Dear editor,

The 73rd annual National Day of Prayer will be observed Thursday, May 2, in the People’s Park Pavilion in West Plains from noon to 1:00p.m. The specific areas of prayer include: praise and thanksgiving to God, prayers for our government (national, state and local), the workplace and the economy, military, education, church and family and the media.

 

The National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of The United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. A National Day of Prayer Task Force that is privately funded exists to encourage participation in this historic event.

 

The first call to national prayer occurred in 1775 when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation. Because of the faith of many of our founding fathers, public prayer and National days of prayer have a long-standing and significant history in our American tradition. The Surpreme Court affirmed the right of state legislatures to open their sessions with prayer in Marsh vs. Chambers (1983).

 

In 1988, President Reagan permanently set the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday of every May. Each year the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day for our nation. It is customary for each state governor, plus governors of several U.S. territories to sign similar proclamations.

 

Thank you,

Penny Brill