Prayer event set for Thursday evening at Lake Loretta in Albany

ALBANY — The National Day of Prayer, set for Thursday, is being recognized in Albany by at least one church participating in the national movement.

Porterfield Memorial United Methodist at 2200 Dawson Road is sponsoring a “Watch and Pray Albany movement” beginning at 6 p.m.

“Members of our church, and others, have been praying for each of the individual streets in Albany since December of this past year, lifting up the residents of those streets and hoping to see a decrease in crime in our city,” Porterfield member Cary Stoudenmire said. “On Thursday, May 3 (The National Day of Prayer), we plan to extend that movement by inviting all members of our community to join us in surrounding Lake Loretta in a show of love and support for Albany.”

“We will have music, including singing by Jodi Mann, whose recent Facebook comment inspired this event and prayer led by various members of the community,” Stoudenmire said. “The plan will include a broadcast by MIX-107, who will be on-sight for the event. Overflow parking will be available at Porterfield and Covenant Presbyterian (Church) if needed, and we hope it will be needed.”

National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May which invites people of all faiths to pray for the nation. Created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman, the National Day of Prayer has inspired countless events of spiritual meditation and hope in cities across the country.

“It (National Day of Prayer) 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 National Day of Prayer Taskforce website said. “The Task Force represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.”

Public prayer and national days of prayer, because of the faith of many of the country’s founding fathers, have a long-standing and significant history in American tradition. In 1983, The Supreme Court affirmed the right of state legislatures to open their sessions with prayer in the Marsh vs. Chambers case.

For more information on the movement, visit www.nationaldayofprayer.org.