Highland County will observe annual Day of Prayer

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The annual National Day of Prayer will be observed Thursday, May 2 and separate events have been scheduled in both Greenfield and Hillsboro.

In Greenfield, where there has been an annual observance for more than 40 years, the event will be held on the Greenfield City Building plaza starting at noon. The Greenfield Area Ministerial Association (GAMA) will sponsor the observance with support from area churches. Local pastors and community leaders will lead a time of scripture reading, prayer and singing, “as we seek to demonstrate the love that we have for each other and for the community,” a ministerial association news release said.

In Hillsboro, the Hillsboro Church of Christ, 155 W. Walnut St., will host an event from noon to 7 p.m. in the downstairs fellowship hall. A church spokesperson said the church will have six different stations set up with suggested topics for people to pray about.

Both events are open to the public.

Kim Zornes of the Hillsboro Ministerial Association said it has not planned an observance.

The theme for this year’s National Day of Prayer is Love One Another, based on John 13:34, which reads: “Love one another. Just as I have loved you.”

This year, according to the GAMA news release, the national prayer states: “We pray for every family, every workplace, every community, and every city in America to choose to love. We believe there is power in love. We believe love is the better way. We believe love is God’s way. Oh Lord, change families, workplaces, communities and cities through the power of love. Raise up a Love One Another movement across America.”

The Rev. Joseph Cunningham, secretary-treasurer for the GAMA, previously told The Times-Gazette that the reason it holds the event each year is because, “It’s needed. I believe most of our problems would be solved if adjustments were made to people’s lives, and the only one who can effectively change lives is God, through prayer. I believe it’s a Christian’s duty to pray.”

The GAMA said the observance dates back to 1775 when the first call for a national day of prayer was issued by the Continental Congress. Since that time American presidents have issued a proclamation for an annual Day of Prayer. In 1988, Congress set aside, “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 church, in groups and as individuals.”

For more information about the Greenfield observance, contact Cunningham at 937-981-3168. He can also be reached by email at [email protected] or by traditional mail at P.O. Box 361, Greenfield, Ohio 45123.

According to the National Day of Prayer website: “The National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. In 1988, the law was unanimously amended by both the House and the Senate and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on Thursday, May 5, 1988, designating the first Thursday of May as a day of national prayer. Every president since 1952 has signed a National Day of Prayer proclamation.

“Our hope is that individuals, churches, and spiritual leaders in America, will humble ourselves and unify in prevailing prayer for the next great move of God in America. We can come together in clear agreement that this is our greatest need. We can become a visible union, standing together in prayer. We can pray more than ever before, and practice extraordinary prayer for the next great move of God in America that will catapult the message of the gospel nationally and internationally.

“Pray with us. Sponsor an event in your community. Become a volunteer. Order resources to help promote an event in your area. Support the National Day of Prayer financially. Together, we can mobilize unified public prayer for America!”

For more National Day of Prayer information, including other events across the country and during the year, visit www.nationalDayofPrayer.org or call 1-800-444-8828.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.

Events planned in Greenfield and Hillsboro

By Jeff Gilliland

[email protected]

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