Local prayer time planned May 5

By Sam Waller

The Albany Ministerial Alliance is again spearheading local participation in the National Day of Prayer.

The local event will be held at 8:00 a.m. Thursday, May 5 at Bank Park.

The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May, designated by the United States Congress, when people are asked “to turn to God in prayer and meditation.”

The first Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer in 1775. President Abraham Lincoln called for a day of prayer in 1863 during the Civil War.

The annual National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law by President Harry Truman. It invites people of all faiths to pray for the nation.

In 2018, an estimated 50,000 gatherings across all 50 states were held on the National Day of Prayer.

The theme chosen by the NDP task force is “Exalt the Lord who has Established Us.” The theme is based on Colossians 2:6-7, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

The National Day of Prayer Broadcast is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CDT Thursday.

For more information, visit www.nationaldayof prayer.org.