On Thursday, Taylor will join the nation in calling on a higher power to watch over the country. Oasis Church is hosting the city’s celebration of the National Day of Prayer at 7 p.m. May 4 in Heritage Square.
“This event will be very special, and everyone is welcome to attend,” said Mary Flores,Oasis Church pastor. “It doesn’t matter if you do or don’t belong to a church group. This is a community event, and we pray because we are God’s creation, and we are loved by our Heavenly Father who hears the prayers done in unity.”
The event features community leaders praying in the seven centers of influence in America, which include business, church, military, family, government, media and education. Speakers and performers will be on stage at the amphitheater, while residents can sit throughout park.
“The prayers will be led by several youth from different churches,” Flores said. “God is present when His people come together in unity to pray.”
In 1775, the Continental Congress allocated a time for prayer in forming a new nation. Over the years, there have been calls for a day of prayer, including from President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. On April 17, 1952, President Harry Truman signed a bill proclaiming the National Day of Prayer into law in the United States. President Reagan amended the law in 1988, designating the first Thursday of May each year as the National Day of Prayer.
The National Prayer Committee was formed in the United States in 1972. It went on to create the National Day of Prayer Task Force, with the intended purpose of coordinating events for the National Day of Prayer. According to the Legal Information Institute, the President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.
