After one of the most challenging years in generations, area faith leaders are harnessing the power of prayer to help heal the community.
Local pastors, elected officials and community members will come together at noon Thursday to offer up their voices for the annual National Day of Prayer. They plan to gather on the lawn of the Johnson County courthouse to offer their hearts to God, and ask for the wisdom and grace that God provides, said Gary Walker, pastor at Franklin City Church and one of the event’s organizers.
The theme for this year’s program is "Lord, pour out your love, life and liberty," and organizers plan to give thanks to first responders while praying for our community.
"Most people in Johnson County would agree that America needs prayer. The Bible also agrees with our need for prayer, and instructs all of us to pray for all people, especially those who serve in positions of authority," Walker said. "It’s never too late for America to turn back to the Lord and become ‘One nation under God,’ and truly mean, ‘In God we trust.’"
This is the 70th National Day of Prayer, which was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The law was unanimously amended in 1988, designating the first Thursday in May as a day of national prayer.
Across the country, people will celebrate around the central idea of loving their neighbors, while pastors have come together in past years to pray as one. The event was altered in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with just a small group praying. But church planners will again gather in downtown Franklin as it has traditionally been.
"Last year, we weren’t really able to gather, with it being at the height of the pandemic. This year, we can gather," said Andy Kinsey, pastor at Grace United Methodist Church. "This allows us to share thanksgiving and continue praying for the community and all the different facets of it."
The Franklin event will be conducted over the lunch hour so more people can participate, and is planned to feature prayers and comments by local pastors. They will focus on different aspects of the community, including praying for Franklin government officials, county leaders and police and first responders.
"When we gather together in unity and love as one people and acknowledge that we often times do not know what to do, but fix our eyes on the Lord, He reminds us that the battle ultimately is His, and He will direct our steps and the steps of the nation," Walker said. "Gathering together, as a community in prayer, remind us that God is to do far more abundantly all that we ask or think."
National Day of Prayer
What: A gathering of local pastors and the public to pray together for the community and the nation.
When: Noon Thursday
Where: North side of the Johnson County courthouse, downtown Franklin
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May 04, 2021 at 01:13PM
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Community to gather for National Day of Prayer - Daily Journal
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