Local Pastors Issue Invitation to May 6 National Day of Prayer Observance

Lake Wales area pastors invite the public to gather at noon Thursday, May 6 for the annual National Day of Prayer observance. The event will take place outside in the breezeway of the city administration building at 201 W. Central Ave.

This year's theme is "Lord, Pour Out Your Love, Life, and Liberty." It is based on the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 3:17, which says "Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

The featured speaker offering a brief devotional will be Col. Ed Northrup, interim pastor of Babson Park Community Church. The Rev. Charles Little and the First Baptist Church worship team will offer special music.

The Lake Wales High School Junior ROTC color guard will present the flag. Various community pastors will offer special prayers for national, state, county and local officials.

"In these critical times it is important to pray for our nation and our public officials," said First Baptist Senior Pastor the Rev. Scott Markley. "We have the freedom and opportunity to do that in Lake Wales so it would be foolish not to give ourselves to this practice the Lord Jesus called us to."

The Lake Wales gathering is expected to be among 60,000 National Day of Prayer events scheduled in all 50 states.

The National Day of Prayer organization also will broadcast a live event at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 8 online via Facebook Live. Interested people may tune in at https://www.facebook.com/events/3896819033770220/

This is the 70th anniversary of National Day of Prayer events. 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 U.S. Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.

The National Day of Prayer 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 our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.

Additional information can be found at the organization's website at https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/