May 3, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
A small group of people gathered under the trees in the courthouse yard Thursday at noon to join in prayer in a local observance for the National Day of Prayer.
Isaac Gray, minister of the Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church gave an introductory prayer. He was followed by four others including Dr. John Carpenter of the Smithville 1st United and Bright Hill United Methodist Churches who prayed for the nation; Chad Ramsey of the Smithville 1st Baptist Church who prayed for our state; Chris Moore of the Smithville Church of God who prayed for our city; and Nathan Thomason of the Outreach Baptist Church who prayed for churches.
The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The Task Force is a privately funded organization whose purpose is to encourage participation on the National Day of Prayer. It exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families. The Task Force represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the national observance, based on the understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.