It was a day of coming together, of celebrating, and of prayer. Yesterday, on the first Thursday in May, people gathered across Northeast Georgia for the National Day of Prayer.
According to the National Day of Prayer’s official website, the Continental Congress set aside a day of prayer for the nation in 1775. Then, a bill was passed in 1952 which was introduced by hotelier Conrad Hilton and Kansas Sen. Frank Carlson.
This bill established a National Day of Prayer. It was to be proclaimed annually by the president as a day set aside for which “the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.”
The First National Day of Prayer observed
In 1983, the first National Day of Prayer was observed. The National Prayer Committee organized the event and it was held at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
Sen. Strom Thurman changed the wording in the bill established in 1952 from “appropriate day” to “the first Thursday in May in each year.”
It was signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 with several faith leaders and lawmakers. Christian entertainer Pat Boone was the co-chair of the National Prayer Committee during this time.
President Bill Clinton signed another public law that reads, “The President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.”
Local community organizers
Myrna Fouts has been participating in and organizing The National Day of Prayer in Habersham County for over 20 years.
“When we first started, it was one hour in a church. But we couldn’t get people to come into one church or another,” Fouts explained. “So we decided to go out into the community to bring people together from different churches.”
For the past five years, they have taken the National Day of Prayer from Tallulah Falls down to Alto. “We live in a free country and when we are given one day out of 365, we should take that day to come together and worship God.”
Different churches come together
Pastor Greg Gober, from Forerunner City Church in Flowery Branch, was one of several pastors on hand for the event. He said The National Day of Prayer is the bedrock of our nation, our family, and our community.
We are here as Christians to make a difference. “Sometimes it seems overwhelming when we look out in culture, we see the darkness, we see all the ills that exist, but we are the hope!” Gober added.
“It is at times like this that we all come together, different denominations, different races, and different backgrounds, and put all those seemingly differences aside with one sole focus and purpose, and that’s to call upon the name of the Lord,” Gober explained.
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