National Day of Prayer events in Chattanooga on Thursday
An estimated 2 million people across the country will join in prayer Thursday for a common cause.
“This year we’re praying for unity, and it’s no secret that our country has more than a few issues that are coming to the forefront that are dividing people. And so there’s just a recognition that unity is something we need to be getting help beyond ourselves to bring about,” says Adam Whitescarver, executive director of Chattanooga House of Prayer.
Chattanooga House of Prayer is working with Pray Chattanooga, The Unity Group and other ministers to host morning and evening citywide prayer meetings. The first will be on the front steps of Chattanooga City Hall from noon to 12:30 p.m. The other will be at Coolidge Park from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Other churches in Chattanooga and North Georgia also will be among congregations across the country coming together for the observance. They include First Baptist Church of Ringgold hosting a prayer at noon and Keith Baptist in the Ringgold/Tunnel Hill area observing prayer at 6:30 p.m. before beginning evening Bible study.
“Pray for America — Unity” is the theme for the National Day of Prayer. It’s based on Ephesians 4:3, which states “Making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace,” according to the National Day of Prayer news release.
“Abraham Lincoln in 1863, when the country was very divided, called for a national day of prayer to help heal the wounds of the country. So there is a long-standing tradition,” said Whitescarver.
The official National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. In 1988, the law was unanimously amended by the House and Senate and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan designating the first Thursday of May as a day of national prayer.
This year’s nationwide call to unity will take place at an estimated 30,000 meetings across the country, drawing people from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds — an ecumenical mix of Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Protestants and nondenominational congregations.
“We’re part of a grand picture of asking God for help, and he answers his prayers in his own timing and in his own way,” says Whitescarver. “But he answers prayers.”