By LINDA GODWIN
Special to Atmore News
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 theme for 2025 is “Pour Out to The God of Hope and Be Filled” Romans 15:13.
The local community event will be on Thursday, May 1, at 5:30 p.m. Everyone will gather at the Escambia County High School Cornell Torrence Gymnasium. The whole community is invited to come together to pray for the nation, as well as state and local government officials. There will also be specific prayers for Churches, the U.S. Military, Families, Education System, the Media, and Businesses. The agenda will include a welcome, opening prayer, and song, The Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, reading of the Proclamation by the Mayor, Blowing of the Shofar, the Prayer of Repentance, and musical specials.
You are encouraged to bring their Bible. Beginning at 6:15, everyone who wishes to participate will read scripture verses, which will be passed out as people arrive.
The Children’s Prayer Service is set for 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., for kindergarten through sixth grade students, signed in by an adult. The children will meet with Miss Flippy Toe in the RPM Trailer, which will be nearby.
The local observance is actually part of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, 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.
The local National Day of Prayer Committee sincerely urges everyone to join them in praying fervently and exalting the Lord and Savior through prayer. He will bless those who pray and honor Him.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance” Psalms 33:12 NKJV.
For more information contact Linda Godwin, 251-294-0288, or Dale Ash, 251-254-0833.
Other committee members are Linda Albritton, Urla Boggan, Edna Powers, Thelma Powers, Derek Gobert, Mavis Torrence, Sandra Huffines, Wayne Johnson, Debbie Lisenby, and Rhonda Lowery.