Local residents gathered in front of the courthouse in downtown Princeton at noon Thursday to pray for various groups, the county, and our nation on the annual National Day of Prayer, which is held on the first Thursday in the month of May.
Brother Harrell Riley with HR Ministries has been organizing the National Day of Prayer event for the last 7 years, with the annual event starting roughly 20 years ago in Caldwell County. Bro. Riley told Your News Edge the National Day of Prayer is important for the community to come together and pray for the county and our nation.
click to download audioAfter hearing a couple of hymns from Chris Wright, Bro. Riley spoke to the crowd, sharing the history of the National Day of Prayer which was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1952.
click to download audioHe then challenged each member of the crowd to understand that the first words President Truman said were that the congregation of the church should come together to pray. Bro. Riley also said he was challenged this past week by a gentleman who has dual citizenship from Ethiopia, who challenged us to pray for our country.
click to download audio
Following his comments, the crowd heard prayers for the various groups that included:
Prayer for Churches: Bro. Ronnie Sivells
Prayer for Education: Bro. John Hagan
Prayer for Family: Bryce Davis
Prayer for Government: Jeff Simms
Prayer for Media: David McGowan
Prayer for Military: Bro. Presley Lamm
Prayer for Business: Pastor Kevin Alexander
After the prayers, a large American Flag was unrolled in front of the courthouse steps. Dana Dyer, a representative of Woodmen Life, told Your News Edge the flag was about 40 x 60 feet and they wanted the crowd to be able to say the Pledge of Allegiance at the end of the ceremony.
click to download audioThe theme of this year’s National Day of Prayer was “Pray Fervently in Righteousness.”
To listen to Thursday’s National Day of Prayer ceremony, click on the audio link below:
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