and WCDQ Radio Manager Dave Peach introduced Brown and thanked those in attendance for braving the weather.
“I said, you know, if we have two or more guests, that’s all we need. And now we’ve got this group,” he said to the 20-plus people in attendance. “Pray for [Brown]. He lost his wife in October, but he still came. That’s what this is all about — finding out how we can help and how we can support each other.”
Guests speakers included Judy Neighbors, Dave Finch, Ken Green, Tammy Mussche, Randall Boys, Chuck Hudson and Jeff Hoenshell. Each prayed for topics such as the military, government, business, education, media and emergency services, adding in Mothers Day, Ukraine and the current hot topic in the country — abortion.
Regardless the subject, all were at the courthouse for one purpose: To spread the word.
The National Day of Prayer was first established by those who wrote the Constitution in the 1770s, Brown said, reserving a day of the year as a day of prayer. In 1952, President Harry Truman said it would be held in May and, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan solidified the date as the first Thursday in May each year.
For more information about the National Day of Prayer and related events, visit nationaldayofprayer.org.
