National Day of Prayer celebrated

By GEORGE KEELER, Secretary
Association of Springfield Area Churches
SPRINGFIELD — The Association of Springfield Area Churches will be having a prayer table at the First Congregational Church on Main St in Springfield, VT from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the National Day of Prayer, Thursday, May 3. Anyone can come and leave prayer requests for the volunteers who will be praying at the table, or ask the volunteers to pray with you for a personal concern. The prayer table will be staffed continually throughout the day by members of area congregations.

The first National Day of Prayer was called for by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It has been celebrated annually since 1952 based on a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by then president, Harry S. Truman. In 1988 President Ronald Reagan designated the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May each year. It is a call for people of all faiths to take time to pray for our nation in a spirit of humility and repentance. The National Day of Prayer belongs to all Americans. It is a day that transcends differences, bringing together citizens from all backgrounds. Every president since 1952 has signed a National Day of Prayer proclamation

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. It is a reminder that we can and should do better to live in ways that support and encourage each other to improve ourselves, our communities, and our nation.

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.