By Barbara Augsdorfer, Editor for the Effingham Herald
More than 50 residents of Effingham County gathered at Veteran’s Park in Springfield Thursday afternoon to observe the 73rd annual National Day of Prayer.
At the one-hour event, local pastors and city officials read from the Bible, read proclamations and offered prayers for Effingham County.
Local participants included Springfield Mayor Bart Alderman, Pastor Lon Harden of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor Ken Morgan of Springfield Oaks Church, Pastor Don Davis of Oak Grove Church of Christ, and Pastor Moses Toole of Centerpoint Community Church.
According to the National Day of Prayer website, the first proclamation naming a National Day of Prayer was signed into law in 1952, although no specific day was chosen. Designating the first Thursday in May as the Day of Prayer was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, but the history of the day goes much further back into American history.
The call to prayer and fasting in the United States was first issued by the Continental Congress on March 16, 1776, which “called on Americans to ‘with united hearts, confess our manifold sins’.”
In the months leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress encouraged Americans to, “humbly implore His assistance to frustrate the cruel purposes of our unnatural enemies; and by inclining their hearts to justice and benevolence.”
In his Presidential proclamation for the 2024 observation, President Joe Biden wrote, “Scripture tells us to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer. This year, my prayer for our Nation is that we keep faith that our best days are ahead of us and continue to believe in honesty, decency, dignity, and respect. May we see each other not as enemies but as fellow human beings, each made in the image of God and each precious in His sight. May we leave no one behind, give everyone a fair shot, and give hate no safe harbor. May we remember that nothing is beyond our capacity if we act together.”
