The public is invited to participate in the National Day of Prayer observance in Montgomery County. Anyone is invited to attend the event which will be held at noon Thursday on the steps of the Montgomery County Courthouse.
This year’s theme is “Pray Fervently in Righteousness” based on James 5:16b which says “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
The local organizers are Ken Clarke of Trinity Life Ministry, New Ross Christian Church pastor Ivan Brown and Dave Peach, WIMC WCDQ WCVL. This is an opportunity for everyone to come together and lift up our government and community leaders in prayer.
Many local pastors and believers participate in the event. Participants and prayer focus:
• Government: Pastor Steve Whicker, East Side Baptist Church
• Military: Pastor Mark Roberts, Crossroads Community Church of Nazerene
• Media: Pastor Brian Campbell, First United Methodist Church
• Business: Pastor Jeff Hoenshell, Rock Point Church
• Education: Pastor Dave Keesee, Calvary Church
• First Responders: Paul Miller, Division Chief of EMS
• Church: Trinity Life Ministry Representative
• Family: Through the Gate Ministry Representative
The mission of the National Day of Prayer is to mobilize unified public prayer for America. The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.
The task force is a privately funded organization whose purpose is to encourage participation on the National Day of Prayer. It exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families. The task force represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.
Because of the faith of many of the founding fathers, public prayer and national days of prayer have a long-standing and significant history in American tradition. The Supreme Court affirmed the right of state legislatures to open their sessions with prayer in Marsh vs. Chambers (1983).
Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in 1863.
In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual national day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several U.S. territories signed similar proclamations.
The National Day of Prayer has great significance for us as a nation as it enables us to recall and to teach the way in which our founding fathers sought the wisdom of God when faced with critical decisions. It stands as a call for us to humbly come before God, seeking His guidance for our leaders and His grace upon us as a people. The unanimous passage of the bill establishing the National Day of Prayer as an annual event, signifies that prayer is as important to our nation today as it was in the beginning.
Like Thanksgiving or Christmas, this day has become a national observance placed on all Hallmark calendars and observed annually across the nation and in Washington, D.C. Every year, local, state, and federal observances were held from sunrise in Maine to sunset in Hawaii, uniting Americans from all socio-economic, political and ethnic backgrounds in prayer for our nation. It is estimated that over two million people attended more than 30,000 observances — organized by approximately 40,000 volunteers. At state capitols, county court houses, on the steps of city halls, and in schools, businesses, churches and homes, people stopped their activities and gathered for prayer.
The National Day of Prayer belongs to all Americans. It is a day that transcends differences, bringing together citizens from all backgrounds.
“We have lost many of our freedoms in America because we have been asleep,” said Shirley Dobson, NDP chairman emeritus. “I feel if we do not become involved and support the annual National Day of Prayer, we could end up forfeiting this freedom, too.”
