Speakers announced for annual ALDON National Day of Prayer

ALBANY — Along with a noted pastor, local leaders from the medical field and law enforcement will be the speakers May 7 at the 75th annual ALDON National Day of Prayer, which will be held at the courtyard of the Albany-Dougherty Government Center at 222 Pine Ave. in downtown Albany.

The Day of Prayer starts at noon.

The Rev. Harriet S. Gainer, the pastor of New Beginnings Christian Church and one of the founding members of the Albany-Dougherty National Prayer Committee (ALDON), will join surgeon Dr. Price Corr and Dougherty County Sheriff Terron Hayes as speakers at the annual event, during which prayers are offered for local and national leaders, business professionals, educators, physicians, military personnel, law enforcement, city and county workers, and others.

“What we do with this day of prayer is not to lift up man, but to lift our prayers to God for the people in our community, our state and our nation who serve us,” Larry Price, the ALDON chairman who serves as director of the annual event, said. “And I believe our nation definitely is in need of prayer right now. This nation was founded on principle, and I believe if we honor God, He will honor us.” 

Corr, one of the principals of Albany Surgical Associates and Southern Surgical Center, is an active member of Porterfield United Methodist Church, while Hayes, who is serving his first term as sheriff of Dougherty County, is a deacon at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

The Rev. Charles Jones, the retired minister of music at First Baptist Church of Dawson, will lead the gathering in song. Music will be provided by Ana and Stanley Franklin of Cornerstone Coffee. 

The theme for this year’s National Day of Prayer, taken from 1 Chronicles 16:24, is “Glorify God among the nations, seeking him in all generations.”

“Since COVID, nobody’s recovered to where we were in the past as far as attendance, but we’re not concerned with trying to count numbers,” Price said. “We’ve had as many as 250 people, and one year when it rained real hard, we had 50. But 50 or 250, if we go expecting it, God will hear our prayers.”

As is the custom for the annual event, each speaker will offer a brief message and prayer, and then participants will split into groups of six to eight to pray together.

There is no cost to participate, and no collection will be taken. Seats are provided around the courtyard — most in shaded areas — but the community is invited to bring lawn chairs for more comfortable seating.

For additional information, contact Price at (229) 317-3900 or online at [email protected].